The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-12-17
low TO ESCAPE
DIVORCE COURTS
God Advice to Married Folks
in Sermon by Pastor of
Methodist Church.

Just to remind every man and woman
+ their duty to their husband or wife,
iev. r. +. Smith, pastor of the First.
Methodist church, gave plain talk to
is congregation last night on the du-
lies of married life. He explained how
nany divorces we're brought about
through continued misunderstanding
he result of selfshness or of stubborn
ess on the part of the husband or wife.
70 guard against these little details of
life, to forbear and to overlook each
ther IS faults and to recognize the dan
,er signals of matrimonial shipwreck
sere some of the Advertisements he
.aade. Following is his Sermon:
'sLet the husband render unto the
wife due benevolence, and likewise also
he wife unto the husband, is my text.
+ "'The man who wrote these words was
bachelor. 1t has been suggested that
he was a bachelor because no woman
.mong his acquaintance would marry
uch a homely man. Paul admits that
lis enemies declared that his bodily
presence was weak and his speech con
temptible.' A very ancient tradition
| ,eaded, bowlegged, strongly built, a
)rows, with large nose So you see
he was not very attractive PROPOSE
ion for any attractive woman.
"Others think that Paul became
Hlopelessly soured on all women alike.
But those who hold that Paul was
lgoman hater accuse him unjustly and
L.. al Il.
He did not blame Others for getting mar
lied. He simply chose, for some good
-eason of his own, to remain free. Paul
,xalts the marriage and family rela-
;ionship. In a number CT instances in
mis- epistles he gives married folks most
excellent counsel. The word 'benevo-
ence' in the text suggests good will,
,harta bleness, desire to promote one 8
happiness. So Paul, in the text, urges
husbands and wives to have good will
Tor each other, charity for each other 8
failings and deep desire to make life
happy for each other.
To Avoid Divorce.
"Many divorces could easily be avoid
led if married folks would follow the ad-
vice of the bachelor Paul. In this mes
sage l desire to emphasize some phases
of married life which | have not dis
:ussed in the previous messages. You
may think these suggestions are simple,
but believe me, there would be many
more happier homes than there are now
If husbands and wives should, in an
absolutely sincere spirit, seek to carry
but these suggestions. First of all, l.
urge married folk to always seek to nm
ierstand each other
"Oftentimes the husband or the wife
labor under some misunderstanding
w hich might easily be cleared up if they
had a heart to-heart talk. But the real
or apparent grievance is nursed day
after day until at length it rankles in
the bosom and poisons conjugal love
land happiness The wife hears some
thing that is not complimentaIYnG9n-
eerning her husband, and ait may be
true. Instead of trying in M taetful,
loving manner to reach an understand
ling with him, she harbors unkind feel
Aings toward him, nags him, and hurls
hints at him like barbed arrows with
poisoned points. ass
GAS a result the breach between
.them widens and in due time, unless
they have a frank understanding, they
make matrimonial shipwreck or land
I'm the divorce court A matrimonial mis-
understanding, if not adjusted, is like
heaven in a mass of dough. In due
time the whole married life will be
leavened by the little misunderstood
ings injected into it. / once heard an
eminent surgeon say, as he was about
to perform an operation on man, This
Operation could have been averted three
Hbears ago if this man had made radi-
Zeal change in his habits. Two years
Iago slight operation would have suf-
feed, now ] will do my best and wait
Z for nature to render her uncertain YER
dict
$50, many couple, facing the ship
wreck of their home, could truthfully
say, Three years ago an understanding
would have saved us. Two years ago
a. little mutual sacrifice would have
saved us. Now, it seems as if we had
passed redemption Such a scene
might be termed tragedy in four acts.
Act l, misunderstanding. Act 2, re-
fusal or neglect to adjust it. Act 3,
nourishing it into flame of hatred. Act
A, tolerating each other in wedloek or
eternally separated by the divorce
court. God forbid that such tragedy
should be enacted in any of our homes.
Mutual Concessions.
"Again, urge married folk to make
mutual concessions. Strange that mar
ried people will not do this more than
they do. II is a principle which Is gem
orally recognized and praetised IN the
business world. Every day in business,
many men are making mutual eonees-