Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-11-09
History Of Marriage.

In a Woman's Rights meeting in New
York Friday last. Mrs. Elizabeth G.
Stanton entertained the company with an
address on the marriage relation, an ex
tract from which we make from the re.
port of Inc newspapers. She said:
The question to day with the Protes-
tant world was not whether marriage
was an indissoluble tie, holy sacrament
but AS civic contract for how many
and VIVA. reasons it might be dissolved.
In the beginning sacred and profane bis
tory alike showed that this relation bad
not even the dignity of a contract; the
whole matter rested in the hands of the
individual, man, who took and put away
his wife Mt his pleasure. This state of
things remained for centuries, alike IN
der the Mosaic and Christian dispense
tons, until by Papal act of eucroach-
ment the power and arbitrament of di-
vorce was wrested from the master OF
the family, aud marriage became sac
rament of the Church.
The Popes of Rome, said John Milton,
perceiving the great revenue and high
authority 1t would give them even over
princes to have the judging and divid
ing of such main consequence in the
life of man wrought so upon the su-
perstitious Of those ages to diyest them
of that right which God, from the be
ginning, hal entrusted to the husband.
by which means they subjected that an !.
cent and naturally domestic prerogat'Ye
to an external aud unbetitting judicat'rs.
The State had for certain civil reasons,
the regulation of inberitances. the own
ership OF children. This began in time
to regulate marriage, divorce by legisla-
lion, which, though differing in many
countries, were always carried out with
regard to the selfish interests of man,
polygamy being the universal rule.
We had no record of marriage, rs q
system, until it WAS established in pagan
Rome, TOO years before Christ, after
which date and for some centuries it was
more strictly observed than it had since
been. AT that early period civil law
did not attempt TO regulate marriage, as
this was done by family consent, and
this might account for the equivocal as
sertious so often heard that there were
no divorces in Rome the first five centu.
ries of her national history. As divorce
was unknown to their civil law, of course
there was no divorce. There for the
first time the nuptal ceremonies were
solemnze6 by the infusion OF the reli
ginus element and in presence OF the
priests. Ii was not considered duty to
employ priest at marriage until about
one hundred and seventy years after
Christ. The next step in religious mar.
rage was The performance OF the cere-
mony at tie church door. This custom
was continued in England up TO the time
of Edward VI. Edward 1. was mar
ried at the door of Canterbury Cathe
dial to the sister of the King of France.
Chnucer, in bis Wife of Bath said
there was a worthy woman who married
five husbands at the church door Mar
rage was first celebrated inside churches
in the thirteenth century by the decree
Of Pope Emanuel ILL.,, aud thus Gus
tom originating in paganism became a
sacrament of the Church, designed spe
ciaIly, DO doubt. TO impress woman with
the sanctity of marriage SO far as she was
concerned. and to secure on her part Ii
deity to the marriage.