St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-03-23
Marriage with n Deceased
Wife'S Sister.

| The Earl of Dalhousie, who is one o
the most earnest advocates of the prop
ositiOn to legaliZe, in Great Britain
marriage with deceased wife's sister
has addressed circular letters to tht
governors of the several states of the
Union, inquiring as to the practical
working on this side of the Atlantic OF
the freedom which it is proposed to le-
galiZe on the other. The earl's inquiry
is prompted by the fact that the OppO,
nents of the proposed change are max
ing strenuous efforts to convince the
English public that the system has
worked ill in this country, and some
extraordinary statements have been
put in circulation to this end. Among
the rest, the Church Quarterly Review
cites as authority "an American cler-
gyman"-name and residence not Civ
en-whO AYERS that he can remember
"when ladies in the life times of their
husbands used to feel as if their broth
er-in-laws were their own brothers,
and to treat them accordingly, in all
the unreserve of domestic intercourse, y
when, mirdbile dictu a brother-in-law,
after an absence, would kiss his broth
er's wife i'll all purity as his own sis
ter" and when, i'll case of a wife dying,
cher sister would remain in charge of
her family and take care of his chill
dren, as a thing of course, without a
whisper of SANDER" But now, this
anonymous clergyman goes on, an in
creased nearness of connection having
come to be regarded as not improper,
1Athnpa hos n in iling
ceptihle and painful cOnstraint," ''the
children learning to look with appre-
henslOn on their mothers sisters"
''wives becoming jealous of their influ-
ence with their husbands" while famil-
iarities, formerly innocent, "have come
to possess a consciousness of evil ten
dency which itself is of the nature of
SIM" The clergyman concludes appro-
priately by narrowing account of IA
dying wife, whose last moments were
agonized by the thought that her sister
would take her place.
1t is nice picture of American soci-
ETY. which this clergyman draws, ac-
cOrding to which even the children
harbOr suspicious of their fathers and
their aunts, and ii man cannot be kind
to his wife's sister without it's being
thought that he is holding her in re-
serve, as it were, against the cOntin-
gency of his wife's death One wonders
where this alleged American clergy
man resides, and what sort of a moral
atmosphere he breathes. We beg to
assure the Earl of DalhOusie, in re-
spOnse to the letter of inquiry which
he has addressed to us, that this pic
ture is n false one No such state Of
things exists. The prOpriety of marry
ing a deceased wife's sister is not with
us moot question, nor does the posi-
bility of such n marriage enter into do
nestle calculations and distress wives
and children. For one such case as
that cited in the letter referred to,
probably dozens could he adduced of
wives who, as they found their hold
upon life relaxing, have suggested such
a marriage to their husbands or their
sisters as best calculated to promote
the happiness and welfare of their chill
dren. So far from observing any de-
mOralizing results from this freedom,
most Americans regard with amused
curiosity the annual attempt in Eng
land to overcome the moss backed con-
servatism of the house of lords on this
question. A change of three votes last
year would have carried the bill in
which the Earl of DalhOusie is interest
ed through the house of lords we hope
that public sentiment may have so far
advanced as to overcome this slender
majority, and to allow the introduction
of the same rational freedom which
prevails here Boston journal.