The New York herald., 1870-01-02
MARRIAGE AND MORALITY.

Neglect Of the Kite In Europe and the Social
COnsrQuences-The Case In u Religious
Point Of View.
London weekly journal OF December Is treats
the above subjects In the following words:-
generation or two ago. when English pride was
&C its highest II was the fashion to dwell with much
satisfaction ON the superior morality OF Protestant
countries. anu England In particular, compared VITA
Fashions however, change; Romanlsm attained
something Of premium In distinguished British
cnlc,cs, s, ~ ir0tSsans h,S lang 70 discount And
favor oI their creed began 10 receive crede ence II
slipped somehow into KIND OF maxim, that
thoroughly komanist populations are more moral
IN the common ecclesiastical sense or the word
which regards especially the relations between
the sexes, than communities OF the reformed
faith. This was u KIND 0f concess ssion
gracefully made by persons OF liberal religious opin-
IONS to Jealous Konlanis's. .,fou are, no doubt
superstitlous aud ignorant people; but II must be
confessed that you nave an advantage over us IN
point OF what Is specially called morality rne mass
0i yOur believers are sounder In this respect both in
principles and conduct; great is the virtue Of ,he
confessional 10 keep ordinary people In the straight
road" And the pretenslon thus politely conceded
has been employed with abundance OF seif-laudaton
by the Jealous persons, chiefly converts who Devote
themselves to magnilying the glores OF their per-
suaslon In public writing and speaking But there
lies an appeal DeyOnd all this loose talk an unn-
FASHIONED trbunal-that OF statistical analysis. And
this proves assuming the figures 70 be correc tnat
tries, ir tested by the number Of ilegtimate births
and no other test can we'll be devsed), has no rela
the figures as given by NJ. Maurice Block IN MS very
valuable work, "L'Europe Potique ct Sociale."
oil Elropssa enss ~ wncn nSys ~ iar
born Ii Bavaria, country OF which two-thlrds
o. tne people are ., Catholic ana ,.,oss excsss,yeiy
more Of . real institution than almost
anywhere else. In Bavaria the illegitimate births
amount TO 2o7 or nearly y per cent OF M aas whole.
cuslvely, the second chieny Protestant. In these
ille2itnate births amount 10 Is and H. per cent re-
they are v3 and 0.2; in Austria (very CathOlic SO.
Next To these comes Q list Of countries comprising
ia fact the greater part Of Europe In which Inc ,e
much below per cent, ana nowhere attaining D..
These are-taken IN order or immortality, beginning
Prussia, England. or ireland there are, we believe,
no trustworthy returns, but common opinion makes
II rank very favorable In this respect Below the
countries thus enumerated ana therefore the least
cxc6prlOnable OF all, come Catholic Spain with ~
per cent aud last, Protestant Holland with only
virtue"
These diversities are very lar from admitting OF
easy, or. indeed, any explanation from such mate
rlas for knowledge as we possess. Something Is due
TO legal institutions. For instance the three German
countries winch rank worst on the list all possess
peculiarly restrictive codes OF marriage laws, winch
restrict honorable matrlmOny and render irregular
but durable c0nnections-'wild marriages +" rs the
Germans oddly but expressyeIy call Lhem-more
common than they otherwise would be. And the
same obstructive legislation prevails more or less IN
other continental countries. But this mas no rela
ton to religious questions. And the simple cOnolu-
sion which we wish TO draw H. we conceive, unde-
niable that 1t cannot be proved, rendered proDa-
Die, tnat the religion prevailing IN any European
country, taken apart from other Causes influences
at oil the number OF illegImate births. Religious par
tlsans should therefore be very cautious before they
enueayOr 10 make capital for their faith o
the weaknesses and sins which they can charge To
the account Of heretical populations They Law them
selves open to crushing retOrts Better acqueSce In
Gibbons impartial conclusion that reilglon-in the
partisan OF the worlds ,''a po weriul to i
pei, poweriess TO sten the stream or national man
ners."
Emanuel G. Regart OF Lancaster. Pa, who died
last week. aged seventy-four years. first nominated
Ihuddeua Stevens for Congress