The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-08-19
Platform Manager at Chau-
taqua Styles Six Weeks
Courtship Collision Into
Matrimony With Subse-
quent Wreck.
Blesses Old Maids Who Care
for Orphans Asks People
to Prepare for Marriage by
Study.

Study.
Marriage nowadays Is a head-on
collision at the matrimonial bureau by
two young persons hurrying blindly
to get spliced, because each looks
good to the other. The wreck crew
is called. patches up the accident, and
then hurries off to have another
smash-up. They don't stop, look or
LISTEN
Satirically and sarcastically. Henry
Clark, lecturer and platform manager,
assailed the divorce evil before an
audience of fifteen hundred personse
at the Chautauqua yesterday. after
noon, addressing them on the subject.
Marriage and After"
With bitter and yet laughable ex-
pressions Of satire, he strobe up and
down the platform pressing his mes.
sage home. He deplored the ease
with which couples can be married in
the United States and divorces can be
obtained. He advocated qualifications
on the part of the young man and
young woman before q marriage IL
cense IL granted, and suggested that
q demand for preparation on their part
be brought about through public senti-
ment aroused from colleges, schools,
pulpits. press and platform rather than
through legislation.
She "Looks Good" to Him.
Though his remarks brought fire.
quent laughter from the audience. at
times he assumed a verious vein and
quoted statistics and data to support
his contention that the divorce evil
is spreading. and an immediate remedy
Is necessary Mr.. Clark was never
more popular than during this lecture,
and at the close of his speech was
given vociferous applause. In part.
he said:
Here Is the way some Of our yoMpg
people get married In this day and
age. A young man meets q young
woman, and they look good to each
other. There's the start OF the trouble
They are both nearsighted. Then they
begin going together Some go to-
gether as long as six weeks. They go
to moving picture shows and to
church. Or rather she goes inside the
church and he stands outside smoking
cigarettes, waiting for her to come
out They sit in the moonlight or in
the parlor together
"He knows her to be an angel. and
she knows him to be hero. He holds
her hand and can't let go. Then sud
denly he says. wilt thou" and she
willis. Then they go gushing, ambling
down the aisle to the matrimonial bu-
reau where the knot is tied and live
happily ever after-for some times al
most six months. Then comes the
divorce.
Falls In Love With Hair.
Think of an intelligent young man
falling in love with lovely hair, Rats!
Think of him admiring a complexion
which she got from the druggist. And
he likes her figure. They say figures
don't lie but l know from divorce
cases that they do He doesn't love
her; he's got Inflammation of the i'm
agination.
What is he going to do when the
roses go out of her cheeks, the grace
out of her figure, the music out OF
her voice. and the lightness out of
her step?
And the young girl? What is she
going to do? She has, perhaps. mar
ried a drunkard, cigarette fiend, or
a man who can't take care of him.
self, let alone take care of her.
Some girls marry because they
think that will be their only chance,
and they cont want to miss it. Others
do it to spite some other fellow or
girl
THE best advice l can give to the
wives is feed the brute You can talk
all you want to about to have, to hold
but you'll have to shine brighter in
the kitchen than you did in the parlor
If you want to keep him.
mo intelligent American girl, reach
m
married to obtain living. She can
make a better living herself God
bless the old maids. It's an honor to
be an old maid. If we didn't have
them, what would become of the mil
lions of children Of incompetent moth
ers whom they now care for?
eiesses Old Maids.
Every year there are seventeen mill
lion girls and men who are of mar
riaseable age Nine million of these
are women and the other eight million
are men. So there are a million old
maids at the start, not counting the
millions Of young men who are utterly
worthless and unable to marry.
Fifty per cent of the divorces OBJ
tanned are by couples who marry be-
fore the proper age. These are girls
under eighteen and boys under twenty
years. Do you know that in England
there is only one court which Is en-
powered to grant divorces? In Ger
many there are twenty, in France
seven and in the United States there
are 1887. Anybody can get married;
anybody can get a divorce, for any
reason, in this country.
1--WE require preparation OF school
teachers, doctors, lawyers, engineers.
We require preparation for every vo.
cation, except marriage. Why should
we not require preparation for mar
riage? If we would, marriages would
result in a greater home happiness
and fewer divorces.
IN the last fifty years two million
divorces have been granted, leaving
four million divorce orphans. We are
trying weakly to cure the the divorce