The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-09-04
A HAPPY MARRIED LIFE
OF FIFTY-SIx YEARS

6enSdCOId Journal.
On this first day OF eur fifty sixth
year of married life I have read the
article on divorce by Gilfillan Scott,
and that OF Margaret e. sangster. Jr,
on like subject and which are a
long stretch between the ridiculous
and the sublime.
If L may write q few commonplace
thoughts that will help some Of our
dear young people, may be justified
In this effort, and not charged with
egotism. Many persons have in good
faith asked us for the secret of our
f1ealthful, happy and prosperous old
age. My answer has ever been, Il
cannot tell
And vet there are some things-un
der God-to which we ever fondly re-
vert
First. we each boast of a pure and
pious parentage, and we each thank
God that we were wise enough when
young to follow their teachings and
example We knew each other from
childhood. We married young and
each brought to the other pure young
life and we have kept our bodies and
souls pure for each other ever since.
was and am yet an ardent lover and
had to be, or I could never have won
such a bride; and she had that won
derful faculty of making me a lover
and has retained that faculty ever
since We never had cause to be
Jealous of each other. Her apron
strings ever held me safely when hum
dreds of miles away from her
We both had given our hearts and
lives to God before we gave them 30
each other.
We began housekeeping In small
cottage three weeks after our marriage
and we have had house and home of
our own ever since. We then set UP
our family altar and from that time
we have not failed in our morning and
evening prayers.
When, one by one, our five children
came, we dedicated them 10 God in
baptism. We so much needed help In
their support and training and He has
never failed US, and they are now all
happily married, reasonably prosper
Gus, and Christians, and always glad
to come back to the old home nest.
We have had many ups and downs
and much Of our lives has been
struggle and each Of us has done much
OF hard work We have differed often
and could not say that we had never
been angry with each other and said
some unkind things, but we always
loved each other more when the
clouds rolled by
We are married for time and eter-
nifty. We wish to stay here together
as long as God wills, and be separated
for brief space as possible, and be
reunited in that other world.
Such is a brief sketch Of a common
place marriage Of a commonplace
couple. And we tell OF it only to en-
courage some ones who are now con-
templating matrtmony, and we wish
and pray for every such man and
woman to begin right. For II you fail
OF happy married life you will find
no real happiness elsewhere. can
not close without saying that abso- |
lutte virtue in man and woman is in |
TO a happy married life.
Those Of us who are Older know |
that the average young man of today |
wants spotlessly pure wife and while |
he cannot give her what he demands |
OF her, he notes every slightest indis- |
erection on the part Of his lady friend |
or fance, and many young ladies Of |
today are not 50 careful of what they /
do, and where they go, as fifty years |
ago.
We cannot increase virtue, nor pro-
mote happy married life by relaxing |
our divorce laws. Better go back to |
most ancient church; or better still, |
one rule for man and woman, absolute |
virtue or steriItty.
JOHN THOS. PORTER.
Grand Ridge Sept. 2, 1918.