Oct. 1, 1911 



going on in the world. Now, this woman 

 whom we are discussing has got hold of a 

 silly or crazy fancy, to the eflfect that that 

 poet is a better man, or that she could be 

 happier with him, than her own husband. 

 It is simply Satan's work to wreck and ruin 

 the lives of all three. This woman will see 

 her mistake and blunder, and become tired 

 of the man in a very few months or weeks. 

 History is full of such cases. It is a species 

 of infatuation. Satan pictures with great 

 skill and eloquence some qualities that a 

 woman does not possess at all; and after an 

 elopement or runaway, or something of that 

 sort, both of the stupid idiots soon find out 

 their mistake; and some of them have good 

 sense enough to go back and do all they can 

 to right the great wrong. But it can never 

 be done. A certain bee-keeper who, before 

 he died, stood quite prominently before the 

 world, became enamored with the good- 

 looking wife of another bee-keeper whom he 

 met at a convention. She was the mother 

 of quite a family of children. This vile fel- 

 low (we can not call him a man) set to work 

 systematically to persuade this poor foolish 

 woman that her husband was not her equal; 

 that her surroundings were not what she 

 ought to have; and finally, for his sake, she 

 consented to leave her home, a good faith- 

 ful husband and children, and go off with a 

 "strange man." It was not a strange wo- 

 man in this case such as we have described 

 in the Bible, but it was a strange man whom 

 nature had endowed with an unusual faculty 

 in the way of making himself agreeable. 

 The poor deluded soul came to her senses in 

 just a few hours. She came back to her 

 humble little home (crippled, or tvorse than 

 crippled, for life) , and on her knees begged 

 piteously to have the poor wronged husband 

 and father forget and forgive her awful and 

 sinful folly. The matter was finally sub- 

 mitted to me for advice and counsel; and 

 after praying over it I felt impressed to say 

 to the woman, much as the Savior said in 

 olden time, "Go (back to your home and 

 family), and sin no more." So far as I can 

 learn, during the years that are past, peace 

 and tranquillity have reigned in that home. 

 The poor mother has probably been cured 

 for life of the desire of praise because of her 

 good looks. 



Now just a word about our third text — 

 "Thou shalt not commit adultery." In the 

 20th chapter of Exodus, you will notice this 

 follows the command which says, "Thou 

 shalt not kill." These two commands are 

 given in a few short words; but since the 

 world began it seems as if a terrible curse 

 rested on the one who deliberately breaks 

 either. The murderer never gets over the 

 effects of his awful crime. One who has 

 taken the life of a fellow-man is never the 

 same man he was before the crime. The 

 very thought of it follows him, and destroys 

 his happiness and peace of mind until death, 

 and who knows how long after death? It is 

 much the same way with adultery. One 

 who deliberately transgresses, yields to Sa- 

 tan, and tramples under foot this holy com- 



607 



mand, is never the same afterward. It is 

 frequently remarked that a woman who has 

 lost this priceless gem looks different ever 

 afterward. The bloom of innocence and 

 purity is gone. She may repent, and God 

 may forgive her sin, but the scar remains. 

 There is no getting back exactly where she 

 was before. Now, the great wide world 

 seems to repudiate the idea that it is the 

 same -with a man. Perhaps a man does not 

 show it on his face and in his eyes as does a 

 woman; but nevertheless the mark of Cain 

 is there; and those who are skilled in read- 

 ing humanity can judge pretty surely. Of 

 course there is forgiveness for murder and 

 adultery, for our first text tells us so; but, 

 notwithstanding, more or less of a lifelong 

 blight has fallen on the man or woman who 

 deliberately transgresses in this way. 



Sometimes I am consulted in regard to 

 the advisability of getting a divorce. I think 

 I have always said, "No, no, no; do not do 

 that. Do not even think of it;" and I usual- 

 ly end by saying, "What God hath joined 

 together, let not man put asunder." Several 

 times one or both parties will say, "But, 

 Mr. Root, are you sure that God ever did 

 bring us together?" And I think one friend 

 added, "Is it not possible that it was a blun- 

 der that we ever got together? or did not Sa- 

 tan have something to do with it?" My re- 

 ply is, usually, that Satan has nothing to 

 do with bringing people together. His bus- 

 iness is to separate and break up homes. 

 And where children have been the fruit of 

 the wedlock it is certainly God's plan. 



My good friends, if any of you whose eyes 

 rest on these pages have ever been thinking 

 of getting a divorce, take my advice, and 

 say, "Get thee behind me, Satan." Things 

 may be bad as they are, but your old friend 

 A. I. Root assures you they will be worse 

 just as soon as you consider for a moment 

 setting at naught God's law. 



I have spoken several times about the day 

 of my conversion. I told you that, when I 

 decided to put the Lord Jesus Christ first 

 and foremost of every thing in this world, I 

 not only loved humanity better, but I loved 

 even the horses that stood around the door 

 of that old church. Perhaps I did not tell 

 you, however, that, next to the Lord Jesus 

 Christ, a love commenced from that day 

 forward to grow and increase in my heart 

 for the dear companion whom God gave me. 

 That love has been growing stronger each 

 year, and each day and hour.* When Satan 

 tries me at every turn, as he tries most of us, 

 the thought of Mrs. Root and the sacred 

 and solemn ties that bind us together has 

 been a more powerful antidote against Sa- 

 tan's wiles than any thing else in all this 

 world. Let me, therefore, close with the 

 beautiful text— the last of the four I have 

 chosen — 



"What therefore God hath joined to- 

 gether, let not man put asunder." 



* The great Father, in his infiuite love and mercy, 

 has permitted us two to meet life's burdens and 

 joys, hand in hand, for full fifty years. The 29th of 

 September, 1911, win be the 50th anniveifsary of our 

 humble start out toeett\er- 



