Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-01-11
MRS. wooDHULLs PROPOSED RULES OF
MARRIAGE.

In Boston, on Wednesday evening of last week,
Mrs. Victoria Woodruff delivered lecture, e1-
pounding her theories upon The Social Rela-
tons" 1t may seem, perhaps, like doing her
too much honor to attempt an explanation and
consideration of the views she maintains yet it
is possible, on the other hand, that we have
hitherto fallen short Of doing her Justice. Ger
tain it is that Mrs. Woodruff has gained tho re-
spectful attention of persons whose character is
not to be easily or justly impeached and while
the extraordinary enthusiasm of Theodore Tilton
in her behalf seems almost to exceed the limits
Of a calm mind, there are others whose appreci-
alton Of her, though less violent is almost as
decidedly expressed.
Mrs. WoodhulTs leading idea, then, 1--WE quote
here the Boston Commemorative review Of her
lecture, is that the instinct of Love, implanted
In the human breast, is unerring, and should be
trusted implicitly for the relations Of the sexes
In other words love makes marriage; without
it, there is none in fact, and should be none in
law. Hence, all legal requirements compelling
the maintenance OF the marriage relation, with
out regard to the presence or continuance Of
love; and all laws, customs, OR notions, forbid
ding the establishment Of that relation, when
ever and wherever love exists between two per-
sons, are unnatural, restrictive Of personal lib
srty, and wrong.
Like the Mormon theologians, Mrs. Woodhnll
had numerous barbed arrows to shoot at the fol-
lies and vices Of society under its present form,
and, as a bold critic, rather intimate with the
facts, readily may do, she touched the quick :
pretty frequently, and laid bare more than one
nsrye tainted with disease. But apart from this
criticism of what is confessedly imperfect and
corrupt in our social organization, she proposed
nothing and insisted upon nothing to more wor-
thily and perfectly fill its place, than the theory
we have stated The following of the Love in
stinct, she is sure will result in the highest hap
piness Of the human family, and the formation
Of pure and chaste society.
Let us here be just to Mrs. Woodruff. to The
odore Titon, to any others who believe this doc
trine (and there are some good people who at
least incline to it, If the instincts, the feeling,
the principle, manifested by men and women
which Mrs. Woodruff calls Lore, were pure
and perfect emotion, free from all degenerate
ness, it is possible that it could best, and could
with perfect safety, form and entirely govern the
marriage relation. But such Love il heavenly
not earthly angelic, not gross; pure, not de-
fled divine, not human Mrs Woodruff can no
sooner use the love flames of New York in its
stead, than she can employ ordinary mortality
for the performance of immortal services.
In fact, human love, considered in the aggre-
gate,is most insufficient for the sole government
of sexual relation. Love is passion it is often
unreasonable; it is often gross; it is often
harmful. One may love another who does not
love in return. Many natures are scarcely capa-
bic Of real love at all many so fclle that the
love they form is but transitory feeling re-
garding no one object long.
\ little consideration indeed, will lead most
persons to deny totally net only that the human
instinct called Love ought to be taken as the
sole rule Of marriage, beginning and breaking of
that relation at its own will, but to even deny
that it is more important in such service, than
other motives and influences. Reason. Crcum-
stances, Respect have as much to do with the
formation Of proper marriages, as Love, and
they have far more to do with happily mantlin-
ing them.
OF course it is seen that Mrs, Woodhulls plan,
il adopted, would totally and violently subvert
our present structure OF Society That would be
startling, certainly, but it would not be wrong,
il she replaced it with something better. But
what she proposes, if purely proposed,is Utopian
and wild, in this age of the World; if conuptly
originated, it is gross and polluted.