HOME LIFE

Gisborne Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 9669, 16 April 1923, Page 6

HOME LIFE

DR, OLIVER ADDRESSES WOMEN AND GIRLS. MARRIAGE: PURE AND HOLY. Dr. Oliver addressed a large gathering of women and girls in the Opera House 'bn Saturday afternoon, the meeting being preceded by the usual song service conducted by Mr. Cederholm,

The Rev. Cox, in prefacing Dr. Oliver’s remarks said that the “foundations of empires are in the homes of the people,” and it was.on this account that Dr. Oliver had purposed giving a series of addresses to women and children, this being the first of the series. Dr. Oliver read from Matthew o (1 —12) Ephesians 5 (22 —25) and stated, in his opening remarks, that these Scriptures were written not to the ungodly but to those who were children of God. Continuing, Dr. Oliver emphasised the fact that the Word of God says that marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled, but that fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

The first marriage ceremony on <i earth, mentioned in the Bible, was apparently conducted hv the Creator Himself, ’ and was older than even the Church. It took place in the plan of God for the race. There was no question that the keeping up of the standard of God’s Own Word was the true basis for the home life. When the home life was wrong, the State was jeopardised. The home was the place where character was budded and was the place of the greatest achievement. Greater than ail the triumphs of art and literature, sculpture and even of the church was that of the home that sent forth men and women of character, of purity and nobility into the world and the greatest ornament was honorable motherhood, God s own purpose. What was known as free love was the scheme of the Devil, and was the counterfeit of the beauty sanctitv of the home ns given by God; it was the exact opposite of all tnat was beautiful and pure in the home life. The world’s greatest leaders were those \vhich came and had been and were at present the product of lionoiable and legitimate love and pure home life. This was not occasional but was proved to be the rule of all nations. If we searched the history of our own great Empire, we would find that all the greatest leaders were those that had come from Godly homes, from homes of Godliness, virtue and purity. The influence of a pure and virtuous woman in the home was the •greatest asset of which a nation could boast; it was far beyond art, music, or literature, and surpassed every other possession of which any nation could boast. The greatest blight which could he placed upon any person was illegitimate birth. In Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse 2, we read that a bastard should not enter into the congregation of the Lord, even to his tenth generation. _ The Jewish people were then particular to see that all children were horn in absolute honor. The person who could not enter into the congregation of .Jehovah in Jewish economy was looked upon with greater disgrace than the criminal of cur day. It must he remembered, however, that this had simply to do with the Jewish law, not with the present day of the Gospel of Christ. Christ was able to save any sinner. All down the ages illegitimacy had been a frightful blight on anyone who had been born under its curse. If thei# could be such a law enacted in these days as pertained under Jewish law it would go a good way towards keeping the home lil'd pure. Again, the greatest producers and hlessers the world had had come, from an honorable home life, and from no other source. Without fear of contradiction, it would be seen that the pure, good, and noble in every nation and in all ages -tame from legitimate birth, nobility of motherhood, chivalry of fatherhood. All mothers should impress these things upon their daughters, and not stop there, but impress them alsoupon the sons. God had never authorised a double standard of morality. “Thou shalt- not” is for both sexes. If sons were not impressed by these realities it would mean that some one else’s daughter may suffer. If a girl played the fool and fell into sin the world would close its doors upon her, and she was branded with shame, whilst her betrayer was received by the world, and entertained at their bridge parties, dances, etc. It was time the women of New Zealand woke up to the fact and showed how they Avould receive a man who betrayed a girl and left her to bear all the shame. The bulwark of honor and nobility was a good family tree. True marriage, as presented by God, if it was to last, and come up to God’s standard, must be based on love and true based upon admiration and respect. The stories in the Bible that told of the happiest • marriages were those based upon love. Take the story in Genesis 24 of the servant who went to find a wife for Isaac. Note how he asked Rebekah “Wilt thou go with this man?” and her reply “T will go” and the conclusion was that Isaac loved his wife and he was comforted. This was the basis on which God wanted the home life organised. Going on to speak of some of the types of marriages which usually end in failure. Dr. Oliver mentioned as the first that of compulsion. When tiie father of the girl who had been wronged said to the man “You rafecal, you have deceived the girl, now marry her or take the consequences.” They were married not because of love; it was a rotten foundation. The proper attitude for a woman to adopt towards purity and true womanhood was to so value her honor and virtue that she would be ready to die rather than to sacrifice in any degree any of her purity. Wherever womanhood could be found with proportioned modesty , there would always he seen as an accompaniment cl rivalry as the garment of manhood. When modesty went down in womanhood so chivalry went down in manhood. There was too much of the tearing down of modesty in these days. Women were not clad in modesty and purity, which resulted in men’s passions being roused,- character destroyed, and home ’sfe wrecked. Marriage by compulsion failed because based upon immorality there could be no respect from husband to wife, or from wife to husband. What assurance had either that the sanfo immorality would not he practised upon another? A second type of marriage that failed was that of sexual perverts. These things formed the fabrics of Divorce court proceedings. It was a great thing to know that those who undertook marriage were capable of Lome building. The time had come for us to get down to these great issues ■ —the necessity of making sure that boys and girls could come forth of good stock, and become “blooded .boys and girls.” Ho;v much better to Lave “blooded” boys and girls than “blooded” horses, cows, dogs, or birds, etc. Girls cofild not hold themselves too high in. the matter of choosing a husband. Another type of marriage which ended in failure was one which was not based upon any qualities of virture and physical fitness for marriage. A man who had a disease' as the result of his sin of immorality, , who married a pure girl, who perhaps in a few months was taken to - the hospital was operated on and died, was guilty of murder.-' '•> ' As a result of certain efforts in some parts of America legislation had hoen introduced whereby the girls.

were protected by law. Dr. Oliver understood that kiwis were protected by law in New Zealand, and surely one girl was worth more than all the kiwis ip the whole universe. The law mentioned in America provides that before any man could get a marriage license he must submit himself to a qualified physician for examination to see whether he was free from ve- i nereal disease, and a girl wishing to ' be'married presented herself for the same purpose to a qualified physician. 1 The only ones who objected to this/ wgre those who„yere afflicted with, , the disease. “In the name of God Almighty” said Dr. Oliver, “we ought to see that our men and women are physically fit before they begin home life 1 and bring children into the world. It is important that we begin to lay the foundations in this direction. Let us demand that every man who comes to ask a wife from any of our homes shall produce a certificate showing that he is pure and clean —a man fit to be the husband of our girls.” Another cause of marriage failure was jealousy. There was such a thing as jealousy. based upon fact. Some women got taken up with another man. Any man who would, try to separate husband and wife was a scoundrel of the worst type. If any husband or wife was afflicted with that type of jealousy which sometimes resulted from nerves, let them get -rid of it. Another cause of marriage failure wqs mixed religions. There was probably only one tiling worse than seeing the husband and father attending one church and the daughter or son another. Build homes on the basis of tastes, and similar ideas, beliefs and doctrines which would stand all.

Another type of marriage failure was that of too much mother-in-law. There were some lovely mother-in-laws who were almost angelic, rare Birds of Paradise, but some of the fussy type considered they could run the house of Mr. and Mrs. Newlywed better than they could. Certain types of mothers-in-law destroyed marriages.

Another type of marriage, which ended in failure was one that was not based upon love, honor, admiration, and respect, but upon animalism. Marriages of this kind go down, and only result in bitterness, unhappiness. and all kinds of accusations. Segue people again married in haste, met perhaps at a dance, a race meeting, or on a trip, of Sabbath desecration, or even on a trip to Sydney, and married in a hurry. Marriages of this kind were bound to fail.

“Again,” said Dr. Oliver, “let ns go back to the Bible for the basis ofhome life, for fitness, happiness and character.” The speaker instanced the case of a marriage made unhapp}* owing to the haughty, proud spirit of the young wife, but who, later, through conversion, to Christ, became a gentle and loving wife and united to her people. The grace of God had solved the problem. He impressed upon,, the audience in conclusion, that if any had any problems in their married life they should take them to Jesus Christ, Who would solve all the difficulties and give them the victory. At the close of the address Mi’. Cederholm sung the well-known and touching hymn “Tell Mother I’ll be There.”