The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-08-16
Howe About:
Silerius' Third Wife
Unsuitable Marriages
Cruelty of War
BY ED HOWE
@. Bell syndlcats.-wNu servlcs.


which he confesses were on the whole
more agreeable than with the other
four. "Details as to his marriages ara
shadowy, as though some of them were
failures, but he seems to have been
married five times, and 1t is OF his
third he speaks most in many refer
ences to marriage, women and the
family life generality.
Silerius had no fault to find with
this third woman, although he Is very
severe In references to some others OF
her sex. She seems to have had no
faults he did not regard as natural.
and therefore to be forgiven because
Of her many virtues.
Once SIlerus discovered his third
wife was jealous of him, and was as
tonished. "She knew at our mar
rIage,' he wrote. that had lived the
life OF a goat. Why should she be
jealous7 1t seemed to me unreason-
able that she was, since | actually pre-
ferred her to all others In an enor-
nous competition. Women live shell
tered lives possibly there Is reason
for jealousy among men, but II were
q woman, | do not believe | would be
jealous OF reasonably well-behaved
husband. This may be unfairness:
l frequently find I am unfair after
have striven to live as an honest man
In thought and action"
A strange woman lately wrote me 4
strange letter. At the age OF twenty
four she held a position In which she
gave satisfaction, and In which there
was every prospect OF promotion. In
defiance OF advice from friends, and
of her own Judgment, she married.
The husband was palpable third
rater, and she divorced him.
Again she secured good position;
again she married man she might
have known was worthless This time
her friends were disguised, and she
has joined the unemployed.
One OF the strangest things | have
encountered In life is the manner In
| which many women rush Into insult
| able marriages. Everyone understands
/ why men are so crazy about women,
| but have never been able to under
stand why women are equally crazy
| about men. 1t seems to me that were
| young, and woman, could consid-
| er marriage with considerable pa
tience. intelligence and caution.
The red lantern signal Is usually
| hung on unsuitable husbands and
| wives, as 1t Is on dangerous bridges
An old German Is reported as say.
Ing: when our sons moved down
thousands of French. and won the bat
tie, we shouted and drank beer
When the French killed our sons, they
cheered, and drank wine. When ms
son marched away to fight, ! stood
In the streets OF this town and cheered
A letter my son wrote just before he
was killed said he had lived In France
two years, and liked the French. anC
they liked him." In addition
to the unnecessary killing and hate
the war impoverished the world
Wouldn't you think anyone
could understand the moral OF this IL
considering the next war?
What Is the lesson of the moment
the hour, the century, or of all time
| believe 1t is the dangerous and grow
Ing power of politicians, the pres
and radicals. all representing minori
ties. and the cowardice OF the major
ity In refusing to enforce necessar
decency.
The habit men have OF being artlf1
.iai, over-sentimental,f Is very old A
far back as Roman times, Silerius wa
weary OF artificial things, and wrot
that they SO bored him he dreaded
go on the streets. In the Roma
Forum, when young man used fin
eloquence to make false promises. s
lerius walked YEARLY away. and n
tired to his study. The last year 9
his life he spent In writing his mi
moirs, and In the second volum
tpage 1922 I find this observation:
r Writing men have so tired the PEI
pie with unnatural things, have col
Guided / may better please by bein
/ natural and simple In writing my re
objections may thus at least p,
down what one man actually though
, and experienced during long life
men have become SO untruthful
| seeking truth that my method ma
indeed, prove to be something ne'
, and better recommend my work"
/ This seems to have been mistake
| opinion. Although Silerius wrote wit
| great simplicity and frankness Marcl
| Aurelius, contemporary writing Wi
| so much labor and obscurity that crl
: les now say he Is not Understandable
/ Is more popular. The natural use
q writing would seem to be to truthful
: record credits and debts, In books
history as we'll as In account book
. but somehow we have decided othe
q wise.
/. The people are great readers.
the general tendency OF what we rel