The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-03-07

the wife, fixed the indissolubility of the
marriage contract in the laws of nature.
Christ, our Lord, said, What God has
brought together man shall not pat
asunder" command, not ], but the
Lord" says ST. Paul, "that a woman de-
part not from her husband, and if she de-
part, that she attempt not to marry an
other" But the pride of apostasy, which
has learned to call license liberty, trampies
on the laws of nature and disregards those
positive commands Man and woman are
becoming so impatient of restraint that
they treat Gods law as if it were a tyranny.
The man who should leave father and
mother and cleave to his wife, seeks the
occasion to cast her off that he may cleave
to another. The wife who should obey her
husband az the Church obeys Christ her
Spouse, spnrns his advice and flies to the
courts, that they may do what death only
can do. 1t we've as easy for man, by the
breath of his nostrils. to remove the noun
tains from their foundations and cast them
into the sea. as for human Legislator to
break a bond which God has forbidden to
be broken. The result of this effort are
countless adalteries. Nearly two thousand
marriages dissolved last year in Ohio! Two
thousand families broken up. Two thou
sand husbands and two thousand wives
faithless to their marriage vows, which
were to last through life, and set free to
deceive others! Is the "bad and adulterous
age" upon US But are we not blessed
with education without religion, and will
not that make amends3
We shall not stop to consider how large a
share education without religion has in the
deplorable frequency of divorces. That
this terrible evil arises from the want of q
proper religious training, cannot, from a
Christian standpoint, be denied. But the
consequences are far more than the sepa-
rations and adulteries which it entails. 1t
prevents marriage, and among the married
| hn VOL nd of nj no
increase of the human race. Should a
woman not tremb!e in giving herself to q
man who by-and-by may repudiate her !!
Humanity speaking, is it any wonder that,
while being q wife, che should bid defiance
to natures laws and damn her soul by en-
deavoring not to be q motherf How does
she know bat that in the moment of her
helpessness the husband who had pledged
to her his love, may fnd a pretext to ap-
peal to the court and by it's decree cast her
off. Neither can the husband look on the
wife as one that will be his through veal
pleasure take another. With such un-
certainty as to the future, what is marriage
but venture Does it not look like
legaliZed fornication conditionally as
sumed7 What can we say but that the
abominable doctrine of Free Love is the
logical outcome of the divorce court, as
divorce itself is the logical outcome of
apostasy from the Church7 When parties
become dissatisfied with each other it is
easy to tiud pretext for separation. This
hope of separation makes the aggrieved
party impatient under the grievance. This
hope of separation makes the grievance
appear thousand times heavier than it is.
Hence marriage becomes slavery. If the
married understood that the law of God
commanded them to bear their burden and
remain husband and wife through life, the
" truth would make them free"
The frequency of divorce bespeaks the
corruption of the age, and it's utter disre-
gard for Christian civilization and the laws
of God. Yet this is toasted age of pro-
gress! Men talk of "our civilization" and
ignorantly sneer at the past. But if this
be sour civilization" God save Catholics
from its damning blight