The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-07 00:00:00

Testament did they find these marriages prohibited? And
yet this point had been brought under the attention of
the divine Author, and not a word of prohibition had been
uttered by hi:n. And now for the morn' a-id social ground
which had been brought forward. It had been said
that there was a possibilitry of the wife's sister becoming
a prey to the seductions of the husband, and the
wife's jealous feelings being aroused, and thus the peace
of the domestic hearth being disturbed ; and yet these
same Gentlemen vaunted the me:arty of England
as lehag so much superior to that of
other countries, while they thus reasoned
on the psssibilLy of the w.-men of England
so easily forgetting all their feelings of honour in such a
manner as this. Why, again, if the wife felt jealous,
would not she very easily get rid of her sister? On that
side they contended that these marriages were necessary
for many reasons—for none stronger than that when a
mother, lying on her death-bol and about te leave a
young family behind her, whom would she so re Wily
choose as her own sister? The Learned Member
for Sheffield admitted this, but he sail that if they
allowed this Bill to pass the feelings of the aunt would
in many cases be merged into that of a stepmother.
He (Mr. Cockburn) did not believe that. He doubted
if it were possible fur a young unmarried female to
live in the mist familiar int e-coursta with a
young widower without ocea, lolling some remarks and
censure from the world ; and would any Member of that
House be ready to put any of their daughters and sisters
in that condition? That house could not create the
feeling of brother and sister where it did net exist,
nor could they legislate to prevent the rise and growth
of those feelings which were natural to every mm.
Within the period since the passing of the law in 1835,
which they now sought to abrogate, as many as 1,500 of
these marriages had taken place within a very limited
district, and if they were not legalized the con-
sequence would be endless litigation. with respect
to the rights of inheritance. Experience showed
that none of the evils alleged to arise from
marriages with a deceased wife's sister bad any exist-
ence, and ho thought it would be absurd to attempt, by
any legislative measure to put fetters upon those pas-
sions and feelings which concerned the happiness of
mankind. Our own experience, as well as that
derived from other countries, clearly showed
that such a measure as the present might be
adopted without the slight -at fear as to the conse-
quences, either religioUs or moral, and on that ground,
as well as for the other reasons he had mentioned, he
should give it his support.
Mr. SHElLsaid he did notknow whether his Hon. and
Learned Friend (Mr. Cockburn) was a member of the Ec-
tablished Church, but from the speech be had delivered he
should conjecture that he was " a Christian unattached."
—(Laughter.) If he (Mr. Sheil) were a member of that
Church, he should have treated its canons which pro-
hibited marriages within certain degrees of affinity with
more profound regard and deference than that
manifested by the Honourable and Learned Gentle-
man.—(Hear, hear.) He did not intend to enter upon
what he called the dogmatical part of the question, that
having been amply dealt with by the Hon. and Learned
Members for Abingdon and Oxford, and would simply
inquire what the effect would be, if this Bill were passed,
upon the wife of the husband, end on the prospective brido
whose path to the altar would be across her sister's grave.
The wife received her sister with open arms, cherished
for her a truthful and a beautiful love, and watched over
her intere as with a care almost paternal, and though
she might pass hours, days, and weeks with her hus-
band, yet not a doubt, not a conjecture
was permitted to cross her mind as to
her sister's cha'tity. But if the wife enter-
tained any doubt or suspicion, and with a view to
ascertain the truth or falsity of any impressions which
might be made upon her, watched every feature and
movement of her slat It, it was inevitable that her fee'-
ings would undergo a powerful altesation.—( Hear, hear.)
The worst of all passions, jealousy, would take
possession cf her feelings, and every glance
and look of the husband would be interpreted.
So much for the wife. Now for the husband, who is
a good man. The only regard which he new enter-
tains for his wife's sister was a :eatiment purely pla-
tonic, unsullied by an unholy wish ; but if he were
taught by his Honourable and Learned Friend the
Member fir Bute, to look upon her as an ob-
ject of prehahle pos essior, the woman will be
placed in a perilous proximity:, and a change would be
produced in the moral temperature.—(Cheers.) lie
passed next to the wife's sister. She now looks up to
her sister's husband as htr protector, her friend, fir
whom she entert tins a moral respect, but no impassioned
friendship or love; but if she be taught to look upon
him as her contingency—or, h a might almost say, if she
be t sueht to believe that she has vest .d remainder, under
the auspices of so astute a lawyer as the Honourable and
Learned Member for Bate, in the pillow on which her
sister's cheek will be coldly and lifelessly laid—or if the
learn to associate her wedding garment with her
sister's shroud—he was aft aid the spirit of
wickedness would take possession of her brew: t, and a
wide field would be opened to her future conjugal specu-‘
lation.—(llear, hear.) lie was t. f. aid the character of
her intercourse with her husband's sister would be en-
tirely changed, and instead of entertaining high moral
feelings and sentiments towards him, she would have !e-
-course to all ordinary sources of womanly attraction
to enchain the mind ant: passions of the husband.—
(Cheers.) She would study every attitude and gesture,
every look and &Leticia which woman could so readily,
nay, almost instinctively, assume in accomplishing her
ends to obtain an influence over the husband.—(Cheers.)
These considei aeions induced him to think that the
measure was unadvisehlte—(Cheers.) If his lion. and
Learned Friend's Bill passed, where was it to stop ?
(llear, hear)—where could they limit the prohibited
degrees ? here would the lion, and L arned Gt ntle-
man pause ?—(Hear, hear) If a man marries his wife's
sister, why not marry his wife's daughter ?—(Cheers.)
Where was the 1. .it to be fixed ?—( Hear, hear) He
I ad promised not to t.:tich upon the dogmatical part of
the question, and thus far he had fulfilled his pledge;
but he might still venture to state thus mucb, without
departing from the regulation he bed laid down for him-
self, namely, that the religious fetlirg of the vast
majority of the people of the three countries was
against this measure. The women of England—
the wives and daughters of Englaed, who were
the best judges upon a subject is which the r
own happiness and that of man was involved—we: e
against this measure.—(Cheers.) Tne vast majority of
the clergy of the Established Church, he believed, were
against the measure.—(Cheers.) The people of Scotland
were against this measure. The Lord-Advocate
had told them, had used the forcible expression that
the Bill was abhorrent to the people of Scotland, and as
for the people of Ireland, he could take upon himself to
say that they were against it.—(clear, hear, and
cheers.) The Catholic clergy of Ireland did not
desire that their dispensing powers should be extended
to the consecration of nuptials from which the Irish
people shrink with shame.—(Cheers.) Although no
amount of prejudice or passion would induce him
to do wrong to any man or any set of men, yet
he would not run counter to the religious
feeling of the country for the sake of an inno-
vation which breaks down some mural defence
that now protects our homes, and against which Cal-
vinistic and austere Scotlanl—Cathullc aid dispensing
Ireland—and the majority of the people of England—
half Protestant and half Catholic, though wholly Ca-
tholic upon this question—were decidedly opposed.
Mr. ANSTEY wished the Honourable and Learned
Gentleman had altogether avoided the dogmatical part
of the question, because he could not agree with the
opinion which the lion. and Learned Gentleman had sat
down with. He supported the Bill, and ridiculed the
idea of a wife's eistsr ever resorting to the assassination
of the wife fur the purpose of enjoying the husband.
If this Bill passed, what would be the practical effect?
In Ireland and Scotland those marriages would not be
solemnize ] more frequently than at present, inasmuch
as the people in those parts of the kingdom looked upon
them with repugnance.—(" Divide, divide.") But it
would be otherwise iu England. For these reasons, and
becetne he thought it wes'a question of religious liberty,
he would support the Bill.
Mr. COBDEN had vs: tehed the tendency of this
question for several years, and he thought the agitation
out of doers had arisen from ecclesiastical and religious
feeling, and had mainly been confico 1 to the Church
of England.—(No, no.) He repeated it, that the
main element in the opposition t r this measure
had originated with a party in the Church of England,
who sought to carry us back to ancient time', and to re-
vive obsolete forms in the Church. There was a party
who had taken part in those discussions who contended
that they had scriptural authority against those
marriages. Ho would have this question discussed
apart from biblical authority.—(Hear, hear.) The
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Shell), wanting facts and argu-
ments, fell on the religious argument. He said the
people of Scotland aid Ireland were opposed to those
marriages; but he (Mr. Cobden) contended the Bill did
not compel the people of Scotland and Ireland to recog-
nise the validity of those marriages. He submitted
that the Jews had never put the construction
that had been contended for on the verse in
Leviticus which had been introduced into this debate.

If they abandoned this principle they would incur
nothing less than a violation of religious liberty. He
said therefore they would, if they opposed this Bill, be
violating the first principle of civil and religious liberty.
—(heat., hear.) Why, the Blptists and Independents
unanimously regarded this as a matter of religious
liberty.—(hear, bear.) The lion. Gentleman relied
upon the Levitical law. Tiny should take the opinion
of Dr. Adler, the head of the Jewish persuasion. It'
they did not take the opinion of Dr. Adler, they
would take an opinion which was totally opposed to that
of all those by whom he was placed in his present posi-
tion.—(Gear,) Had they forgotten the petition which
was presented by the Noble Lord the Member for
Loudon, which was signed by perhaps the most
influential body of men that had over uttached their
signatures to such a document?—(Cries of "Hear,
hear.") One Honourable Member had reprobated the
petitions which had been present;ed for the Bill, and stated
that those meetings had been ,tot up for the purpose of
excitement; but had they heat
other side? None such had be.ololll.e7dn,YaniTt;t6egsfauent
had
been over and over again pro yea that the nut holding of
those meetings had shown tLat there was no public feel-
ing whatever out of doors (in this subj.et.—(lietar.) The
lICM. and Learncd Gentle al an the Member for Shetti4d
had, in beautiful language, told them that the passing
of this Bill would be a desecraion of the holy
and disinterested affection which now existed between
brother and sister, is ;t he found from that blue book
that, in numerous instances, the dying wife had re-

quested that her h-usband sbou/debotise-her sister as the

guardian for he... children, and when the llon. and
Learned Al;?mbe r for Dungarvon talked of walking over
a vviFe's grave :o the vital-, it was simply stating that
whichwas 3. manifest Error.—(llcar, hear.) What
were they leg islating for ?—not for :hose who were
in the heyd sy of passion, hut for the widower
whose
.first care was to provide fur his mother,
less children, And who 0(44 provide for thaw,