Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-04-25
tfle actors in ii. nor is it SO frowned upon as

the actors in it, nor is it so frowned upon as
ITO render nthem obnoxiolss Someiof the
bgolder OF them and better of the people see
the evil andlament oVerit, t'but desc young
people be spile by close freedom These
are not exceptional plantations. 1t was
t-Tnot So with them when i first came
i here.g This fearful condition was brought
about by Union officers and soldiers. IN
people were so, while under ny supervision,
because l was careful to keep them away
1 from, Beaufort and from camps Those
people who have been habitually away,
from Beaufort are free from that sad blight,
+ at least. measureably- SO. But the horrible
condition in which their marital relations
are thrown by the system of slavery and
the breaking up caused by the war, en-.
hanees the difficulty of reform greatly.
i Husbands and wives are constantly return
ing to their former companions to, find
them in new relations of long standing,
and with new sets of, children. Mauy'
church leaders. who are not tiministers, are
in the habit of marrying or of giving per-
? mission TO live without marrying, until
minister shall come around. Such things
! ,together with the result of the system of
slavery have fearfully lowered the dignity;
aud 'soiennity of the marriage relation.
I Divorces are granted by. permission of
= church authorities composed entirely of
blacks, so that it IS impossible for them to
/ be settled on any such permanent founda-
tior as cases of such Homentous importancel
call tor, Under the Freedmen's Bureau
? there is no practical system of divorces
Sadopted4-not here, at least. Persons who
are mere eXhorters marry with ilnpunity.
Persons legally married separate at will; 7
} and again marry other parties, in all the
forms Hof law, sometimes, so loosely are
such things allowed to be conducted here
Persons, by the'score live together" :.'siqst
so.' without any form of marriage, Now
am not talking by way of prejudice, and
I am prepared to vorich for the truth Of
every one of the above statements.
But can such a state of things be-
= remedied? Most certainly it can, as my
personal perience proves. They are Just
: as responsive to correct moral teaching on
; this subject as any other people. My own
personal protest and teaching has always
: broken it up on nay own place and, on
7 places under my direct influence, A man
brought a woman on the place as his wife.
: When asked it he was married, he said no.
: Then, l replied, do you Immediately go and
be married, or do you leave my place; at
once, for / will allow no man and woman
to. live together with me like the hogs
Another young man, narrieS, through an
ordained minister, young woman ON my
place, and makes contract with me. Soon
another woman, also married to this young
man by an ordained minister, claims him
as her husband. at once bring the case
before the Bureau authorities. They refer
the case to the church to settle. Now, to
which church? His first marriage was by
a Baptist miLister to Baptist woman. His
second marriage by Methodist minister to
Methodist woman But the Baptist
yGhaEch takes the matter in hand and de-
clare heihad no just cause for leaving. his
Baptist wife, and that he must live with
! her. He declares he:will not tell him
scannot decide his duty in the premises, but
he must live with one wife or the other ex-
clusively, or with neither He lives with
neither, on. my place at least. 1 have a
young woman as a laborer whose husband
has been absent in the army ever since
Sherman went through Georgia. She was
befooled by a promise of marriage and be-
came another. pay her for all work and
dismiss her from my employ; and this is
the first case of those under my care since
/ have been on a plantation. .4e eer-.lg i