Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-11-17
A SUBSTITUTE FOR MATRIMONY.
TIIton ON Divorce and Greeley on
b. ..--- TiltOn.

TiltOn ON Divorce ana Grocley on
.-.. TiltOn.
From the New York Tribune.l
We print herewith Mr.. Tilton's Views
of Marriage and Divorce as set forth
by himself. We have repeatedly printed
the same views Essentially as set forth
at fall length BY several eminent writers
on bis side, so that we are very glad to
find Mr. Tilton's statement short one.
Mr.. Tilton's right to think as he does
we do notdispute; our right to regard
his doctrine as eminently pernicious and
detestable he seems unwilling to con-
cede We feel that just such reasoning
as his, instilled by libertines into the
ears of their foredoomed victims, has
filled and is now filling the earth with
sin, misery and moral ruin. Indeed,
the libertine who beguiles an innocent
girl into compliance with his wishes, and
deserts her when his passions are sated
and she is about to become a mother,
stands fully justified by Mr.. Tilton' S
premises and deductions. For the Sc
Queer would say, II have ceased to love,
TO honor, to cherish; therefore, my COW
enant is ispo facto ended, and ! am
free to go where / will. If his doe
trine is not Tlton's, we are unable to
discern the difference.
Mr.. Tilton says the marriage covenant
''is ipso fdcto ended whenever, instead
Of honoring they despise," etc.
II Mr.. Tilton has any form of mar
riage covenant in use among Christians,
which justifes his assertion we chal-
lenge him to produce it. We never saw
or read such; we are sure no such exists.
On the contrary, all the marriage cove
nants within our knowledge binds the
parties 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 obligation.
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 so long as we
shall continue to love each other su-
premely; but whenever this shall no
longer be the case, then we proclaim and
will hold ourselves at liberty TO separate
and take to ourselves new partners"
then we shall know exactly how to treat
them. They will be precisely in
the position of every libertine who has
mistress, and will beregarded and treated
accordingly Their assuming before the
world an obligation to cling to each
other till death do part" and insisting
on regulating their lives by one totally
different, we unutterably abhor. In fact,
no person who holds with Mr.. Tilton has
any right to marry at all. He has no
right to the honors of marriage while he
repudiates 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 jacque Of
Partisan workmen and grisettes, which
is expected to last a year, but often dis
appoints that expectation. Those who
hold it superior TO Christian marriage
should prove their faith by giving it
distinctive name Words are things,
and marriage is not what any one may
choose to have it, butts defined by the
dictionaries. If the free-loyers are not
ashamed of their creed, let them prove
il by giving a distinguishing name to
their substitute for marriage.