The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-06-18
PRESERVATION Of Family TIES.


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The late shocking homicide at Alba
ny has awakened the question whether
family ties are not increasingly disre-
garded, and whether the whole subject
of our State laws on the subject OF mar
riage should not be revised. Rev. DR..
Leonard Bacon delivered a sermon re-
cently,I in which he alleged that the
laws OF the State of New York, by
not recognizing adultery as crime,
practically left an opening for murder
where a husband Justly or uDjustly
suspected wrong against the dearest
ties of life. The State law does not
punish that as crime which public opin-
ion, and indeed the whole history of
the human race, civilized and savage,
recognizes as the most fearful wicked
ness. At the time of our Revolutiona-
ry war, the French officers who came
over here, especially Lafayette, wrote
much home to France of the superior
virtue and purity of our family ties,
and NJ. De Tocqueville, thirty or forty
wears ago, said: "There is certainly no
country in the world where the tie OF
marriage Is SO much respected as IN
America, or where conjugal happiness
is more highly and worthily anpreci-
ated. In Europe, almost all the dis
turbances of society arise from the lr-
regularities OF domestic life." NJ. Co
mie, ne of the greatest OF modern phi
losophers, has at least this virtue, that
he makes the family the social unit
and all that affects its purity, as most
vital to national welfare and morality.
But French writer on Marriage in
the United States" thinks that there has
been and is a great and fearful degen-
eracy even in New England, and that
we might, with great advantage, learn
lessons in making laws on this supJect
even from the experience of France;
that our eagerness to encourage ana
facilitate marriage in name, has led us
to allow that solemn contract to be en- :,
tered into SO lightly, frivolously, and
with so little formality as to defeat its
own ends very fearfully: If "a man
makes will, he must sign 1t, and there
must be witnesses to the fact ana TO MS
identity; II he makes any other inn
portant instrument, his signature anu
identity are in some form demanded,
and the evidences are preserved for
recognition. But nothing Is more
common than for persons to go to a
perfectly strange minister or magts-
trate and get married, without any
Identification even that they are the
parties named, or any signature OF
LuBlE own IdlEly W PtoooA NO Sh0 AOSSAN
of, their assent.
We look at marriage Just now sim
ply az the law looks at it-as contract.
But there is no contract OF any tmpor-
tance in this country SO poorly protect,
ed with safeguards of the kind referred
to, nor is there a contract in regard to
which so little of the solemnity OF OBJ
legation is provided by law, yet their
absence is most vital to society. Mar
riage, while voluntary contract Is one
founded on the laws of nature, and
therefore on the laws of God. All ma
tions have recognized 1t. Its most i'm
portant bearing is not upon the 1mme-
diate and contracting parties, but an
equally important object is the proper
education of children-the entire future
welfare of society-so that the parents
may have future to live for in the in
struction of their children, the laying
up for their benefit of property, rank
and every earthly and conceivable
good-the parents having but life in
terest In the estate thus created, which
Is, in fact, the most immortal and di-
vine good that exists on earth. The fu-
ture welfare and grandeur OF all ma
tions, and the progress OF mankind IN
power, wisdom and virtue, depend on
this tie more than all beside. Men and
women labor for their children as moth
ing else on earth.
The instinct of all beings, whom right
ly Interpreted, corresponds with their
intention. AS It takes whole active
life rightly to educate and provide In
the best way for the children, until the
parents in turn need some to care for
Them, so there is no instinct SO strong
or dangerous to society as that which
endangers the affections of married
persons, being in any way estranged.
The most bloody quarrels arise from
jealousy. Nothing, therefore, shows
the shallowness of great deal OF our
law-making so much as the manner in
which one or more OF the Western
States are treating the subject OF d.
yorce, by which II seems impossible to
make contract of marriage for life in
an Eastern State which cannot be in
validated by either party going out to
one of them. AS wealth becomes more
abundant and concentrated, and society
more aristocratic, the temptations TO
violate this fundamental law, on which
all society Is built. becomes more fire.
quent. Directly, birth, education, or
property are more highly esteemed in
society than family ties and conjugal
fidelity. Mothers cease to bring up
their daughters in all purity, and So
ciety becomes rotten at the very core.
Marriage must, by our laws, be re-
cognized as a more solemn contract
one changing the relations of the two
contracting parties, not only to each
other, but to all the rest OF the world,
so that to lead astray, or be led astray,
by one thus pledged, shall be on all
sides legal crime.