Year: 1878

hI'iSo "ltu ite WlulIl lIOSl ii luel suOultl
live, still they wanted the good God to deal
them out an even measure together. This
seems to me TO be the binding word of the
whole story; together then rs now; in the
autumn as in the spring; in taking as in
giving, until they were borne away not far
apart, into the life to come.


But touching the most outward things OF
our life, l can see a danger, if they do not
take care, that their prayer will not and
cannot be answered. They may both grow
aged; that may be as God ordains, and
they may live together while their life
lasts; that must be as they ordan; yet
this day may be, for all that. the end OF
their equality in age. For if he were one
of those men we have all known, whose
life and soul is given over to business, who
rise early and sit up late, and work like
galley saves to make Il fortune, and she
were one of those women who take life
easy, and run no risks, he might be a
broken down old mar with IL fortune, while
she was still quite young enough to enjoy
1t. Or, If he had u secret vice, such as
keeping ice-water on the side-board, and a
sample-room in the closet. or any other of
those subtle and dangerous devils that are
always watching for a chance to drag a
man down, while she held her life sweet,
and pure, and true, then long before their
silver wedding he may be in his grave, or
be fit for very little out Of it, an old man
in mid-age, with the warning finger of
paralysis on his shoulder, or the splnls of
lnilammatory rheumatism in his marrow
"A broken man. she has to nurse like II
fretful child. Or if she. poor girl, is be-
ginning this welded life, as many of our
girls do, without the fine sturdy woman.
hood of the op, air, with bloom on her
blessed face like that you see on the bios
SONS in hot house, while he has in him
the strong vitality of the desert and the
hills, then, by the time she has borne those
six sons, we hear of aferward, she will
have aged two years to his one. | know,
if he has II mans heart in his breast, he
will love her and cherish her all the more
for her lost beauty and broken health, and
some blessing may be found in this altered
relation which might never have come 10
their perfect equality. But this is not the
real kernel OF the question. This blended
being of the man and woman is. first of
all, II piece of exquisite mechanism, Or
dained of Heaven for certain work on
this arh, and ii is the first condition of it
that all arms of its power shall be equal to
their design. Now where this power fails
by our folly, an either side, the thing in
that shape is past praying for; we can
only pray then for power and grace to
make the best of it, and. thank God, that
prayer can always be answered. So
hope, when they cried, Mercifully Or
d Tin that we may grow aged together" +"
this outward condition of equality in
health and strength was there in their ma
ture, or they might as well pray that the
wheels of II watch, half pewter and
one-half steel, might be of equal endurance
and worth.


And so to-day, if young men are not
honest and wholesome clean through, and
if young women will not train themselves
to the finest and sturdiest womanhood pos
sihle to their nature; if they will not eat
brown bread and work in the garden-if
they have one-with some more grip than
bird scratching, and quit reading novels
in hot room, and devouring sweetmeats; :;
if they dare not face the sun and wind, and
try to outwalk, aye, and out-run their
brothers, and let our wise Mother Nature
buckle their belt, they had better not say
" Amen y when the stalwart young hus-
band cries, " Mercifully ordain that we
may grow aged together."'


This, however, is the most outward con-
dition; reaching inward, we find others
more delicate and divine. These Young
people have now to find each other out,
and they may spend life time in doing
that. Some married folks find each other
out us | have read of mariners iinding out
the polar world, They leave the shores
of their single life in the spring days, with
tears and benedctions, sail on awhile in
sunshine and fair weather, and then find
their way little by little into the cold lat-
tudes, " here they see the sun sink day by
day, and feel the frost creep in, until they
give up at last and turn to ice sitting at
the same table.


O.hcrs, again, find each other out as we
have been tinding out this continent. They
nestle down at first among the meadows,
close by the clear streams; then they 90
on through n belt of shadow, lose their
way ard find it again the best they know,
and come out into a larger horizon and IL
better land; they meet their different hills





and dismal places, and cross them to
gether; and SO at last they stand on the
further reaches of the mountain, and see
the other ocean summing itself, sweet and
still, and then their journey ends. But
through shadows and shine, this is the Cos
pei for the day; they keep together right
on to the end They allow no danger,
disaster or difference to divide them, and
no third person to interfere, for if they
do, it may be as if William and Mary OF
England had permitted the great Lewis to
divide their throne by first dividing their
hearts.


Did you ever hear any definition of mar
riage? A wise and witty man, Sidney
Smith, says: at resembles pair OF
shears SO joined that they cannot be sepa-
rated; often moving in opposite directions,
yet always furnishing any one who comes
between them" The definition is rs wit
ty rs il is wise; and he might have added.
part the shears and then all yon have left
is two poor daggers.


So it is possible We may grow aged in
finding each other out, and wondering
why we never saw that trait before, OF
struck that temper; bnt if there be be
tween us u true heart, if the rivet holds
then the added years will only bring add
ed reasons for II perfect union, and the
sweet old ballad will be our psalm of life


" John Anderson, my 10, John,


We clamb the hill togitherj


And many canty day. John,


We've had WI ane anther;





But hand IN hand we go,


And sleep togither at the foot,


John Anderson, my Jo."


We must find each other out, and ther
it is possible that. like my mothers Ole
shears, over which | used to ponder wller
I was II child, one side is greater, and tht
other, by consequence. less.


| found james Mott delighted, one
evening, when l went to call on him, be-
cause, while he was working in his gar
den, two men went by, and one said
That is James Mott" And who i!
James Mott?' Why, don't you know!
He is Lucretia Motifs husband.n Now
James Mott was by no means II common
man-with IL lesser half, he would have
seemed u great man; and he was great il
his steady and perfect loyalty to truth ant
goodness-but his wife was the woman o
century, while he was SO noble and grea
oc 40 ~ hn ,NrnuJ Of bor ora,,t !.