New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-18
FKEE LOVE IN THB CHURCH.

AS We have distinctly expressed our opinion of
Free Love as taught in Broadway and practced In
Utah. impartslity seems to require that we should
call attention to another development of the same
principles and practices in a quarter, and under
auspices quite unexpected.
There has lately appeared work on India, writ
ten by David +. Allen, d. D., Missionary of the
American Board for twenty five years in India. A
notice Of this work in Toms Herald, Metho-
dist newspaper published in Boston, calls at
teniion to the following passage in it on the sub
ject Of poygamy, as INDUCED in by the converted
members of the Indian missionary churches.
"Now what shall be done in respect to such persons
polygamists when they give credible evidence of per-
sonai piety and seek admission into the Christian
Church No case of this kind occurred in my own
missionary experience But some cases have occurred
in lndia, and this difficulty Will occur IN numerous m
stances in the progress Of the Gospel. The ect will
also have the consideration and decision OF the highest
authority ecclesiastical and judiciary, IN India and
England My opinion is that the general practice in
missions in respect to such will be as follows:
When any man who has than one wife to whom
he has been legally married. wishes to be admitted
into the Christian Church. he will be required to make
free and full statement of his domestic relations ne
vH h. permitted 10 retain has marital connection D1th
all has lcres and his parental relation to all his chill
dren subject TO the discipline of the Church for the
proper government of his household. Whether he may
0r man NOT cOhqbn ruth kis different ViUeS IoiH BE- left,
Tbc}ere enfireiy 10 Inn ard to them, TO act according
fofher regs of duty. AT the same time the nature of
the married relation, accordngto the Christian dlspen-
sation and the usage of the Church. and the reason
why such cases for while tolerated. Will be fully
exnaipcd No man thus admitted while polygamist
can be ordained q Christian teacher. In this way
polygamy will have the testimony of tho Church
against il and Christian man can ever become
poygamlst all such will cease with the lives of
those thus admitted"
Nor is this merely the speculation of DR.. Allen
az to what would be proper TO be done. 1t ap
pears from a document in the appendix to his book
that the subject has come under the consideration
of the Calcutta Missionary Conference, composed
of the misa ,naries sustained in that vicinity by
the varioun sects of England and America, and
including EpiscOpaans Presbyterians Baptists
| and Congregationalists, and after frequent con-
| situations and much consideration they came
unanimously TO the following conclusion:
"If convert, before becoming Christian, has
maricG more wives than one, in accordance with the
practice of the Jewish and primitive Christian
Churches he shall be permitted 10 keep them all, but
such person not eligible to any office IN the Church.
We are not aware to what precise extent this
decision of the Calcutta Missionaries has received
the sanction and appreciation of our American
| Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions;
but so far as it has been sanctioned by them and
those who contribute TO their funds, they do not
seem to be in very favorable position for oppos-
ing on the ground of pOlygamous practices, the
| admission of Utah into the Union, or the recOg-
milton of NormOnsm as one Of the religious sects
of the country with all the rights, privileges and
immunities generally claimed by these sects, and
conceded as appertaining unto them.
| If polygamy and the continual practice of it, At
fords no ground for refusing to those who give other
credible evidence of personal piety" admission
into our missionary churches, how can itSe made
an objection to admitting Utah and the MOrmons
into our political and religious fellowship and
| brotherhood Ifthis converted Mohammedan and
that converted HindOo may still keep with safety
to their souls and without scandal to their breths.
rem, their ten OF twenty wives piece on what
principle is the same privilege TO be denied to
Brigham Young or Farley Pratt As to the
restriction "that such person is not "eligble
| 10 any Office in the church." that might not
90 down in Utah; but we apprehend that here in
New-York, the Free Lovers if they can only
obtain the Endorsement of the Churches and adms-
sion into them, will readily by way of sfOrdng
some JUNCTION to the troubled consciences of their
indulgent and accommodating brethren, forego for
the present all claims and pretensiOns to the Offices
Of ministers and deacons.
Ii WILL however, doubtless be alleged by those
who adopt and defend the decision of the Calcutta
missionaries, that clear distinction exists between
temporarily toerstng admitted evil with the de-
sign and intention speedily to get rid of it, and the
rentroductOn of that evil where it has once been
abolished. And these same persons will also be
| likely 70 insist that for the sake of making con-
| verts and extending the area of the church some
things must be put up With for while in India
| that cannot for a moment be allowed in America.
There is certain plausibility in this reasoning
Yet how loud have been the outcries raised against
the Catholic missionaries for having fallen in with
and honored the heather ideas and habits of their
| converts. with a view of using those ideas and
Labts as stepping-stone to Christianity At the
same time is il not the fact, that however far IN
this matter the Catholic missionaries may have
gone yet never have they gone so far as to sanction
| polygamy in their converts
Nor is the Church here in America, IN a case
quite parallel, at all favorable to the view enter
tanned by the missionaries that pOlygamy, once re
cognized and sustained as compatible with church
membership, is by virtue of the Simultaneous test
mony of the Church against it, going ''cose witt
the lives of the fret converts. What, we beg leave
respectfully to ask, has been the experience of the
American Churches under precisely similar op
eration-thst of uttering the testimony Of tht