Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-10-30
Independent in all things
ASHTABULA, OHIO, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1869.

est care, three years Of the Ave by a noted sta.
tistician DR.. ShurtleiT, there were recorded in
Massachusetts, 1870 still births, and 1890 pre-.
mature births and aborti0ns the ratio being
abortion to 9 still birth in other words. the
frequency Of abortions 90 compared with still
births seems at least eight tines as great in
Massachusetts, as In the worst statistics Of 1Sew
York, and nearly sixteen times greater than
the worst statistics Of Paris.
We must not infer from these fact. tnat Mas.
sachusetts Is so much worse than the rest Of
the world. The difference is probsti7 owing
largely If not entirely to the fact that her s;a.
tistics arc fuller than is 10 be found elsewhere
In these statistics we have cyidence Of an
amount of human life destroyed that is truly
appalling. Intemperanco with annual death
rates of more than 10000, and our civil war
with a list still larger, did not equal tic nun
bcr Of helpless innocents destroyed eyery year
MORAL CHARACTER OF THE EVIL.
There is reason to believe tha. large part
Of this destruction Of life is pernetratea under
the impression that Il is perfectly proper
The impression i: extensively prevalent that
there is no life until the period called "tnc
quickening" Under this impression = very
large proportion Of all this mischief IS accom-.
plished during the first three or four months
Of pregnancy. The whole DEVELOPMENT from
the first is a vital process. 1t is the develop.
ment OF life that is in tic germ. The grain
of wheat is not yitaized Jy the moisture aad
warmth Of the earth These are only the ne.
cessary conditions for the development Ct the
life that is in the grain So tAc human germ
finds the necessary conditions Of rs deycio5-
mont in the matrX. In no stage Of lis grswth
is its life that of the mother. Hence Il is rot
true, rs some affirm that she has the same right
to destroy it, in its early stages. us she has to
cauterizc tumor on her body. from the
FIRST, it has a distinct Life Of its or.3. and
the rela ton Of the father and mother 10 i,
give them no right to destroy It. II l..e is q
human life, and wllruliy aud unnecessarily 10
destroy it is murder, Physicians Unanimously
call it murder. Our civil laws and courts call
it Murder And every human being ought to
regard il as murder
But it is said by some thcoiogians tilt Ill
man life, in itself considered, IS No more sa-
cred than any other form oi animal lile: tMt
it derives all its sacGeGncss from connection
with the soul. They also say that tAe soni IS
an independent creation having no parcut..c
but God and tla; il is un. cd with the Joir at
birth, with the first h-.a.l Of lie. Hence
they say it is no sin 10 destroy the body wEile
it is only possessed oil ANIMAL life. According
to this doctrine the crime Of murder consists
of turning the soul ont o. is body without
permission TO do L. Il is wrong TO the soul,
and also an Ofense against Hin, vino constitu-
ted the union between the soul and body. But,
if, by process which lie has established, Cod
is preparing body 10, soul, IS itnat as great
a wrong against that soul 70 destroy the Uolr
preparing for it, az it IS ,J destroy lts lcuy al
ter IL las occupied it awhile And surely It IS
no less AL odcnsc agains, God. One is scpa.G-
ting union, which God has established, and
the other Is preventing ualou which Goo IS
about TO establish.
But it is contrary to all analogy and con-
mon sense to say that TIE pagantaGe oi soul
and body are not the same. Il is admitted
that other creatures propagate tAcir whole ia
ture. Then why not man? Bot it is said that
this would lead inevitably to ma,criaii5m.-
This, however, is an objection which has not
been carefully considered. There is more than
matter in the animal. L,jt is not material
Nor is it the result Of material organization I;
but it is the organizing power, taking Itself 70
a body according to its own nature II then
the animal can propagate the material and the
immateriai in lis nature, where Is tlc necessity
that the whole product OF human generation
should be material? There is 10 such ne,cs-
sity.
This practice, like murdcr tends 10 destroy
the sense of the sacrcdncss Of human life
Murder demands severe and prompt penalty,
not only because Of the Nervousness Of tie
crime but also solemnly 10 assert what the
crime denies, the sacredness OF human lie
Without this, every murder would cause an
increased insecurity to hum | lie. Thus i: is
with this crime. 1t is gToy ing evil, doubling,
as we have seen, every sew years. The pull
lie conscience has become 50 thoroughly de-
moralized that but few are SO conscientious
that they dare not commit IT, Such state Of
things cannot continue without producing
other moral evils.
This sin has some aggravations about it that
make it worse than an ordinary case Of MR.
der 1t defeats the high and holy purpose Of
marriage, it brings it down to the low level Of
lcgalized sensuality. Sexual indulgence for its
own sake is thus the object sought in that reia-
ton. Gods purpose in regard to marriage IS
disregarded, and the very thing He intended
to prevent is practiccd under its holy sanction.
This sin often destroys the lie OF the mother
as well as the child Her risks are greatly IN
creased by taking this course. If she succeeds,
her sorrows are multiplied and increased, while
she has cut herself of from the precious re-
wards Of the faithful mother. General dcbiii-
ty is produced by this course and sexual dis
eases greatly multiplied by it.
1t also tends to promote general licenious-
ness, by showing the unmarried how they may
avoid the consequences of indulgence.
This then is highly aggravated crime, de-
manding the heaviest penalties of ciYn Law.
The manner in which God regards tits indica'
ted by the passage, "No murderer hath eternal
life abiding in hinl"