THE COURIER.
m?
I MARRIAGE IMPROVED
()
?QS(sGS)ii
"I'll tell you what the trouble Is
marriage la too easy."
He had just finished reading the arti
cle on divorce outrages in Lincoln and
elsewhere, In last week's Courier.
There were three of them altogether.
The first, the one who had just spoken,"
was a short man of athletic build. The
second was a tallish fellow. The third
was a medium-sized, fair man, with a
beautiful mustache. The short man and
the medium-sized man were members
of a profession that sometimes imparts
an arrogance to its followers. The tall
ish man belonged to another profession
not so well grounded scientifically as
the other, but if anything more arro
gant. They were all young. The first
was a bachelor. So was the second. So
was the third. They were seated in the
den of the short man and they were
passing a couple of hours as three men
will, reading, smoking, talking.
Nobody paid any particular attention
to the short man. He finished his ci
garette, lighted a fresh one, and con
tinued: "So far as I am concerned I would
have the law make It impossible for the
divorced person ever to marry again."
This remark seemed to challenge re
ply. The medium-sized man said: .
"I would like to know what you know
about It, anyway. Here you are, a
man who has never been married, pre
suming to air your views about divorce.
If, by any possibility, you should ever
succeed In working a confidence game
on some trusting young girl and get
married, I imagine that you are just the
kind of a fellow to want a change af
ter awhile. You might find the sort of
a divorce you advocate mighty incon
venient. "When you once get started
there's no telling where you might
stop, and if I were you I wouldn't build
any walls till I could be certain I would
not want to jump over them."
The tallish man maintained an able
silence.
The short man smiled amusedly. He
was used to the medium-sized man's
chan. He gave no heed to it.
"I have an Idea In this connection."
he said after some reflection. "Whereat
the medium-sized man and the tallish
man started. The medium-sized man
dropped a book on the floor and crossed
his legs. The tallish man picked up
a large piece of paper, made a funnel
of It and placed It to his ear, trumpet-wise.
The short man puffed twice and con
tinued: "It has really been a pet hobby of
mine for years. Sometimes I have
thought It impracticable; I have at last
become convinced that it Is entirely
feasible. Science In these days is taking
hold of everything. It has lent its as
sistance to almost every part of life ex
cept the one which most vitally affects
the race, which is, after all, the most
Important."
The medium-sized man asked him If
he meant eating.
The tallish man asked him if he meant
sleeping.
The short man smiled serenely.
"I mean matrimony, or more proper
ly speaking, marriage. Nearly every
thing we do nowadays Is done with some
regard for the fitness of things. We ap
ply the scientific knowledge we have to
these things and the result is that we
are getting more out of life than we
ever did before. But in this one direc
tion, marriage, the condition in which
there is so much at stake, there is an in
difference to all scientific and ethical
considerations, that amounts almost to
depravity. Instead of men and women
proceeding upon a rational basis, they
rush in like so many fools, propelled by
emotions, sinister purposes, spite, con
venience and the Lord only knows
what."
"How would you have them rush in
you who know so much about it?" in
quired the medium-sized man.
"I wouldn't have them rusli in at all.
The scheme I have in mind would not
allow any rushing. You wouldn't like
it. for I have noticed that you are fond
of rushing In a desultory way."
The tallish man asked him if he could
improve on natural selection.
"That's just it. It wouldn't bo natural
selection at all. which, as it has been
proved to be. is a most unnatural se
lection. What I would have Is a scheme
or scientific selection. I would begin
right away and have made a complete
personal record of every man, woman
and child. This record would contain
a full and detailed account of the family
history of each person, going back sev
eral hundred years, if possible. It would
give all the traits, characteristics, idio
syncracies, habits, hobbies, etc., of all
the ancestors, and particularly of the
living person. It would give the ages,
occupations, station In life, state of
health, etc., of all members of the fam
ily "Something like an application for
life insurance," facetiously observed the
tallish man.
"It would contain all possible informa
tion reflecting on the physical and moral
life, and this record would be an infalli
ble encyclopedia of character and hered
ity. There would be a special bureau
of government for the purpose of col
lecting this information and maintain
ing the system. Suppose a young
man desires to get married. Two
ways are open to him. He can cast
about for some young woman whom he
thinks would make him a good wife.
Finding such an one he hands In her
name, with his own. to one of the secre
taries of the bureau. Experts in psy
chology and the kindred sciences look
up the pedigrees of the two people and
even make a confirmatory personal ex
amination of the two persons imme
diately concerned, and if it is found that
the characteristics on both sides prop
erly fit together, if there Is no hered
itary or other bar. then an official li
cense to marry is made out. If the ex
perts find that a marriage between
these two persons would be inadvisa
ble, from a scientific standpoint, then
the license would be withheld, and the
young man would have to try again.
Ofcourse. in the case of any considera
ble hereditary disqualification a mar
riage would not be possible under any
circumstances. Hut supposing the
young man had no choice himself and
left the matter entirely to the bureau,
which, I think, would be the better way.
then he would simply hand in his own
name,' and the experts would imme
diately set about to find him a wife who
would meet all of the psychological re
quirements. There couldn't possibly be
any mistakes because everything would
be done In a scientific manner."
"But how about the young woman In
the case you cite," interposed the tall
ish man. "Would she have any say in
the matter? If the young man wanted
her and the records happened to be all
right on both sides, would she have to
consent to a marriage."
"Certainly," responded the short man.
"Else the purpose of the scheme would
b. defeated. If she declined and had an
opportunity to make a choice herself
she would probably throw herself away
on some fellow with only half a lung,
or it candidate with crazy grandparents
Besides, if all the characteristics fit
ted together, she couldn't logically
make any objections."
"I don't think that would prevent her
from making objections," said the tal-
li.sh man.
"Then it would be as fair for one as
the other." continued the short man.
"She could hand in her name any time
and ask for a proper husband. And
the man selected by the bureau would
have to consent as In the other case.
Now just stop to consider the strong
points of an arrangement like this.
There would be no instances of incom
patibility of temper, no married couple
like Amelia Rives Chanler and her hls
band unabletoaccommodate themselves
to each other; no mls-alllances; no
December and May foolishness; no
the food for all such.
How many pale folk
there are! People who
have the will, but no power
to bring out their vitality;
people who swing like
a pendulum between
strength and weakness
so that one day's work
causes six days' sickness !
People who have no life
for resisting disease thin people, nerveless, delicate !
The food for all such men, women, or children is Scott's
Emulsion. The hypophosphites combined with the oil
will tone up the system, give the blood new life, improve
the appetite and help digestion. The sign of new life will
be a fattening and reddening, which brings with it strength,
comfort and good-nature.
Bt iwrtjcu tit Scett't Emulsion wktnjta want it and not a cAta tnhtitntt.
Scott & BoWRe, New York. All Druggiste. 50c. and $1.
niACKcEARK-
129 S. Twelfth street
Ladies and Qentlemens
- Grill and Oyster Parlors
Reaular dinner, 25 cts.
Short orders a Specialty.
All the dellcaclesof the season. Mmlun- vni.
A CALL. WILL own."w.- .
tMCSUt
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LINCOLN
FACE MASSAGE
FACIAL BLEMISHES
REMOVED, etc
IIAIH GOODS
find
COSMK'i'ICS
transmission of hereditary taints or
blemishes. The race would be clarified
ot all hereditary diseases; would be
come strons and healthy. Intellectual
ly, morally and physically. Crime
would be blotted out. After the few de
barred delinquents died there would be
no further recurrence of shortcom
ings In men and women. We would be-conu-
as a race perfect and life would
be worth HvinK- Paradise would be re
gained." The rnedium-sized man gazed with
admiration on the short man. "It's
a great scheme" he said. "AH it
needs is to be developed. I would ad
vocate the setting apart of a small
section of the country for an experi
ment station. Government ought to be
induced to take the matter up."
The tallish man had been thinking.
"Yes." he said, finally, "it would be a
good thing. I think, however, you have
overlooked one of the strongest points
In the scheme. One of the greatest ene
mies of the race is the emotions. It is
the unrestricted exercise of the emo
tions that wrinkles our faces, whitens
our hair and shortens our lives. In your
place the government pschological ex
perts would take the place of the chief
f-motion. and all the rest would, I be
lieve, gradually disappear in the admir
able system you have sketched. "With
out these emotions and the consequent
Impairment o tissue and nerves, life
would be considerably lengthened."
The plan of scientific selection having
been adopted without a dissenting vote
and the supply of tobacco being ex
hausted, the meeting adjourned.
