The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-04

ever, no question at all of his getting his divorce as soon as she could be found. His prevailing anxiety was caused by the tone of Vernon's let ters. He thought she was being in- f1uenced against him by some one l other. He knew she loved him and he felt sure that, once face to face again she would realize that she did. A tirade against the absurdity of those who did not believe in divorce fol lowed. He instanced his own life.
 Was it my fault? he triumphantly demanded.
 Could I have helped it?'
 The question troubled Vernon, and
 My child," he said, tits wide subject, and not one for young girls to go deeply into. But you, as you find yourself confronted with the problem, are bound to consider it. Remember, first, that we, as Chris tians, hold a different view of mar riage-a wholly different view-from that upheld by the heather world Christ took a natural law and elevat- ed it to the nature of a sacrament Ii was the one only social question upon which He gave clear and definite pronouncement. He said that mar riage was indissoluble. In so saving, He did not enunciate a very startling novelty, because in all civilized coun- tries the fact was from the beginning more or less recognized, although the stronger sex, for their own reasons gave themselves certain exemptions But even in polygamous countries,tfe principle was dimly acknowledged though as applying far more strongly to the wife than to the husband Now, ed man to protect her against pos- sible violence, the root idea that a man is responsible for his wife's safe- ty and welfare and honor, was much more evident than it can be now. But the truth remains the same. A man is still responsible. We do not pro- tect our women with bolts and bars. We, as Christians, give them the safe- guard of faith and honor and mod esty. When Christian woman swears to keep to one man only, we man, she will keep her VOW. But should a man choose as his wife, a woman to whom these considerations do not appeal, the fact of her irres- possibility does not absolve him from his, but rather increases it. For If the weakness of her nature is such that no oath, is sacred to her, she has all the more need of his care. By marrying her, he assumed, before God the responsibility of her future just as she assumed the responsibii- ity for his. Each is in the keep ing of the other, through the mysti- cal grace which we call marriage. The fact that one of the two-and she the weaker--fails to keep her side of the pact, is the shame and disgrace of the man who should have known her better. In case such as this of which you tell me, it is evident that the two who married, did so without any idea of the solemn obligations they were mourning. Their mar riage was in no true sense a Chris O fn themselves and to fling aside all cares. Had they accepted even one the greatest of the responsibilities which we accept when we marry-I mean the joy and mystery of paren- tage-in all probability the natural safeguard given to woman would have kept this poor restless unsatis- fled being, true to the father of her children.
 Well! This young man had delib- erately chosen as his life partner, a woman who desired Iife's pleasures without its obligations. Having done so, he was bound to cleave to her. Bound to keep her from falling, if he could-bound also to raise her if she fell, and to shoulder his own large half of the blame that attach ed to her. There is often an in- jured party in a divorce suit. There is never an innocent one, unless it be some unfortunate girl child, handed over by parents to a bad man. The kind of woman this young man de- sired, was the woman who would amuse him dress well, help him 10 spend money, be gay and careless and sensual. He liked those things, he chose them, he married them. There is no escape from the law that he must accept the consequence of his own acts.'
 Then you really, seriously say, that Lionel is not free to marry"
 ''I say with all possible conviction that he is not. If his wife lives, it is his duty to go and rescue her and provide for her. He asks you, was it his fault-could he help it? My answer to that is yes. It was quite half his fault, if not more, and he could, in all probability, have helped it.''
 Vernon brooded over this answer for some time. 'Then that settles the question for me-" she said at last.