Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-10-04
THE FIRST MARRIAGE.

Adam and Eve United In Psradise-Polig-
any Not sanctioned by Holy Writ
Woman Mans Comforter-The Club
House the Foe of Marriage The Doc
trine Of True Love-Our Dis2raceful
Divorce Laws-Slushy Literature-An
Example to Emulate.
Special Dispatch TO the Register
New York, October 3.
The Brooklyn Tabernacle was throng-
ed this morning with large and a,ten.
tive audience. The opening hymn was:
$50 let our lips and lives express
The Holy Gospel we profess"
The following is verbatim report OF
the sermon:
Subject: Marriage"
TsNr-GcucSis H., 9: This is bone OF my
bone and iiesh Of my Ilesh."
Morning without cloud, atmosphere
without chill, foliage without crumbled
leaf, fruits without ccrculio, meadows
without q thorn. Fit morning for the
worlds first wedding. 1t is to be in
church-the temple oil world, sky
domed, mountain pillared, sapphire
rooted, sparkling waters OF Hddeke and
GihOn filling the baptismal fonts. Larks
aud robins and goldfnches to chant the
wedding march. Violet and lily and
rose burning incense in the morning
sun Luxuriant vines sweeping their
long trail through the forest aisles. Cor
gcous upholstery OF a spring morning
on all sides. The wild beasts standing
outside like servants looking from the
back room upon the nuptials. The
eagle, king OF birds; the locust, king oi
insects; the lion, king OF beasts-wait-
ing. carpets OF grass like emerald Tor
the human pair TO walk on. Hum oil
expectation as there always is before the
ceremony. All the leaves, and grass
fields and branches whispering
and birds a-chatter, each one with his
mate. But hush the winds! Hush all
the birds, Hush the voices of the waters.
The King OF the human race is advanc.
ing and his bride-perfect man leading
10 the altar a perfect woman. God, her
Father, gives the bride away and angels
hear the 6etro.hal, and tears OF morning
dew stand in the eyes Of the viOlets as
Adam takes the round hand that had
never been worn of work or stung Of
pain in his strong grasp and says, This
Is now bone OF nv bone and flesh OF my
flesh" Then tumuts OF Joy break forth
and the trees clap their hands, and all
the gatherings of the woods break forth
with carol and chirp and chant, and the
circle of Edenic gladness was complete.
For while each quail had answering
quail, and each fish its answering fish,
and each fowl its answering fowl, and
every beast OF the forest its appropriate
companionship, at last man immortal
had ior mate woman immortal. Married,
on the second Tuesday morning OF May,
in the year |, Adam, the first man, to
Eve, the first woman, the Lord OF
heaven and earth officiating. Away
with the coarse idea that marriage is a
mere civil contract, II is a paradisalcal,
six thousand years old, divine institu-
tiun, and all the laws made before and
since Blackstone can never marry two
hearts till the Almighty God has mar
ried them.
Polygamy.
| propose to consider some OF the
deadly foes OF this marriage institution.
First oi all crawls out upon our observa-
ton polygamy. More people in this
country believe in it now than ever be-
fore and in all parts OF the land there
are many who, under one name or an
other, or no name at all, practice 1t.
Not only do Mormons, but men who
despse that name, say that the Bible
sanctioned plurality OF wives, and Chris.
tian people do not know now to meet
the slander. The Bible in many places
recognizes its existence, as 1t does all
other kinds OF sin, but does not in any
one case sanction it. On the contrary,
in Levitcus, 18th chapter and lS,h
verse. the unmistakeable command Is:
Neither shall man take one wife unto
another" while Paul puts it squarely
before all nations whom he says: Let
every man have his own wife and every
women her own husband Lamech
was the first polygamist mentioned in
the Bible, and he, by his own confession,
was murderer. For forty years the
Israelites, Gods chosen people, were in
the wilderness. Yet among the 2,6OO,OOO
Israelites, there was in all the iorty
wears only one case OF polygamy. And
when in your Bible you find a man
with more than one wife you find him
up to his neck in trouble. David dates
his letter from the belly of hell; and Sol
omon. pestered to death with his own
household, says: There
is no good under the sun, vanity or
vanites, all is vanity The whole
DRIFT OF the Bible is against polygimy.
God said at the beginning: 1t is not
good that man should be alone. will
make for him helpmeet." Mark you,
i, is in tine singular number helpmeet.
Ii ANYBODY ever needed more than one
companion, Adam was that man, for
there was no society. As God was
starting the institution, He, OF course,
would start il right; and il polygamy
was not right, then, oil course, 1t would
have been demonstrated, and instead OF
one rib taken, Adam would not have a
rib lett. The human race was 10 bridge
over the food. How many wives did
Noah take into the ark? His vile and
each OF his sons a wife. Ii polygamy
had been right they would each have
taken dozen, ana SO much larger
number would have been saved from
drowning. The men and women in
each generation and in all countries since
the world stood have been about equal,
or, in cases OF slight exception, men
have been in the majority.
No surplus OF womanhood. Does
that look as if the creditor OF the race
iavors polygamy? The Bible is not more
to theft aud blasphemyy.
Yea, in proportion is in civilization is in
high advance and in proportion as gen.
eral good morals prevail, plurality OF
wives is discouutenanced. Where po-
lygamy exists there may be q house,
large house, a splendid house, but no
home. How much peace and prosperity
in England would there if four, or five,
or twenty queens attempted with Vic.
,or;a 70 occp nv tho aane throne or live