New-York tribune., 1871-10-10
MR.. TTLTONS VIEWS OF MARRIAGE IND
DIVORCE.
HE REPLIES, AS A woMAN's ADVOCATE, TO "A
WoMAN's ADVOCATE"

woMAN's ADVOCATE"
70 1he Edtlor Of the Chteago Journal.
SIR; have read letter addressed to me
| in your issue Of Sept 20, copied into The NBw-YoRK
TRIBUNE and reply to IL mainly TO see whether that
journal will copy the reply. recently carried on Tin my
own paper) controversy with Horace Greeley on Wo-
man surage and The TRIBUNE reprinted his attack on
, my views, but did not give single word OF mine
throughout the controversy. This is not my method In
The Golden Age and hope it s not yours In The Chcdgs
| Journal
| Now do you wish to know my views Of Marriage and
Divorcet will tell you all there Is In my heart on the
| subject. Accept then, an epitome Of my creed
believe in the love of man and one woman-these
twain these only and these to the uttermost 30 long
as this pair faithfully love each other neither OF the two
free seek elsewhere another mate. To do 80 would
dn my view be treachery to human nature-a crime
against the soul.
believe that this pure love between two congenial
breasts each finding hesrtsease In the other Ia the
only moral land therefore the only possble justification
Of any union whether Of marriage or otherwise) by
which these twain become one flesh.
believe that marriage covenants contract whose
essential to love- to honor and to cherish-
remains in force according to its own specncations)
Just long the two parties continue to love- to honor
and to chersh and pso Jaeo ended when instead OF
loving they hate and instead Of honorng thcy despbe
| and instead of cherishing they loathe.
believe that the civil law, in compelling either or
both of the parties to such broken contract TO abide
together as husband and wife, cOmpulson fo- which
find no sanction the Christian religion, and which
the greatest desposm In the existng legislation OF
| states or nations.
Now holding such views, declare that the present
attitude Church aud State toward divorce Is unha
lowed and criminal and ought to be forthwith reformed
by statesmen and divinea Thus the Roman Catholic
Church says There shall be divorce for any cause,
not even adultery To which the Protestant Church.
speaking the poygot uterance OF most OF its sects
| plea Yes, for adultery, but for
this alone" Not satisfied with this answer the Presby
eran Church says There shall be divorce not only for
adultery but also for desertion" Other churches
add or subtract causes, until there Ia a. much
diversity Of doctrine concerning divorce as con-
cernng the Divinity Of Christ the Lords Supper
the Canon Law Turning fG% tns ShuTSn Tn. t9 spe
%g 70 sA e Hs
aSie .nd says Our law Of dyorse for adae ~ and
this only" But Connecticut laughs at this affected
for dsy s good
Maine replies grant divorce not only for all these
every state makes different edct on this solemn
. subject.
the Church and the State each against ITSELF and some
cannot answer for those conservatives who may de-
light in this ancient chaos Of inhatmon but as for my
s11a s%Ga and sSS that both 9th and
the people an amended code Of divorce
H @ %sss saa ,1S 1say
perform, would have them sweep away the different
the hs Tasa 'sS
they swept swsy the diverse and
currency the people In doing this prefer to take
the basis Of unifo nifty the most liberal of NewEn-
gland leslaton instead Of the most restricted or New.
Then. beyond this looking from the standpoint Of q
emnlv saw and say it with ell heart and SOUL that
best civil law concerning divorce would be no ao at
tice OF all intelligent and refined communities.
To illustrate my idea, remind you that in every other
country than ours there civil Laws concerning re-
liGonthe Church tampering with the State. But IN
America religion kept sacredy free from the legislators
any union Of Church and State. Accordingly religious
the time not half century distant when social free
dom will be modelled after the beautiful precedent
actments then growing out Of marriage and divorce will
relate 70 the Gwners T o property and the
: hasten the contamination of this reform.
anybody ssks me how have come to entertain these
SsS shstD OF religion t1dS and viii that fret i'm
DVorce eapSsed me- S and
nsd them confirmed by the able reasonngs Of
II you win permit space to add few other words
VIII say 5aat entertain many more heresies than your
msnt against myself and await Whatever sentence may
follow. hold, then that enlightened statesmanship
Of nsury-the abolition Of all laws for the collection OF
debtsthe abolition OF al laws restricting the freedom
Henry said III this b trss.Sn %aae S
ll
Your correspondent imagines me as saying. "r win
permit the law Of the land to hold me to nv own
free promise aud sacred contract" Well have never
made But should despise myself owed this hds{S
to restriction imposed upon by the law of the
landor by any other than the law Of God written in fSs
soul husband or wife whose marriage vsw IA iept
l. only by compusion from the civil law necessarily pros
tute their marriage into the misery OF mseres and the
q crime of crimes. Nor can conceive how man and
other people ike the Lesssture at Albany or spiins
field to hold them together after their hearts had
put them asuDder.
But never take up my pen pen or & open my nps on the
pal parties to the discussion absent, namely woman
with ballot In her hand. want woanans enfraAchise-
ment and that speedily, O. necessary step toward the
+ woman allowed equal voice with In nakins
the laws, including the law Of divorce, thsn afts
hearing my for no civil law at ell suhect
which properly beyond all other law except nsserei
!. ten times stringent they are, shall hold myself
:, ready TO pay more than common respect ~ man, II
II such verdict from woman's mind and heart.
Your correspondents1etter excited my smies-Almos
aughterbecause In taking me to task for argunl
= the for the man only as the woman were Of NJ
account In the mster and also for dsregarding thu
sacred claims Of religion" 90 happened that the mar
citations by which he proves these points taken
FROM words written by man and heretc-but from
sone contributions IN my paper from the pen Of die
tfr ;uished member 0 an evangelical church-a vomaI
and Christian Your correspondent then beara an IN
conscious testimony to the truth OF those citations
saying There Is manliness In them" This IL
liness instead The articles written from the full
g ness OF good womans heart baptized into the Chris
uan spirit aud uttering tsef for tho good of her
al In conclusion having been much abused bat not
ynced by your correspondent trust that both
THE TRIBUNE viii print these remarks OF mine In Orde
1t o. show 70 impartial readers that the peer ny
not IN s0lidty Of reasoning ct least In cvtJ
" Of speech. Fraternaly yours
e TnEoDonE fILroN Editor of The Golden