Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-08-31
THE INTEI.I,I ,I35ENCER=
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a DISTINGUISHED PRoFRSsioyA1. Ma, sr.,,r
aaFFINiTT-HE arr. II mas A WlFE AND Don't Low
u nnEk-t1E LOVES A YOU'VE. IjADy-FIr p a s,,I,l,1
ADvlcE-HE GKrrErn ADVICE. =
me Rey. Sabin Hough, of Cincinnati editor
OF the Ne'0 Church Heralz, has been greatly
puzzled oy "a cu'ious question" The .Rever.
epa gentleman thus states the question:
~. a few weeks ago gentleman not before
St'oW" TO US, except through his social and nro
IeSslonal reputation, which causes him to be
SHOWN 10 some thousands, with much apnarent
sincerity and honesty, requested our opinion in
tegard ga. 10 certain course of conduct adopted
oy hlnl; The gentleman. we are most hapnv
70 say, knows scarcely anything of the doctrines
y. l.le New Church, and his interest int those
u9ctrlneS IS we think even less than his knowl
edge of them. - e''0,s :.
The gentlemansi story was thus: "He hos
wife whom he does not love and AZ nus
and who never loved him." He has now attain.
ca the age of fifty years, and his wife is some.
what younger. As to the purity of his own
past nie, he gave us no intimation, and we made
no no inquiry, but his wife, he assured us. has
oee' model OF good behavior and propriety
Always She has never loved him, nor any one
else IN his stead. She loves her children toncer.
y, ana watches over them with devoted attcn-
t'oh ana care. As sister, strange to saw he
IoVes ner, out not as wife. He has JclE the
ee@ 81 some one to oreGRd TO be Eo0ed 6y IN re-
urn, Hn@ AGs at last found gOWng lqCy t,oenty
gears 0tGt, whose heart is linked to his own in a
union winch he is sure must be eternal The
young lady, as he describes her, is pure, lovely
innocent, amiahle He used several more nd
IJectlves of similar import but these arc
enough. This union is one of affection onLv
ana the affection, as it seems to him, is of the
most pure and innocent character. These hearts
are joined SO intimately, that his own heart he
Is sure, would cease to beat in an hour, and
death wind up the scene, if her affections were
Withdrawn or given to another.
This gentleman desired US to tell him what
We thought of his case. Some of our readers
u'aY smile at the idea ofasking advice in n case
whereon the judgment OF the divine law bas
heen clearly pronounced But such sue is is the the
blindness of the mind when led astray by evil
and selfish lusts
The seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not
commit adultery" meets this case with all the
ioFce OF divine prohibition. The sophistry of
human reason is not needed in a case so DIain
that 1t requires no argument.
The gentleman admitted that the attachment
between himself and that young person was of
Such character, that if his wife were removed
from this world, marriage relation would re.
suit Did he desire the continuance of the life
OF his wife, the mother OF his children2 That
was OF course impossible, for that life so long
as 1t remains, must stand in the way of the full
enjoyment of u loye-nay, call-it rather lust
winch is dearcr TO him than all on earth besdcsl
Strange 1t is that men do not see and realize
mat all such attachments and affinities are form
Gu; leu and sustained from that region of the
hells which is filled with eternal adultery.
Every genuine heavenly love has relation to
use, but what use can there be in a man with
drawing his affections from his wife, whom he
has promised to cherish and protect and receiy-
ing to MS heart young woman whose prospects
. ioT an honorable and happy marriage, he thus
ineV'taoiy Lly destroys! Is there any use in this ?
Csc, you say; why the very word has droll
and unmeaning sound in such connection
1ou are quite sure the man never thought of
any use to be done in that way. He loves the
young woman as he supposcS, and She poor
glrs thl9Es she loves him in return, and vet
murder ana suicide which so often form the
closing passages in chapters of this sort are
scarcely farther removed from everything or.
1eFly and right. Such love may take something
from earth; its chief source is hell; from heaven
1t gets nothing. These passionaI attractions
ana afhnlues. may seem good and pure, SO long
as the whole mind is filled with them. Itis
generally so with evil affections but let them
be cast out, or let even the understanding be
elevated into the light of heaven, and the man
cannot fail TO see that they are altogether evil
ana lniernal Swedenborg saw certain evil
spirits who, while looking at the objects around
them, by the lumin of hell, imagined that they
were In the most delighted enjoymcnts, and that
pleasant and beautiful things But when even
a tew rays of the light of heaven were let in
upon them they saw they were dwelling in the
midst OF serpents and other vile reptiles.
About seven years ago. man told us story
IN regard to himself, quite silnilar TO to the one
just referred to. He did, we are sorry. to say.
lro1ess to believe the doctrine ofthe New Church.
de did not love his wife, and his wife, he was
certain, bad no love for him They had been
married only few years; they had one little
girl, at that time two years of age He found
another woman whom he loved better than his
wife, for whom he retained no affection. But
ms love for that other woman, and her love for
him, was SO pure and innocent, SO orderly and
discreet that nothing could be more SO. Hewas
certain no evil would ever result from so pure
an attachment. His wife was Jealous, it was
true, but there was no cause for her jealousy
HIS affections must be permitted to go out in
freedom; he could not otrestrain them. We urg.
ed, entreated and demonstrated, warned him Of
the impending evil, but our words were of no
avail. The object of his disorderly attachment
was residing in his family, in the same house
With his wife, to whom her presence was very
unpleasant, but he would not consent to any4
other arrangement.
Three years brought separation and divorce.
We have lost sight of the unhappy man for