MEN AND MARRIAGE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2109, 28 March 1914, Page 6

MEN AND MARRIAGE.

ADVICE FROM THE PULPIT. / ' RESPONSIBILITIES OP LIFE. V RACE SUICIDE. At St. Mary's, Church, Boulcott Street, last evening, a crowded congregation attended tho mission wlncti is being preached by the Marist Missionaries. Advice to men, especially to those not yet married, was tendered by the prcach&r, the Very Rev. Fat hoi O'Connell, S.M, who took for his texc, "See, therefore, brethren, how you walk circumspectly, not as unwise, dug as wise, redeeming tho timo because tlio days aro evil." Many of the great evils of tho day could bo traced, said tho preacher, to the fact that few men think wisely about tho responsibilities of mo, that they do not understand wliat marriago means, and therefore they ,do not fuliil tho obligations imposed by Almighty God, Tho best training ground lor tne battle of life was the home, and our Lord had set up His own homo at Nazareth to : bo a model home for, all men. This was presided over bj' St. Josoph, a just man, who looked, always, to the weilare of Jesus, and Mary. After describing tho abpdo of tno Holy Family, the preacher said that he presumed most of tho congregation were either married or thinking about getting married. :It was God's decree that man should be head of tho family; therefore he must exercise authority in the home. It must bo an authority regulated by the spirit of religion, executed according to the principles of justice and right reason, and the father and tho master must bo a model of virtue _ and selfrespect. Jf'ho respected himself ho would respect his wile and children. Tho life of virtue which ho practised in tho home would extend far out into the world wherever ho .exercised his iniluenco and wherever lie worked. Ho would bo 'a model of truthfulness and honesty, ho would give tho best that, was m liim, his best skill in every way to tlio advancement of his employer s undertaking. He would bo keen m looking after his employer's business. • ■ When they looked around they found tliat a great iiumber of men did not understand the responsibilities of life. In the. world to-dav men were Jiving to gratify merely their own /whims, ana bpe!idmg:ull tlieir money on themselves. There were young men .earning good wages, £3 or £4 a week, who wero not married. Ask them how they spenc their hard-eiifneu .wages. Alas I very often the answer was that they had saved nothing with which to begin- tho responsibilities of life. Very many young men just lived to gratify the animal enjoyments of life. Let them go that night and see the young men wasting their money in the nars of hotels. They would say they were not drunk, and ho quite believed tliem. But there was that abominable habit of "shouting" and drinking. They thought nothing .of spending 4s. a night, just in "treating", their, friends. ■ Then they went to the-races and speculated on horses. Ho did not complain of a man who took-his drink in reason, or'a man who put a shilling or two on a horse, provided he had no creditor waiting for his money and it was within his means, but thero was in tho world to-day among young men too much throwing away of money and wasting _of timo. They seomed to lack the spirit of grit that was in their fathers.

'I'hore was a spirit of recklessness, on the part of young' men. They would not marry because of this, and thoy were not willing to begin married life just as their parents did; they wanted to start just whero their parents left off. Let thero be a desiro on the part bf young men to marry. Another great evil of the world was a horror of suffering. It was to ho found principally in the married state. The primary object of marfiage was to bring into this world strong, vigorous, healthy children. God gave to no man the right to determine the number of children he should have. But in spite of this, race-suicide was prevalent, and was threatening the downfall of nations. Let every Catholic man respect God's command to "increase and multiply and fill tho earth," and so prove worthy of his Christian manhood. Let no man shirk his responsibilities, and let him not pay attention to tho unworthy professional man or woman who would encourage or direct the limitation of children.

The mission trill continue till.next Wednosday evening. Tliero will' be special services on Sunday morning at 7, 8, and 11, and in the evening at 7 o'clock.