The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-10-26
EFFECT or cyL MARRIAGES On puslle MORALITY


In reply TO sateent Of the Dean Of Carlisle that In
consequence % The faci,ygiven marriages without tho
aid OF the clergy by the English registration law there
has Of late years ghul increase in adultery and
other kindred offences the PH Mall Gasee has The iol
lowing very sensible remarks
1t is graultous assertion that adultery, the free In
tercourse between the sexes and separation between
married persons quent than they used To Dc
under the old marriage laws. There is not shadow OF
proof that such the fact Nett or the reports OF pro-
ceedings in the Divorce Court IN police courts or IN
civil and criminal trials nor the statistics Of egitimats
births give the fantest colorng TO the assumption In
fact, no one who has any real KNOWLEDGE q human ma
think OF atribut'ng The offences In question TO any
such cause as the absHnce OF . religious marriage
ceremony Here and there It may Do possible 70
light upon instances in which married people
may quarrel or be unfaithfu the prctence that
they were never really married at ALL because they
were not married in church chapel But IL Is
obvious that II they used such pretence IN earn st
they treated the original secular ceremony as worthless
from the first Their subsequent parting unaiihfnl
has no more to do with the secular character OF
their sham agreement 10 marry than the subsequent pro
ceedDgs of "ladies who 60 to live under the 'protec
tom OF gentlemen have TO do with the secular MARRIAGE
laws In reality the influence Of this law tends directly
further marriages in the place Of those irregular con-
neclins which exist 10 so large an extent among she
English poor Among tho middle and higher Gases
marriages without tne addition Of regious ceremony
gro extremely rare that for purposes OF argument
they may be taken as non-exsent 1t Is, therefore,
only among. the laborne ranks-cspecialy those
or towns--thnt the operation OF the secuiar
theory The matrimonial bond must BIO sought for And
among Them no 90 who knows them can doubt that 10
Il Of The highest porianc, TO make the performance OF
legally binding ceremony easy possible. The vast
majority Of the poor have no practical connection with
places almost them royal palaces Bel
rrayan drawing Their agreements TO live tnge
Their as man wife, either for life while the
may be convenient to both parties merely
poron of that half barbarian and wholly nonChrStian
existence which II their normal state Anything that
makes marriage cheap INFORMAL and requiring ns littc
contact a. possible with 'gentiity' in any shape, Is
clear irducemcnt them TO substitute legal contract
for tina. Illicit partnership which, things are, Is
the highest ideal Of formidable portion Of tho lower
stra OF English life.
Under one epeciai combination OF circumstances the
valuable effects of easily arranged marriages strik
ing that Dean Close might have been expected to
recognize fhcm There is notorious thing in the
history OF The English poor than tho fact that an immense
number Of Young women In the wav To become
mothers before marriage is dcnntvcy agreed on,
contemplated In such who donb. that II there
is one thing which viii deter girl from actual mar
riaec. il is the necessity for the publicity which
and that moreover. the man TO whom she has
surrendered herself is repeatedly deferred from doing
his duty TO her by a sense of annoyance under the
public eve For these innnmcrabe tile quiet and
the comparative secrecy OF the ceremony before the reg
israr offers way out OF the difficulty which 1t Is inn
and women thus connected with another and call
upon them to bear the shame Of public condemnation
public ridiculc fitting penanco or aonement for
their nisdeeds, IL ridiculous. H,w many caso OF child
murder would be prevented IL every unfortunate dornes
tic likely be tempted to the crime In her hour
OF peril could induce tho man who tho OF her
misery marry her once with the least possible pub
the race OF masters and mattresses and tho mental
RQOnips of a secret childbirth!