The New York herald., 1871-11-05

10 this age OF prohtRacy and lcentiousuess
1t Is proper from time to time to remind legis-
lators and communities Of their relations
toward God and the State and toward each
other. Some Of those relations are dcubly
sacred, because hallowed by the divine sane
tion ard blessing, and among the sweetest and
most important of these is the marriage rela-
tion, whose sacredness becomes now more
than ever apparent here, In view of the COM
plications and developments Of polygamy and
| free-lovism-twin relics of barbarism. We
may not always be able to mete out just
punishment to the parties who, in defiance OF
right, justice and law, moral and human,
break into individual families and by fraud
and cunning destroy the household gods and
disturb the domestic peace. They lead cap
tive silly women under the guise Of spiritual
afinities," aud then, practising iniquity in
| secret places, snap their fingers at the denun-
Citations of the law of God and the statutes of the
State or nation. But the men and the women
who openly defy both laws, and pretend to do 80
by divine revelation, these we may arrest and
punish. And there can be little doubt that
the operation of national laws In Utah will
speedily destroy that system Of barefaced
adultery which prevails there under the name
and garb Of polygamy. But what shall we do
with its twin sister here? How shall we
compass its ruin, seeing that it is bolstered up
BY so-called religious papers as we'll as BY
some Of the leading secular dsilies of this
city and country 1t may be difficult task,
but in the interest Of morality and religion we
| lift our voice now against free-lovlsm as well
as against polygamy, and demand the utter
uprooting OF the one as well as Of the other.
| Aud the former we consider the more dan
gerous of the two. Our dispatches from
Salt Lake City for the past week or two show
conclusively that polygamy is practically dead
| and gone. The ''Saints" themselves admit
that they have been cornered, and they see
no means Of escape except through Congress.
Hence their Delegate, Hooper, has gone to
Washington month ahead to 'Iobby" against
Justice Mexican and the Gentiles who are
prosecuting or prosecuting Gas some Of them
think) the Mormons. Brigham Young, the
chief polygamst, has taken ''the Southern
route" for his health's sake, and Deputy
Marshal has gone on the same track for the
laws sake, and ere long we expect to learn
that Brigham and the Marshal are returning
together. The original bravado has oozed
ont Of the fingers of the Saints, and instead Of
taking up arms to defend their vile system, or
setting fire to their property and burning it
up Wholesale, and departing elsewhere to per-
petuate their vice, they are, like good citizens
and sensible men, submitting with the best
grace they can command to the fiat Of the law.
Only let the law be enforced against free
lovers, and communists among us, too, and
all will be well.
The marriage relation, in its importance and
in the order Of time, stands next to that Of the
relation of the creature to the Creator. Its
character is both spiritual and natural, and
the former should always take precedence Of
the latter. But when, under the plea of
spiritual aninities," the qualification Of ''the
lust of the flesh" only is sought we may con-
clude that there is, after ALL no real spiritual
| affinity in the case. God is not the author Of
| confusion, but Of peace, and His anathema Is
declared against adultery and lust whether
II be in the thought or tho act. The
family relation which springs from the
marriage relation is too important in the
economy and government of the Great Father
to be ruthlessly torn asunder by any such spe-
cial pleadings as the. advocates Of polygamy
and free love have yet presented, or can pre-
sent to us. Through the family the revela-
ton of Gods good will to man has been made
known. Through it also the Saviour Of man
kind came into the world, and during His
earthly career He frequently acknowledged its
Importance and declared its divine origin.
And through it the salvation which He brought
TO the race has been extended to the remotest
bounds of the earth. Through the family the
civilization of Christianity has become the
power that it is to-day in the world, and we
may with safety assert that whenever-if
tianity must go down with it.
Through the family relation also, it is,
that heathensm in all its gross, revolving
and debasng forms is established and perpet
uated, aud our missionaries in India, China
and Africa to-day find their great opposition In
the family In the streets and market places
and highways they can secure ready listeners to
the truths Of the Gospel, but they cannot
enter the stronghold Of the family. Hence 1t
has been found absolutely necessary Of late
years to organize female missionary associa-
tions, in the hope that women might be able to
accomplish 10 the families Of the heather what
the men have failed in doing. In every
land and in every age of the world the
marriage and the family relations have stood
forth as peculiarly designed by God and as
meritng and receiving His gracious smile and
favor And we may hope that greater bless
iugs are in store in the future for both. But