The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-02-22
THE FACILITIES OF DIVORCE, AND
THE FREELOVE DOCTRINE IN
ST. LANDRY

81 LANDR4~
--S--
Our attention has been fercibly called
to this subject, not only by communica-
tons, but bya close personal observa-
ton of the weakening Of the marriage
tie in this parish.
To a casual observer it appears singu-
lar and contradictory, that st. Landry,
which, beyond all the other parishes of
Louisiana, has been most opposed to the
introduction of new ideas, no matter
what their usefulness-a country too
which has chung, with ridiculous tenaci-
ty, to old traditions, should be the very
first to appropriate the most dangerous
and outrageous ism of modern times.
We mean "Free-Lovism."
The people here have been cOnserva-
tive to an injurious degree. Old ideas,
antagonistic to Progress, have paralyzed
industries and prevented our taking the
stand to which We are justly entitled by
soil, climate and great natural adyanta-
ges.. Had we been asked to name a par
ish where a Rip Van Wrinkle snooze
could have been comfortably taken with
out the sleeper finding any old land
mark gone when he did awaken, we
would unhesitatingly have uamed St.
Landry, and prolonged his sleep to a
centary. But what can we say now? We
have turned up our noses at railroads,
telegraphs, libraries, lecture and read
ing rooms, scientific and agriculturalim-
provements, street cleaning and house
building. We have cried "vade retro
Sathanus!n, to every thing which smack
ed of Progress, and after all, find our
selves where? Inthe very tilthiest slough
perverted modern ideas. Tainted with
that vile northern leprosy which threat
ems the disruption of society.
The desertion Of wives is becoming a
frequent occurrence with us. We have
reluctantly chrOnicled some aggravated
cases. In our issue before the last, three
at once, where married men eloped with
young girls, leaving their wives and
families without the means of support.
We have heard of others since then, and
there opens before us line of unlimited
divorces from no fault Of the wife, but
simply because "the affinity" lies else
where.
What breeze has blown this poison
over to us of allpeOplei in the world, and
what are the conditionsi in whichit -four
shes? Free Love assimilates itself best
in minds devoid of all moral restraints.
The ignorant boor, only one remove
from the brute whose passions are his
masters, and the abnormal growth of a
vicious civilization craving excitement
as men crave strong drink, meet on equal
ground. The one follows his lawless
animal instincts without knowledge OF
appreciation of q higherlaw. The Other
with healthy appetites destroyed, tastes
palled by C seeks a new excitement
He finds it by putting aside all restraints
of morality and religion and coming out
on the same platform as the savage. A
weakly one he is however, for what was
a lawless, undisciplined nature in the
one, is,a morbid craving in the Other
which speedily terminates as mortal dis
eases usually do.
To which class belongs our evil doors
it is impossible to say. We only know
that the evil is among us, and the law
offers nc redress for the desertion of
wife, and the ruin of families. It how.
ever can, and ought to hedge divorce
with difficulties which nothing but the
gravest of aus can Overpass. The
Catholic church fOrbids her divorced
children to marry again, and in that the
Catholic church is right. Unless we are
mistaken, however, some of the wrong
doors, i'll our community, are Catholics
and thus add to their moral iniquity, {
religious offence. When the law can DE-
nothing, and the church is .powerless
the only remedy for such an evil as tht
one we deplore lies in popular opinion
Should this opinion be expressed loudly
fearlessly, actively, should these mel
and women, who have disgraced them
selves, and their families, and friends
be set aside, even as the lepers of old
and allmen shun them as bringing con
tagion, we think Free-Love would hav,
a short reign in our midst.
It is doubtful to us whether the people
who have called forth these remarks
knowthatthey are disciples of the "Ney
Faith" Woodruff, ClaAin, and that i'll
are probably unknown names to them
though they are striking examples fth,
Affinity SCHOOL, But pressed upol
from the outside as we are by a tide o
.viee, it behooyes us to see that the mud
dy pools in our midst do not rise to NEE
the waves which are dashing against on
defences.
We had hoped Louisiana would hav,
ESCAPED scot free from this leprosy. Tt
noble, modest women, winning the HON
age of the other sex, are not such stui
as the Free-Lovers are made of. W;
hope this will be our last chronicle o
Free-Lovism. ii. -
The New Illustrated Annual of Phre
nology and Physiognomy for 1873, con
fainr nor+poi+o ovI .Fro4oho.