The Washington herald., 1915-11-24
Marriage.
~ JOHN ID. nARRY.

ny JOHN ID. BARRY.
There is certain huiiior in the thought that
there may be some people in this country who are
taking a critical attitude toward distinguished
citizen about to marry for the second time. One
might think that his marrying or not marrying
were wholly private affair. not subject to the
intrusion of outside judgment But there are those
who take different view. They believe they
have right to criticise. There are certain con-
ventions that, according to their notion, ought
Ito be lived up to. One woman has gone so far
as to remark to the public that the gentleman
might have waited for more than fourteen months
after the death of his first wife. just what the
time limit ought to be. according to this critic. is
not Slated. There are those, however, who main
tain that il ought not to be less than twelve
months. This opinion little arbitrary, like
most of the opinions that sustain conventions.
On the other hand, it should be noted that.
throughout the country, there is pretty general
one is glad that the man who bears so many re-
sponsibities is to have the companionship and
the solace of partner.
Many times in the past the people of this
country have shown amusing attitude toward
the domestic relations Of its great men. One
of the most curious illustrations was given when
Admiral Dewey, at the height of his popularity,
married and turned over to his bride the house in
Washington that had been given him by popular
subscription The outcry had in il curious sugges-
done what most men might have been expected
to do under the circumstances and what most men
would have been approved for doing on account
of the generosity involved and the marital con-
sideraton. But the people felt that they had
given that house to their hero, not to a strange
woman who had happened to come along and cap
ture him for husband
The most cheerful comment l have heard on
the marriage now so interesting to the public,
comes from old lady who has herself been
I'LL, ~,n1 L. ChA
says that people take altogether too personal an
attitude toward marriage. They forget that mar
rage is great institution in itself and that any
two people who are we'll mated and endowed with
II hear OF man who has been happy IN his mar
riage and has the misfortune to lose his wife l
always hope that he will marry, again and marry
soon. 1t doesn't at all follow because he learns
to love some one else his love for his first wife
wasn't real or deep. And it doesn't follow be-
cause he loves some one else that he has stopped
loving his first wife. The more love people have
in their hearts the better provided of course, they
know how to take care of it. Old as ! am, if Tom
were to die tomorrow I'd be setting my cap for
number two.
In these remarks there may be detected the
humor that has helped this old lady to make her
domestic and social relations successful Beneath
1t, however, there lies what seems to me to be a
wise attitude toward the marriage relation. If
hadn't met Ethelbert," says of the happiest
women | know, there are plenty OF men | could
III.
humoredly. The attitude OF those two people to-
ward each other is much finer than that of certain
couples who like to maintain that each was made
for the other and If they hadn't met their haPpI-
ness would have been lost.
Just now it is plain, marriage is under
raignment. There are those who confidently as
sert that an institution it is doomed They are
helping to undermine its sacredness which, not so
very long ago, made it discreditable for any one
to insinuate that it was not as stable as the rock
r De- do
spread belief that, in spite of the many failures it
has to show, it is still satisfactory arrange
ment for the perpetuaton of the race and for the
maintenance OF the family can be devised under
our present economic conditions That man has
always been FESTIVE under the restraint OF marriage
is evident enough. AS w. d. Howells once wrote
man is still imPerfectly homogeneous And yet
there men who give impressive evidence in re-
buttaL Il feel if | had always been married"
is a remark that ! have often heard coming from
the lips of friend, the father OF FIVE children He
marvels at those people OF manageable age who
haven't taken life partners. For him life really
began with marriage He belongs to that class OF
men, much larger than one might suppose, who
may be said to be born married. If he to
lose his wife he would be indeed lost. The chances
are that instinctively, he would look around to
make his life complete again. He might be an ad-
dtion to those men who create so much scandal
among conventional and censorious women by
marrying second time before The end of a year.
During the past few months in my own
One of those men born married, a devoted and
happy husband, lost his wife. For six months he
went about the picture OF woe deeply sympathized
with, receiving from most OF the ladies he knew
echoes of his own grief Whenever he appeared in
their presence they would pull long faces and en-
gage him in solemn and sympathetic talk To
their horror, without warning, they learned that he
had married some from nearby city whom
he had met through his first wife short time be-
fore her death. Instantly they raised clamor
They accused him OF disoyalty to his wife's mem
DRY, of nsncerity, OF hypocrisy, of hard hearted-
ness, of fckleness. Some OF them went so far to
refuse to meet his second wife and to treat him
coldly when they met him not to notice him at
all And yet, he really innocent of all their
charges and he had simply given another proof
that he had been born married and that he could
not endure going without being married. The
chances that his second marriage will prove
to be just as successful his first, account OF
his pre-eminently manageable qualities
German Air Scouts Adventure.
Many aeroplanes captured during months
fighting in Europe, but seldom does an aeroplane