Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-11-29

whole, best for community and the ate,
without legislation, than they can in respect
to stealing, or ander, or murder. We have
laws for the enforcement of contracts, by
which the courts compel the parties to per-
form their contracts or pay damages .Or the
non-performance and two of the parties
cannot mutually release each other, when
the interests ofthird parties are thus put IN
peril. Society, the State, is always the
third party in every marriage contract, as it
is IN all contracts touching public morals
and the care of children, and has the right
q put it's own conditions into these contracts.
1t properly makes the parents liable for the
support OF the children until certain age !;
il taxes the com nunity to educate the child
rem it releases minors from legal liability :
and it does all this because the interests of
the State require that it should be done.
The State does mt say that men and women
shall marry, but it does declare that when
they marry, they assume certain obligations
TO tie State which they can only be released
from by a legal divorce. Perhaps it has
never occurred to Mrs Woodruff that she
needs 10 legislation to aid her 10 her free
love movement. She was mt obliged by any
law Of New York to become Mrs. Woodruff.
She might have remained Victoria Clafln to
the end Of the chapter, and have had as
many lovers as she could have entertained,
and the law would probably not have inter
ferel with her, unless she had perchance
captivated some other woman's lawful hus-
band and have helped him to violate his
marriage contract. Some ranchmen in Cal
ifJrnia are now opposing legislation respect
ing division fences, because they are in favor
or free pasturage for their cattle; and Mrs.
Woodruff, very much in the spirit Of these
ranchmen, seems t. look upon the laws OF
marriage as a restraint upou her unlimited
range Of love. The State has, however, IN
dJubtcdy a right to sly something about
the Obligations of the marriage contract as
well as about partition fences and those
who don't want to be bound by legal re
straints should n I enter into the legal rela-
ton.
1t is true enough, and most sadly true we
regret 70 say, that marriage Is not Away:
blcst by an uudylag love in husband and
wife; indeed, it perhaps quite too often
/ happens that marriage IS not even preceded
1 by anything more nearly resembling love
than mere temporary fancy or preference
Sometimes this relation is entered into by
/ parties for convenience merely. The man il
t
wants home it Is a mere matter Of bust
mes like buying yoke of oxen, or looking
after a situation. Sometimes it is even
worse than this, where persons who dislike
each other, or have other preferences, are,
/ bv parental authority, OF in other ways
,mpelIed to take vows that they have
10 heart to keep But the remedy for all
this is uo- By making marriage vows, and
the marriage contract. Of .ess consequence
Ir does not have a tendency t. keep persons
rom entering upon bad courses t. m k
-Feir escape from them easier. Men
9ouid Mt get drunk any the less over nj ght
f a prescription we're discovered that would
prevent the next mornings headache am
men and women would not enter any less in
considerably upon maria &c Certainly mel
would tiff they could at any time, a.
Mr.. W0odhull would have them, repudiate
al its Obligations. The general cure for ILL
escorted marriages is not in easy divorce, OF
in divorce at will; but it Will be found, il
ound at all, in some such teaching as that o
Mr. Beecher. Divorce to the extent author
z5i ~ our laws relieves some cases Of pecu-
liar hardship, bur It does not change the
nature Of the relation or welken the mar
riage obligation 50 long as the marriage re-
mains But the cure for unloying marriages
is rather a preventive than a remedy 1
is ante-nuptial rather than pJst-nuptiaL 1t
VIII be found in the better education 2
daughters as well as sons IN the bettcl
preparation of both for marriage and for lie
The man and woman should be put upon 9
full equality before the contract as well a.
after. Women should not marry for a sup
port OF for home, or for a sphere, any
more t1an men they should have an equa
chance with men to live without marriage
1 In short. marriage should not be the sea
| 10 which all the currents of a woman be
/ ing are made to run By almost every infu
\ ence Of her LIE ana education, any NOR,
than IL is the sea that is to swallow up {
mans energy and intellectual and active life
/ When women have an equal chance witt
men 20 live without marriage, even Mrs
Woodruff will have fewer grievances to com
( plain Of, for marriage Will then be much lesi
frequently than now an unequal yokIng to
gether Of hearts and souls that cannot loy
/ ingly and truthfully work together througt
/ life.