The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-11-13

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Ia THU age Of skepttcism regard
ing marriage there are those whose
faith In Il cannot be shaken. They are
persons who have been happily a
Ited and about whom children have
sprung. To such marriage h their
whole world. They are not interested
IN any one Of tho plans which are In
vented for experimental marriage or
easy divorce. To them the loss Of a
single child In an irreparable misfor-
tune. and to the family a. q whole the
loss Of either parent Is the greatest ca.
lamity that can befall them.
It IL either those whose married life
has been a failure or those who have
never been married at all who are seek
ing substitutes for the wedloek Of the
present day. The former usually take
the initiative by advancing new ideas
concerning It: the latter. with a few
exceptions. are reody 70 jump into mat
rimony without consideration.
Among young unmarried persons in
ciined to forethought in 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 in 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 II a marriage turned out
happily the advantages outweighed the
disadvantages. If It was a failure it
was unbearable.
This view Of It led Ellis Just where 1t
has led a host Of other thinkers on the
subject-1rst. to guard against injudi-
cious marriages; second, to render them
easily dissolved when the parties found
themselves not mated. He spent a
great deal of time on both these prob
lens and at last solved them to 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 q %prenuptial agreement that at the
option of either they should live apart
and both assist in securing a divorce.
Miss Sayles. whose views or the sub
ject of marriage had been Influenced
by the matrimonial troubles of an
aunt rather than a mental bent toward
the discussion Of abstruse problems.
agreed with Mr.. Ellis as to the pre-
cautions. but was at sea" with regard
to the remedy. She shrank from the
breaking up Of a family-something a
woman would be more likely to feel
than a man since the maternal is
stronger than the p%aternal instinct. She
failed to e how the damage nee
done could be remedied. Anyway. It
would leave a terrible cal.
However, IL Ellis did not convert her
to his views as to separation. provided
marriage proved a failure. he finally
pefsuad6 her to consent to bis pre-
nuptial agreement He was perfectly
satisfied with this. because she was a
girl who would never 60 back ON her
promise. They lived near each other.
met frequently End by ssutual agree
ment RETAINED from trying to convince
each other that they were far better
than they appeared. At least they
tried to appear what they were. but
whether they succeeded or not y an
open question. - 49,.
At the end Of q year Of such inter-
course they were married. Ellis pre-
natal agreement a. to separation In
case their marriage proved q failure
was put In writing. He gave his bride
a copy and kept q copy for himself.
The Ellises lived together ten years
without any more matrimonial dis
agreements than the average married
couple. During that period four chill
dren came to them, two boys and two
girls. Ellis remained In accord with
those cynical dings at marriage which
have been so popular Of recent years.
When he went to the theater and heard
an actor crack jokes illustrative Of
what a husband must endure he would
applaud vociferously. He read a novel
on the theme Of domestic unhappines>
and recommended It to a friend. The
friend handed it back with the COM
ment that neither be nor the world was
interested In the subject treated. add
ing that what was wanted were stories
Of married comfort and family affec-
ton. Ellis looked upon the critic ever
after as a man Of very narrow mental
compass.
Twelve years after the marriage Of
Ellis and Miss Sayles he one day hand
ed her his copy Of their prenuptial
agreement to a separation in case their
marriage proved a failure. It gave her
the SURPRISE, Of her life. She had lis
tened to his jokes about what hus-
bands must endure. but considered that
4Dran0 from a desire m ho faro.