Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-11-06
Mistrllanu.
Marriage, Divorcs, and SePara-
on


I on.
The corner stone Of orderly society Is the
family. and the basis Of the family Is mar
rage. individuals of both sexes may herd
together without marriage and community
of the unmarried may exist, but such herd
ing and such " continuing" are the plague
breathing ce>spools Of the race No soul
helping, race-elevating influences EN- mate
from such ass citations. No family Is there.
And, If no family, no home. And what are
men without homes? Without affairs ar
without God dangerous " fit for treason,
stratagems and spoils." In the social or
home life Of any people IS its veal or Woe.
The problem of the family is the great
problem of the philanthrOpiSt The leg'Sla
tor considers no subject which transcends tie
matter of marriage in its Importance Taxes,
tariffs, corporations and tenures of office
however wisely ordered, cannot much benefit
people whose homes are with 1ut purity and
permsnence; neither can corrupt legislation
destroy people whose homes are sauctuari,s
of fidelity and reverence and love AID obeli-
ence. Whatever there atfe I, the family
uruAdHuS TIE law uldhcf > Gl.St~L HtIuliUA
No other statutes so make for or against the
public good as the statutes upon marrjng
Without A." righteo .sneSS = in these enact
ments no nation can be permanently
exalted
Marriage is not human device. God in
stituted it, and He determined it, sacrrdny~~
Were it otherwise, it would fall IN with the
y,,-. -. ,,,,{-4
or abolished in the discretion o men Is itl
not so. Marriage is of God, and o"ly liz
rhO hath aHtAority to o6 lirh hath rjJht 10
modify the Laos Of marrtage.
Ia other Legislation We must work Ia the
light of precedent and the accepted principles
Of ) at, but, in bringing within the purvirw
OF civil law those matters upon which there
Is divine legislation, the divine law must be
the rule of civil law Let the mai attempt
Of atheism to abolish the bible Sibbath in
France, by substituting holiday once in ten
days, for the Christian holiday once in sew
en- days, be a warning against any and ii
Legislation that interferes with what God ha~
ordained and regulated. The State may and
should legislate in accordance with the law
Of God but there is 4 constitution aba, e
~titutions, higher law, to which all en-
Actments Of men must bow. No . assembled
wisdom" on elrth can with slfety to the
commonwealth attempt to repeal amend
any Law Of God. So far as God has legisla-
ted the work is final.
And God has given commandment con-
cerDing the sacredness and permanence Of
the marriage relation. Z" What God hath
joined together let not man put asunder
Z" The woman which hath an husband i
bound by the law To her husband 50 long as
he Hveth So then, if while her husband
hveth she be married to another man, She
hall be called an adulteress." ''WhOso-
ever shall put away his wife, saving for the
cause of fOrnicaticn, causeth her to commit
adultery WhosOever pntteth away his
wife and mlrrieth another committeth adul-
terry; and whosoever marrieth her that j.
put away from her husband committeth
adultery" "Thou shalt not commit alul
terry"
There IS no alternative The married are
married for life. Death IS the only right
DISCOVER of the bond, and 4" fornication Is
the only occasion on which divine law per-
mits divorce And all human laws at varI-
ance with this word of God should be re-
pealed. When Col placed the solitary
In families He designed to make the family
relation the most sacred possible. Marriage
was not to be licensed and legalized pro>tl-
tuition. Separation from all else and with
each other alone till the sundering by death
was the rule, and only one exception was
made.
But what shall be done with the many
cases Of :. intolerable severity drunken
ness" f" DISCRETION refusal to support,
&c. &c. {? We afi-m that if human laws
had not SO compromised with human pas
sions until we have " divorce made easy,
SO many i'll assorted marriages, often made
on SHIRT acquaintance and repented of on a
little longer scquin'alce, would not occur.
And the frequency of ''Put up cases Of
"intolerable severity and the " assertions -
mutually agreed upon for slipping the nuptial
tie land that too, not seldom with another
marriage already in viewl, this brazen faced
adultery, to consummate which vile work.
judges and jnrJrs mI,t be PARTIES, is enough
to crimson w.t1 shane the fee OF any
who wants to be proud Of our civilization
and glad Of our christianity.
There will doubtless ccur cases Of suc1
severity and desefoan as call for legal inter
position. We would provide legal separation
.sithoY s dioeroe. 30 civil statute ctn make
it right for any person on Re legally married
70 marry again until death sunder the first
tie or divorce bs secured for :riptura cause
But the Word Of sod will warrant separa-
ton with legal protection of parties in pecun-
airy and other interests. l. the husband is
can evil doer" the wife can justly claim tina
the law be made - q terror to him-giving
her tha Legal control.of her children and
esrning,g And il any twill not work >
Crsfuang 70 support) civil law may justly
Join WIKI divins law and say ..neither shall
he eat " the food earned by working wifi
Iany depart tdesert) ''let him depart" Nc