The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-27 00:00:00

prohibited in Scripture ?"—." Certainly not. It is considered
a etatter of ecclesiastical legislation,' —Cardinal Wiseman.
"Though it is certain that the case of marriage between
brother and sister-in-law came before our Saviour (Matt.
xxii., 24), yet we do not find that he spake one word against
it. "—Fry.
"No man has examined this subject more diligently than
Fry, the author of a pamphlet which you justly commend, and
you see my opinion perfectly coincides with his."—Sir •Wil-
liam Jones.
" The subject matter requires that we take the word sister
in the common acceptation of it, and then an Israelite is for—
bid to take the wite's sister while that wife is living."—
Bishop Kidder.
"The meaning of the precept is, that no man should marry
his wife's sister while that wife is living."—Bishop Patrick.
" ihe Jews regarded the marriage with a wife's sister as
not unlawfuL This marriage Moses permits ; but prohibits,
on the other hand, the marriage of two sisters at once."—
Michaelis.
" The civil law of Prussia accords full liberty to the marriage
of a man with the sister of his deceased wife. Such marriages
are by no means rare. Experience does not show that in their
conikquences they differ essentially from other marriages."—
Royal Prussian Consistory, Prussian Saxony.
" Public opinion in our country is entirely in favour of such
marriages, and when very lately this subject underwent dis-
cussion in both our Chambers, all our six dignitaries of the
Protestant Evangelical Church, as well as the two of the
Roman Catholic Church, pronounced themselves in its favour;
nor were there any voices raised by the strictly religious of
our community (of which, thank God, there are many) against
it."—Professor Kapff, Stuttgart.
" I do not remember any Massages in the records of the
early Church which bear on this subject previously to the
positive enactment condemning it, but not annulling it, in
the Council of Eliberis or Elvira in Spain, the most probable
date of which is A.D. 306. • I am aware that an appeal to that
,s ns
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garded as any groundwork on which the Leg,is ature of this
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country can safely build its own laws on the subject of mar-
actment cannot be
riage. If this canon on the subject of marriage be binding on
us, the others, as such, most be equally binding; but some
there are which are utterly at varianeetwitli our views of social
duty, and could never find a response in tbe sentiments of our
Church and nation."—Rev. James Endell Tyler.
" From various considerations such marriages 'here have
become very common. So far are such marriages from being
contrary to public opinion, that people are, on the contrary,
inclined to consider them both natural and desirable. We
express our conviction that there ought to • exist perfect
liberty between widowers and the sisters of their late wives
to. contract such marriage."-e-Ducal Saxe-Lo' bourg, Ministry
in Council.
" It is my decided conviction, after careful investigation
and consideration, that there is no direct scriptural prohibi-
tion declaring such marriages unlawful. I do not stop to con-
sider how the repeal of the present law may affect the inter-
course between a husband and his wife's sister. This is not
a matter for legislation. I could not support the law as it
now stands."—Bisli op of Manchester.
"Whether the question is considered in a religions, moral,
or social point of view, such marriages are unObjeationable,
while in many instances they' contribute t 6 the happiness of
the parties, and to the welfare of motherless children, and
among the poor, have a tendency to prevent immorality."—
Petition signed by the Bishop of London (Dr. Tait), 1849.
"There is even among the opponents of this Bill (the Mar-
riage till) a wide diversity of opinion as to there being a
Divine command prohibiting these marriages, and ihat the
weight of authority is against the existence of any such Divine
injunction. If among the richer classes there is .a dislike
upon social grounds to a change in the law, that dislike rests
upon sentimental rather than on substantial grounds ; whereas
among the poorer classes it cannot be denied that the law
causes great immorality and unhappiness."—Speech of Lord
Wodehouse, March 22,1839.
"The passage (Lev. xviii., 18) requires no aid from a canon.
It is so clear, and so distinct, as to leave no doubt on my-
mind respecting the Divine permission to contract these mar-
riages." I shall vote for this Bill, because I consider it cal-
culated to prevent a vast degree of immorality among the
poor and because I hold the prohibition of such marriages to
be a flagrant violation of the rights ofconscience."—Speech of
the Earl of Albemarle.
"We who support this Bill do not think that the marriage
of a deceased wife's sister is opposed to the law of God, and
we do think that it is as wrong to restrict that which God
permits as to grant dispensation for that which God forbids."
—Speech of Viscount Lifford.
"These marriages are not contrary to the Divine command.
The scriptural argument against them seems to me to break
down at every step. In proportion as, by our prohibitions,
we multiply the opportunities of temptation, and prevent the
enjoyment of any seeming advantages, not evil in itself, in
the same proportion we extend and inerase the power of the
enemy of mankind.''—Speech of Bishop of Cork.
"He had never risen from an examination of the religious
arguments but with a • firm conviction that these marriages
were sanctioned by the Word of God. As to the social
grounds, he could not conceive any reason for which the law
should prohibit those very marriages which seemed most
likely to secure the happiness of the deceased wife's child-
ren."—Speech of Edward Ball, Esq., M.P.
" He thought that those who disapproved these marriages
should be content to obey their own consciences themselves,
but that they had no ground for enforcing on others scruples
which were not really based on the Word of God."—Speech of Charles Buxton, Esq., M.P.
" He did not think the measure proposed was any infringe-
ment on scriptural precepts or commands. It was a remark-
able fact that from the time when the scriptural law was given
to the present day, so far as could be ascertained, the Jewish
people themselves had never interpreted that law as a law of
prohibition. Referring to marriage with a brother's widow,
the bishop said it was inconceivable that on a subject of mo-
ral purity and moral principle, the author of a scriptural law
should in one place permit that which in another place was
prohibited. He felt bound to say that he did not perceive in
the Scriptures any direct prohibition, or any inferenti 41 pro-
hibition against such marriages."—Speech of ex-Bishop of
Norwich.
"So far as the poor are concerned, I believe that an altera-
tion of the present law is much to be desired."—Lord Auck-
land, Bishop of Bath and Wells.
"Public opinion,'which feels no scruple of any kind as to
such marriages, approves of them most particularly when
there are young children of a first marriage, as giving them
in the sister of their late mother a second loving mother. The
permission of such marriageshas, with tts, been productive in
no way of evil consequences."—Consistory Court of the Grand
Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.
"The arguments attempted to be drawn from Scripture by
the opponents of the measure were arguments by inference ;
and, considering the conflict of opinion among eminent divines
of this and other Christian communities, and that, at best,
arguments by inferenco were of a very doubtful character, he
thought they might very well leave the resolution of the doubt
to the conscience of ach individual. But, believing-, as he
did, that Scripture, so far from prohibiting, sanctioned these
marriages, it was a grievance of which the people might justly
complain, that the law of the land was out of harmony with
the revealed will of God."—Speech of the Bishop of Ripon.
"My Lords, the vote which I shall give in support of the
Bill before your Lordships' House, will, I think, be in accord-
ance with, and not in opposition to, the Levitical Law. I
acknowledge that law to be binding. I hold as strongly as
any one a belief in the inspiration of the Scriptures, but in
saying that, I mean that there is not a word too much nor a
word too little. Believing, then, that every word has its own
important meaning, I would remark that the verse in Leviti-
cus, which has been so often alluded to, contains these words,
during her lifetime.' My impression is that these are quali-
fying words ; that they imply a prohibition to take a wife's
sister as a wife, during the wife's lifetime to "vex her—but
that the wife being dead, the prohibition was removed—that
the marrying a wife's sister on the death of the wile is thus
virtually pronounced to be perfectly lawful."—Speech of the
Bishop of Carlisle.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

GOODWOOD RACES.-TUESDAY.

The meeting was inaugurated with its wonted
success. The supply of sport was ample, and the
racing was marked by incidents of the highest im-
portance to persons engaged in turf pursuits. The
assemblage of company comprised a large number
of the aristocracy, many of whom are enjoying the
hospitalities of GoodwoodHouse ; but of spectators
outside the. Grand Stand the show was somewhat
scanty. The weather was delightful ; scarcely a
cloud obscured the bright blue sky,, and the warm
atmosphere was ever and anon pleasantly tempered
by a refreshing breeze. To add to the gaiety and
picturesque character of the scene, reapers were
busily engaged in the corn fields which lined the
road to the Course, and the memory of the oldest
visitant to the Park could scarcely parallel so early
a commencement of the harvest in Sussex. From
several fields the corn had been garnered, and only
stubble visible. The bookmakers generally expe-
rienced no unprofitable day, for although certain
favourites won, yet the handicap events left balances
on the right side of their books. Clydesdale, who
was backed heavily for last year's Two Thousand
and Derby, had so lenient an impost for the Craven
Plate that he was made first favourite ; but he ran
a slow horse, and was beaten easily by Star of the
East, who had found few supporters. The Star is
now the property of Lord Clifden, who purchased
him of Mr. Bowes just prior to the recent Liver-
pool meeting. sto 1 was betted on Thormanby for
the Lavant Stakes, and his partisans were not un-
easy as to the success of their ventures. The horse
waited until reaching the Grand Stand enclosure,
when he came out and literally won as he liked.
After the race 14 to 1 was taken ab mt him for the
Derby. The Stewards' Cup commanded a field of
thirty-four, and finished a race as remarkable for
the closeness of its finish as for itsvery picturesque
effect. The favourites were signally defeated.
Theodora tired at the end, and Grand Secret seemed
too slow. Maid of Kent ran in front through-
out, and won by a head, and in fact the
first four were so close together, that until
the number was displayed on the telegraph board,
the spectators were unable to determine the
eneweilon--
win-
ner. Many persons at the lower end of th
fs
ou
lr e
bfanciedswerved that North
in the
Lincoln
last
fewh a
td
sb been success-
ful, c c e shs
The
performance of this horse was an extraordinary
done,
and must re-establish his reputation,
re-
cently been slightly damaged, for p
aos sleesassi
least
goivmneerriat
of the highest degree of excellence,
short course. The Cup is a vase, or cistern,t
three Es(l.console Itis
sil-
ver, partly gilt, the original in majolica, the work
of Orazio Fontana, of Urbino, dating about 1550,
in the collection of
Alexander
pillar,
Barker,ona
supported on a
feet adorned with rich acanthus foliage and heads
heads, masked in high
of chimra. In the intervening spaces in the sides
central
relief, from
fvraosme
warheieth anhrehelgionhold festoons of flowers.
The plain surfaces of the vase are elaborately en-
graved with grotesques in the style of Giovanni da
Udine ; the cistern rests on a triangular plinth,
also richly adorned with arabesques, the dead silver
surfaces being relieved by the rich gilding of the
ornamental parts, by this means imparting a gene-
ral effect of great but subdued richness. It was
designed by Marshall Wood, and engraved by Her-
bert Parsons,, and manufactured by Mr. C. F. Han-
cock, of Bruton-street. The Gratwicke Stakes was
won in a canter by the favourite, Mayonaise. The
accident to Ashman, who was savaged by Chapelier,
is described in the account of the race. Chapelier
would eviden_tly be benefited by an interview with
Mr, Barey. :Winton, a very highly tried two-year
old, won the Ham Stakes in a canter. Tom Bow-
line, who was purchased by Lord Glasgow for up-
wards of 4700 at Lord Derby's sale last year, and