OPTIMIST CLUB

Wairarapa Daily Times, 26 September 1933, Page 4

OPTIMIST CLUB

INTERESTING ADDRESS. BY REV. J. COCKER. The Rev. J. Cocker to-day, addressing the members on “Some Things to Think About Before Marriage,” said that it was 45 years since he commenced his ministerial work, and in that time he had visited many thousands of homes and married some hundreds of persons. (1) What should be the minimum marriage age? He felt it should be raised in New Zealand. To allow a boy or girl to marry at 14 years of age was wrong, physically and mentally, both to the parents and children. Eighteen years should be the minimum. Last year a number of girls of 14 and 15 years of age were married in New Zealand. (2) A health certificate should be produced before a marriage certificate was issued. The marriage of weaklings and diseased persons meant sickness' and suffering to the parents and the children being handicapped, and this was illustrated by a number of facts taken from the columns of the daily press, and the experience of professional men. (3 A woman should be compelled to secure a certificate showing her ability to manage a household before she was put in charge of one. Especially should she be able to cook. If applying for a position in the business world she had to produce credentials, but often she entered upon a life work without due preparation. The speaker referred to Hitler’s policy in reference to marriage and the managing of homes. (4) Love should be the foundation of marriage, not simply a platonic friendship, based on beauty and virtue, or the desire to have a life comrade of similar views and tastes. Neither should it be a marriage of convenience, for the union of wealthy families or -social standing or marriage with the bounds of so-called blue blood or royal blood. A love marriage meant a little bit of paradise on earth, for love was of God, and was the greatest power that could enter a person’s heart. It had a transforming power. A loveless marriage meant unhappiness, and often led to divorce. . (5) A man should be true to his future wife. He expects her to be virtuous, and his honour should lead him to adopt the same moral standard he asks from his wife to be. We should have the same standard of morality for men as for women. The speaker gave many interesting illustrations of the various points of the address, and was heartily thanked for his very interesting remarks. An animated discussion followed Mr Cocker’s address.