The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-01-19

MY. fMIlAAs OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES fO0n&t06ee
tionAl Church was again crowded on Tues
day evening. to listen to the second iecture
Of the course, by Rev. Henry Mills. This
continued interest 10 very gratifying. Mr..
Mills subject was: ..The new Paradise and
tho logic that brings it; or, Marriage aud
Divorce as taught by Mrs. Stanton and her
oompeers." The lecture wss devoted to q
dissection of the doctrine announced by it's
advocates under tho namo Of "Woman's
Acknowledgement" and very particularly to
the school of belief led by Mrs. Stanton
and Theodore Tilton. Taking as authorita-
tive Mrs. Stanton's statement that the bal
lot Was but q single pointin an issue which
was intended to include wages, the ballot,
rights Of property, and GROWING all-the
"weightier matters Of the Law, marriage
and divorce, for woman, the lecturer bare
ly touched on suffrage as an incidental,
dsvoting himself; We might say wholly,
to the marital question. He took, almost
as text, Mrs. Stsnton's epigrammatic de-
mand that woman should have "Free-
dom freely to sunder yoke che had freely
bound" He also quoted from Theodore
Tilton's editorial in the Independent of De-
cember LIST, in which that writer had
claimed that anything short of perfect
unity Of soul in tho marriage relation, any
thought of separation, should be as valid
ground for divorce as actual adultery.
This, the lecturer said, was the new para
dise' which was to be refuge for women
from the petty annoyances, from the
griets, from the burdens they might meet
in married life. He referred to Mrs. STAN
toms laudation of George Sand I'm reply
to q criticism from Mrs. Stowe) as a s'brave,
pure woman," who, in leaving her hus.
band without authority of law and living
with another in violation Of law, had ''giv-
en- the advance thought for woman" He
quoted largely from Mrs. Stanton, Mr..
Tilton and others Of that school to show
that the new philosophy meant the right
to make and to dissolve marriages at will
that q woman should have plurality of
husbands only in due order Of succession.
The failure of the two Woman's Associa-
lions of the United States to unite, was be- !
cause Of this degrading tenet on the part |
Of the Mrs. Stanton wing, az was shown |
by the debates at the Cleveland Conven-
lion. The fearful condition into which q
practical adoption Of these teachings would |
throw society, and its blasting effects
upon woman, were forcibly presented.
christ's law, tho law of God, the lecturer
argued, decreed that marriage should be
Tor life that as it involved the creation OF
new relationships, the happiness or caprice
IT an individual or pair Of individuals
should not be the prime consideration, hut
he welfare Of the whole family. Tho pos
'ibility Of there being happy msrriages
aside from these which had their origin in
excessive transports Of love the true idea |
Of marriage, as involving patience, for
bearance, fidelity, mutual sharing OF
burdens as well as joys;-thess and kind
dred points were extensively discussed.
While We might disagree somewhat
with Mr.. Mills as to the manner in which |
p ortions of his lecture were presented, and !
also IN some Of his conclusions, the |
central idea, viz. : that lax laws Of !
marriage and divorce would be a |
curse to society in its every
form, is good one, and it's consideration
cannot be too strongly urged upon the
people. The chief fault of the lecture is
its length, which may, be attributed in part
10 the broad field to be covered, and in part
to cert ain redun iancy of style-a reiter-
alton of ideas. Mr.. Mills manner of de-
livery is nervous and earnest, thoug il be
showed at times that he had command Of
. fine underourrent of humor.
The third lecture will be on next Tues.
lay evening, by Rev. W. Satterlee. Sub
ect, Temperance, in some of its legal re-
ations."
The ~ - H. 1>A>