2

and serious views pass current as
true and reasonable. I am going to
write to you about marriage.

It is often said that marriage is
the most important incident in a wo-
man's life; and yet, in the same breath
almost, it will be asserted that [word crossed out]
marriage is a lottery. What a desperate
view of life is this! that its most
important event is to be decided by
chance. But, on the other hand, what a
faithless, what a wicked thing for a Chris-
tian to say; only to be excused on the
ground of a thoughtlessness almost as
culpable as unbelief. Can the same
person believe that God will hear and
answer prayer, and at the same time