New-York tribune., 1871-10-10
MIR. TILTON ON DIVORCE.

We print herewith "Mr. TiltOn's views Oh
Marriage and Divorce" as set forth oy him-
self. We have repeatedly printed the same
views Essentially as set forth at full length
by several eminent writers on his side, 80 that
we are very glad to find Mr.. Tilton's statement
a short one.
Mr.. TiltOn's right to think as he does, we
do not dispute our right to regard his doctrine
as eminently pernicious and detestable, he
seems unwilling to cOncede. We feel that
just such reasoning as his, instilled by libcr-
tines into the ears of their foredOomed victims,
has filled and is now filing the earth with
SIM misery, and moral ruin. Indeed, tho
ibertine who beguiles an innocent girl into
compliance with his wishes, and deserts her
when his passions are sated and she about TO
become mother, stands fully Justified by Mr.
TiltOn's premises and deductions. For the
seducer would say, "I have ceased to love,
" to honor, to cherish: therefore, my covenant
"'is ipso facto ended,' aud am free to 90
"where will" If his doctrine is not Iilton's,
we are unable to discern the difference.
Mr.. TiItOn says the marriage covenant us
"ipso tacfo ended whenever, instead of loving,
"they hate, and, instead of hOnOring, they de-
"spise" &c.
If Mr.. TiltOn has any form of marriage cove
nant in use among Christians which justihes
his assertion we challenge him to produce it.
We never saw or read such; VIC are sure no
such exists. On the contrary, all the marriage
covenants within our knowledge bind the par
ties not to hate, despise. or loathe each other
If they do so, they break their vow; but this
by no means releases them from its Obllga-
ton.
We insist that the men and women who believe
in the Tiltonian marriage covenant shall act
accordingly. Let them stand up before the
world and say, "We take each other for hus-
band and wife for 80 long as we shall con-
tnue to love each other supremely; but
"whenevcr this shall no longer be the case,
&" then we proclaim and will hold ourselves
"at liberty to separate and take to our
"sclves new partners" :" then we shall know
exactly how to treat them. They will be pre-
cisely in the position of every libertine who
has mistress, and will be regarded
and treated accordingly. Their assuming
before the world an obligation TO
cling to each other till death do part" and
then insisting on regulating their lives by
one totally different, we unutterably abhor
In fact, no person who holds with Mr.. Titon
has any right to marry at all. He has no
right to the honors of marriage while he re-
pudiates its essential obligation. The union
that Mr.. TiltOn believes in is not marriage at
all, but something radically diverse from that.
1t is the marriage "a la .iacque" of Partisan
workmen and grisettes, which is expected to
last a year, but often disappoints that expecta-
t;on Thoea bo hold If suDpriOr tn Christian
marriage should prove their faith by giving it
a distinctive name. Words are things, and
Marriage is not what any one may choose to
have it, but is defined by the dictionaries If
the Free-Lovers are not ashamed of their
creed, let them prove it by giving distin-
gushing name to their substitute for Marriage.