The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-25 00:00:00

[.]
MARRIAGE WITIIADVERTISEMENT A
DECEASED WIFE'S
SISTER.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Stn,—The Committee of the Marriage Law Reform
Association are desirous of again calling the attention
of the British public to the following facts, opinions, and
national testimonies, tending to prove the Scriptural
lawfulness of marriage with a deceased wife's sister, and
the consequent desirableness of again affording legal
validity to such marriages in England and Ireland, in
accordance with the law and practice of other Christian
countries.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient
servant,

JOSEPH STANSBURY, M.A., Hon. Sec.
26, Parliament-street, April 25, 1856.

" It seems to be established and admitted, that the moral
feeling of the community at large is not with this law—that
the law, in fast, is not obeyed, and that a great number of
persons, not considering themselves to commit any moral
offence, do contract marriages which the law prohibits. That
is not a state of things which ought to exist ; and not being
of opinion that there is any moral objection to the contracting
of these marriages, and believing that the law, as it stands,
is the cause of a great deal of misery and social evil, especially
among the middle and lower classes of the community, I shall
with great pleasure give my vote for the motion."— peech
of Lord Palmerston in the debate on the motion for leave to
bring in a Bill to Amend the Law as to Marriage with a
Deceased Wife's Sister or a Deceased Wife's Niece, March 13,
1856.

FACTS.
I. Marriage with a deceased wife's sister is nowhere pro-
hibited in express words of Scripture, and the Jews under-
stood their law as permitting it.
11. The Jewish interpretation of the Levitical prohibitions
was never condemned by our Saviour, though their errors on
divorce and other matrimonial subjects were so remarkably
denounced by him.

is
111. There nothing in the New Testament to authorise
an extension of the Levitical prohibitions.
IV. Marriage with a deceased wife's sister is not known to
have been prohibited in any age or nation before the fourth
century of the Christian era.
V. The marriage of priests has been condemned, or prohi-
bited, by the same Ecclesiastical authorities over a wider
space, and during a longer period, than the marriage with a
deceased wife's sister.

VI. In all Christian countries, the ancient restrictions
upon this marriage have gradually been relaxed, and in most
entirely removed, in modern times.
VII. This marriage may be celebrated, by dispensation or
otherwise, in every country in the world, except England and
Ireland, and the Greek Church in Russia.
VIII. This marriage is permitted among 700,000,000 of the
human face.

IX. In no country has it been proved that the permission
of this marriage has been attended with injurious conse-
quences.

- X. Thousands of such marriages have been contracted in
this country. They are found in almost every town and
neighbourhood in the kingdom.
XI. Numerous clergymen of the Church of England, in-
cluding nearly 400 of those resident in the metropolis, have
petitioned fir the removal of this restriction.
Xil. More than 250 clergymen of the Church in Ireland
have expressed a conviction that these marriages ought to be
made lawful.

XIII. Protestant Dissenters regard the permission of this
marriage as Scriptural and expedient.
XIV. The Roman Catholic Church does not regard this
marriage as forbidden in Scripture.
XV. The Greek Church permits these marriages to Chris-
tians of ether churches.