BETROTHAL SERVICE

Hokitika Guardian, 3 November 1930, Page 7

BETROTHAL SERVICE

A BISHOP’S PROPOSAL.

SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE

LONDON, September 10.

A “sacred service of betrothal," to bring a better realisation to young people of the sanctity, tin* beauty, and the responsibilities lof marriage was suggested by Dr. Pollock, the Bishop of Norwich, speaking at a recent wedding. “The whole marriage service,” Dr. Bollock said, “the oldest and least altered part of our English Prayer Book containing some of the oldest English that we know, lifts up our hearts, and puts before us as the pattern of married life and mutual love of Christ and His Church. Jhis is the ideal alter which we rejoice to strive, and it is the ideal which brings a sense not merely of failure bufy of shame to any whose married life is not worthy of the Heavenly example. Most of those who to-day write and speak about marriage, speak about marriage failures. Some day perhaps we shall find the older people more ready to instruct the voting as to the meaning of marriage at its best, and as to the way to reach it. Too oftetl young people set out upon their married life without any careful thought beforehand, carelessly, heedlessly, not knowing what is in front of them, and sometimes with more of passion than secure affection, rising in their hearts, or only hoping to have a good time, in a self-centred life without responsibility.

“Too many are those who have not even taken the trouble to read through the Marriage Service before they meet it for the first time in the Church. A socred service of betrothal might help in this direction. But what would help more is that every young man and every girl before they start to he married should have made quite sure that they are friends at heart, with a deep true friendship that will grow, with the years. Close companionship must never fall to the level of mere goodwill or lower still. It is only in this confident expectation of a growing union and growing affection, widening out as life widens out before them, that they can dare to take lifelong vows. But if they are in this way sure of themselves and sure of one another, they- will with C&d’s blessing upon them not hesitate to pledge their mutual trust and love to one another for ever and ever with no idea of any break ‘till death us do part.’ It is a wretched atmosphere for young people to find thorns lives in if the books they read and the talk of older people round them always fixes on the meanftqss., the Wretchedness, the caricatures of unhappy marriage, and on the ignominious ways of release from’'its hated vows,”