Admonition to Walter’s Second Mother-in-law
55
them proper care. These women do not have time to recover from the
weakness of bearing one child before they are with child again.
Many of these women are the wives of poor men who have not
sufficient means to support their increasing families, and I am at the
present time helping them to feed and clothe and educate their children.
But notwithstanding their inability to support their offspring, children
are brought into the world as fast as possible. But God is not in this
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kind of doing.
The husbands of these women seem to think that their wives are
for no other purpose than to gratify their lustful passions. Children
are brought into the world so rapidly, responsibilities accumulate so
speedily, that the wives and mothers have no chance for the cultivation
of their minds, no time or opportunity to devote to religious work. God
is not glorified in such families.
Many of our young women missionaries marry, and in a few
months’ time they have children to care for and are taken out of the
missionary field. You may rejoice that your daughter will not be thus
hindered in her work for the Master. She can accompany her husband
in his travels and be a help to him, and when she is left at home she
can work for the Lord as though she were unmarried. This is my view
of the matter.
I have confidence in Walter and believe that he is a Christian. I had
occasion to know something of the temper of his spirit when he was
going through his trial with his first wife. She tried to extract money
from him when she saw she had the advantage of him, and he was
willing to do tenfold more for her than it was her right to expect, or
his duty to do. He had sore and hard trials on her account. I have tried
to help him all that I could.
I have tried to enable Laura to see and understand her duty. But
as she has taken the course that she has, I cannot see that this new
union should be disturbed. It is a serious matter to part a man and his
wife. There is no Scriptural ground upon which to take such a step in
this case. He did not leave her, she left him. He did not marry again
until she had obtained a divorce. When Laura divorced herself from
Walter he suffered most keenly, and it was not until Laura had married
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another man that Walter married again. The one he has chosen, I feel
certain, will be a help to him, and he can be a help to her.