The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1914-10-03
A MATRIMONIAL
THEORIST
His Theories Did Not Work
In Practice
By ESTHER vANDEvEER

faith In ii canno be shaken. They ar,
persons who have been happily mar
ried and about whom children hay,
sprung. To such marriage is theil
whole world. They are not interested
In any one OF the plans which are In
vented for experimental marriage OF
easy divorce. To them the loss OF 0
single child is an irreparable misfor,
tune, and TO the family as a whole the
loss Of either parent Is the greatest ca
lamity that can befall them.
1t Is either those whose married life
has been n failure or those who have
never been married nj all who are seek.
ing substitutes for the wedlock OF the
present day. The former usually take
the initiative by advancing new ideas
concerning t.; the latter, with n few
exceptions, are ready 70 jump into mat
rimony without consideration.
Among young unmarried persons I'm
clined TO forethought I'm this matter
were Edward Ellis and Rebecca Sayles.
Neither was disposed to take life, its
joys and its sorrows as they came,
but must plan everything ahead. Being
mutually interested I'm many problems
that their elders have found insoluble.
they were drawn together by their dis
cussions, and an attachment sprang up
between them. Ellis weighed bachelor
life against married life and found the
advantages and disadvantages Of equal
weight. On the one side there was
something TO tie TO, on the other lone
Illness that increased with old age. He
granted that If a marriage turned out
happily the advantages outweighed the
Disadvantages. If IL was a failure IL
was unbearable.
This view Of IL led Ellis just where II
has led a host Of other thinkers on the
su~bject-hrst. To- guard against inludi.
clous marriages; second, TO render them
easily dissolved when the parties found
themselves not mated. lie spent a
great deal Of time on both these prob
lens and at last solved them 10 his sat
~isfaction. No couple, he said, should be
married without living for at least a
year in close proximity with each 9TH
er; no couple should be married with
out a prenuptial agreement that at the
option OF either they should live apart
and both assist in securing Il divorce.
Miss Sayles, whose views ON the sub
ject OF marriage had been influenced
by the matrimonial troubles OF an
aunt rather than n mental bent toward
the discussion Of abstruse problems,
"a urpn1 NTH Mr. INIIta a.. q. Al. $50.
cautions, but was "at sea" with regard
TO the remedy. She shrank from the
breaking up OF a family-something n
woman would be more likely to feel
than n man since the maternal Is
stronger than the paternal instinct. She
failed to see how the damage once
done could be remedled. Anyway, Il
would leave a terrible scar.
However, If Ellis did not convert her
TO his views rs 10 separation, provided
marriage proved a failure, he finally
persuaded her TO consent 90 his pre-
nuptlal agreement. He was perfectly
satisfied with this, because she was A
girl who would never go back on her
promise. They lived near each other,
met frequently and by mutual agree
ment RETAINED from trying 10 convince
each other that they were FAR better
than they appeared. At least they
tried 70 appear what they were, but
whether they succeeded or not Is an
open question.
At the end of "A year Of such Inter
course they were married. Ellis pre-
agreement as to separation in
their marriage proved a failure
was put In writing. lie gave his bride
a copy ana kept a copy FOR himself.
The Elllscs lived together ten years
without any more matrimonial dis.
agreements than the average married
During that period four chill
lren came TO them, two boys and two
girls. Ellis remained In accord with
hose cynical filings nc marriage which
nave been SO popular Of recent years.
When he went TO the theater aud heard
ln actor crack jokes illustrative Of
what n husband must endure he would
applaud vociferously. He read a novel
m the theme OF domestic unhapplness
md recommended IL 10 a friend. The
handed it back with the com
nent that neither he nor the world was
Interested In the subject treated, add.
ng that what was wanted were stories
4 married comfort and family affec-
ion. Ellis looked upon the critic ever
Ifter ms a man OF very narrow mental
ompass.
Twelve years after the marriage OF
ellis and Miss Sayles he one day hand.
d her HIS copy OF their prenuptial
.greement 10 a separation I'm ease their
marriage proved a failure. IL gave her
he surprise OF her life. She had lis
10 his jokes about what hus
ands must endure, but considered that
hey sprang from a desire 10 be face
lous. She was aware OF what the wife
nust endure, but during the term or
ears she had been married her good
ensc had prevailed over the theories