Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-03-27
A BURNING BRITISH QUESTION.
MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED W1PE's
SISTER.


The following has been addressed to
Gov. ROBBIE by the Earl of Dalhousie:
LONDON, Feb'y Is, 1888.
Your Ehcellency,
In the last session Of the Parliament
of Great Britain and Ireland, Bill for
Legalizing Marriage with a Deceased
Wife's Sister was defeated in the House
Of Lords by majority of 1929.
II / am rightly informed, these mar
riages have now for many years been le-
gal in every part of the United States of
America, and you have therefore had am
pie experience Of their effect on social
and domestic life, and can say from prac-
teal knowledge whether morality has
suffered from the fact that in the State
of Maine Marriage with a Deceased Wife's
Sister is permitted by law.
The opponents of the Equalization Of
Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister
in the United Kingdom are fond Of re-
ferring to America as illustrating in a
marked degree the baneful evils which it
is alleged must follow if these marriages
are recognized as legal.
In order to give your Excelleny an ex-
ample of the statements that are made,
enclose letter quoted in an article which
has recently appeared in one Of our lead
ing periodicals, The Church Quarterly
Review, which is being extensively circu-
lated. am anxious to ascertain whether
such assertions as those contained in
this letter are generally supported By the
facts, or whether the writer has drawn
his startling differences from an isolated
case.
May ask that your Excellency will
kindly honour me with such information
as you can conveniently give as to how
the law which permits Marriage with
Decea sed Wife's sister has worked in the
State of Maine. My reason for making
this request is, that | hope to introduce
into the House of Lords again this year
a Bill similar to the one which so nearly
became law during the last Session OF
Parliament, and am mutually concerned
to have all the knowledge Of the practi-
cal working in America Of law similar
to the one which am anxious to per-
suade the Legislate TO adopt in this coun-
try. | trust, therefore, your Excellency
will forgive me for troubling you in the
matter.
| have the honour to be,
Your ExCELLENcY,
Very faithfully and obediently yours,
DALHOUSIE.
The following are the extracts from
the Church Qudrterly'
"'It is evident writes an American
clergyman, TO those Of US who are old
enough to remember the state OF things
previous 70 these innovations, that 4
change for the worse has been brought
about. can we'll recollect when ladies in
the lifetlmes Of their husbands used TO feel
as IL their brothers-in-laws were their Opn
brothers, and TO treat them accordingly In
all the unreserve of domestic intercourse;
when brother.in-law, after an absence,
would kiss his brothers wife In all purity
Is his own sister, and she would cOniide
n him without thought OF evil, or feel
ing Of embarrassment; and when, too, In
case of a wife dying, her sister would re-
main in charge of her family, or would re-
move TO the bereaved home, TO live with
he widower, and take care OF his children
IS a thing OF course, without whisper OF
SANDER, or any occasion for 1t; when the
children, too, knowing that their aunt
could never be In any nearer relation to
20 them, loved and reverenced her, and
.onfided in her, and yielded readily q most
wholesome influence 10 her.
"'But since such increased nearness OF
has been deemed not improper
md even desirable, there has grown up in
families a perceptible and painful con-
,traint; the children learning TO look with
on their mothers sisters,
md the wives becoming jealous OF their
Influence with their husbands, while IA
niliarities which formerly were thought
70 be, and really were, innocent, have
come to possess q consciousness OF EVIL
tendency which, itself, is OF the nature of
sin.
I know Of wife whose health was grad
ually declining, q woman OF the world,
with husband as worldly as herself, and
IA their house was young and attractive
sister Of hers, between whom and her
husband there had grown up gradually
degree Of affectionate intercourse which in
he days of the wife's health had been
thought only natural. But as her end
rev near, 1t became on his part more
pointed, and drew to it her attention so
agonizingly that it became the one engros-
sing feeling Of her soul for the last few
weeks of her life, exciting in her undis-
yuised dread of what she foresaw would,
Is it did, take place, and so absorbed her
IS to shut out all thought Of religion, and
make her miserable to her very death.
How tn ATTAIN Your MAJORITY