The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-01-31

much as many of his readers His articles
serve the good purpose of making people
Think
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright 1945, by King Features Syndicate)
Our text for today is the first paragraph of
dispatch from Washington, according to the
Hearld- Tribune:
1.-THE matrimonial status Of Fala, President
Roosevelt's scottie, had Washington baffled
today as the White House guarded diligently as
a state secret all details of his romantic life,
even though Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt was
reported as saying he was in the country ard
we hope he's having a We dding.
Here, my dearly beloved brethren we have
two common misconceptions.
The union of two dogs. male and female is
not wedding and they Garnet occupy matri.
monial status, although it must be admitted
that a tendency among human beings, par
ticularly in the United States, justifies con-
fusion on this point
Dogs. horses cattle, sheep and other ami
mails are mated, not married, and their status
in such case is not matrimonial but tempo
rary, if not entirely casual. When a pair of
dogs are so mated they are not correctly said
to have had a wedding but to have bred. And,
although in the relations OF human beings as
well as those of animals, there is common
purpose to reproduce the Species an important
difference exists, in that human beings are
supposed to assume certain permanent obh-
cations In the case of Fala, dog, no respor-
sibity rests upon the male. He simply goes
his way and may never see his get or puppies
or recognize them as he should. No law. divine
or canine even suggests that ne should give
them fatherly care, or keep the family together
for their benefit.
In marriage, on the other hand, and here
we are speaking of marriage as a religious
sacrament and mutually loyal obligation, there
is in theory, at least, and rather often N
practice, too, a deep obligation. Most of tie
marriage ceremonies in in the United
States say that marriage is a state TO be
entered into soberly and discreetly as in the
sight of God The prevailing spirit OF the
ceremony is expressed in those words which
obviously could not apply to the mating OF two
dogs.
Among human beings, the male parent is
called the father 1t is correct also to speak
of him as the sire and even of the children as
his get, but those terms are unpleasant to the
| sensitive and civilized ear because they have
for long time been applied almost exclusively
to male animals which have bred young and
the progeny.
| The Russinas, for a time, reduced the re-
| lationShip between human beings to the status
Of mated animals. Marriage was retained as
subject to revocation at will on formal notice
| by either party. This novelty was not only a
rebellion against the old Russian clergy but
an Indulgence personally described by licen-
tious and promiscuous individuals, many Of
whom had lived in New York. who called their
wantonness liberalism In fact, in the United
States today, the same attitude is much more
marked among the political group calling it.
iberal' than among those who are denounced
| by them as 'reactonarleS, tories and even
fascists" Some of them ignore the Formally
of marriage entirely and others continue to
employ it but, after the manner of the early
Bolshevlks only on temporary and revocable
basis. In their teaching of American youth
they preach and often practice lmpermanence
in marriage, whereby children are bereft of a
parent, usually the father. Such bereavement
by death is almost unanimously regarded as a
| tragedy. Even the most dlSSolute liberals
hold that, in such cases, the state should assist
the mother economically and take RESPONSE
blllty for the care and, especially the instruc-
tion Of the children But, curiously, where
the young are bereft by casual divorce and
equally at loss for the care affection and
example OF father, or in fewer cases, their
mother, liberal thought preceives no prob
lem or distress to the child. The explanation
may be that the liberal may, himself, be
responsible for the plight of one, two or more
abandoned sets of children.
Ai'S AAAOAC SO1loS1 VdtlHS PSOpIG IGSdIu WIFI
suspicion and alarm all efforts of the liberal
group to organize youth movements appre-
hendlng, with some reason, that they might
teach their children to regard matrirnony as
, a state no more dignified or binding than the
momentary relations of any pair of dogs.
In our text we find also the word romantic
and this, too, is used in a new and artificial
meaning, propagated largely by Hollywood
where ''llberalism' flourishes and marriage
has little more meaning than the proceedings
In Stud-barn. In the correct modern sense a
romance was a fictitious story, usually with
a theme of love, but, in the Hollywood version
it is almost synonymous with sexual lust and
in this concept romance usually ends with
marriage, although it does not necessarily Gull
inmate in marriage.
Another Hollywood word used in prevent
ed sense so commonly that its true meaning is
almost lost is passion also meaning lust
Its true meaning is suffering and its CLASSICAL
rellg GUS meaning in contrast to current usage
is the agony of Christ on the cross.
1t u.s. however, no wonder that some old in
stitutions, even sacraments, and sacred words,
have changed status in the minds OF some. In
the nation as a whole, marriage is only 20
per cent permanent which is to say that one
in five goes to divorce In some urban and
'1iberal' localities, the casualty rate is one IN
three.
But. Fala could not have had wedding
Possibly some human weddings seem no more
sober or discreet than this dogs ma ing new