Chapter VI - Marriage
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making his Xanthippe a discipline for his philosophy.
making his Xanthippe a discipline for his philosophy.
Sorrow has its reward, and never leaves man where it
found him; it is the furnace that separates the gold
from the dross, and gives back the image of God. The
cup our Father hath given, shall we not drink it? and
learn the lesson He inculcates.
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When the ocean is stirred by a storm, the clouds
When the ocean is stirred by a storm, the clouds
lower, the wind screams through the straitened canvas,
and waves lift themselves to mountains, we ask the
helmsman, "Do you know your course, and can you
steer your vessel amid the storm?" Even the daunt-
less seaman is not sure of his fate, well knowing the
science of navigation is not equal to the Science of God;
but acting up to his highest understanding, firm at the
post of duty, awaits the issue. Thus should we de-
port ourself in the seething ocean of sorrow, hoping
and working, stick to the wreck, until the logic of
events precipitates the doom, or sunshine gladdens the
wave.
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The possibility that animal natures give more force
The possibility that animal natures give more force
to character than the spiritual, is too absurd to con-
sider, when we remember the exemplar of man healed
the sick, raised the dead, and commanded even the
winds and waves to obey him, through the ascendency
of the spiritual over the material. What we avail our-
selves of God, is as potent with us as it was with Jesus,
and our want of spiritual strength speaks the rebuke
it deserves; and our limited demonstration puts to
shame the labor of centuries. We should hold our
body not so much in personal, as spiritual conscious-
ness, even as the orange we have just eaten, and of
which only the idea is left, then would there be neither
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pain nor sin. Systems of physic and systems of doc-
pain nor sin. Systems of physic and systems of doc-
trines treat of the pleasures and pains of personal sense;
but Christ takes them all away, and the epoch ap-
proaches when to understand this Principle of being,
will form the basis of all harmony and progress. At
present we live ridiculously for fear of being thought
ridiculous; are slaves to fashion, appetite, and sense;
in the future we shall learn Soul is an architect that
makes men and women beautiful, noble, and not to be
blotted out. We ought to weary of the fleeting and
false, hence, of personal sense, and cherish nothing that
hinders our highest self-hood.
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Frugality is essential to domestic prosperity, and so
Frugality is essential to domestic prosperity, and so
is affection; but to silence the voice of conscience to
gain wealth, is trade without profit. The genius of
woman shrinks from controversy with a knave, or a
fool. A man respects the reputation of a woman, but
a mouse will gnaw in the dark a spotless garment.
Culture and refinement are not things of the toilet,
but reflections of head and heart. Innocence is a gem,
worn unconscious of pick-pockets. Husbands that
dissipate care in the club, are poor stocks in ready mar-
kets. A husband is the best friend, or worst enemy
of his wife. "Favor is deceitful, and beauty vain, but
a woman of Wisdom, should be praised." A bad
woman is a loathsome leprosy, dangerous to all that
approach her. In marriage, avoid disparity in ages,
tastes, or education, and make choice only of those
qualities that wear well. Jealousy is the grave of
affection; mistrust where confidence is due touches
with mildew the flowers of Eden, and scatters to the
four winds the leaves of love. A bridal altar is the