The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-12-06
society and the destruction of The

society and the destruction of Che
Roman state.
Marriage is not u mere contract.
Any community which so regards it
does thereby SOW the seeds of its own
dissolution in its own organic life. 1t
is true that there can be no marriage
without contract; but there are very
civilized communities that regard a
contract alone as Il marriage. And
even those that do-&eW York state,
for eXample-have adopted this view
in order TO guard women from de-
frauders who inYeigle them into a
semblance of marriage and by some
cunniagly contrived fraud rob it Of
its reality. Something m0Ie than a
mere agreement-pither the sanction
of the state, expressed through an ap-
pointed official, or Of the church, eX-
pressed through IFS minister, who for
this purpose becomes an official of the
State-iS generally required to make a
marriage legal. And there is no civil
lied community which adopts the no.
ton that marriage is Il mere civil con-
tract, which the contracting parties
may dissolve at their own pleasure.
Every community above the moral
condition OF an African tribe requires
the appreciation of some disintereSted
tribunal before the marriage relation
can be dissolved.
The reason for this is obvious. The
marriage contract is not one which
affects merely the interests of the par
ties. Tho welfare of the children de-
ponds upon its sanctity and purpetui-
t.. The stability of thestate depends
upon the stability of the family. The
sta o is made up not of individuals
buo ( i households. The head of the
household represents it by his vote
lie defends it by his arms. He enrich
es it by his children. a community
of bachelors and old maids, even if it
could be kept alive by immigration,
would disintregrate from the mere
lack of moral and social cohesion.
What molecular attraction is in
nature, that household affection is
in the commonwealth. 1t is
the force which binds men together.
Whatever weakens The family tie i'm
pairs industry; for all noble industry
is for the family, not for self. 1t
weakenS the state; FOR il is the thought
OF his home which nerves the arm of
the soldier with sacred patriotism.
! 1t breeds ignorance; for the family is
not only the first and fundamental ed
ucational institution, but is family
affection which keeps. alive all other
educational institutions. If men had
not their own children to provide for,
they would not consent to the tax
necessary to support public schools,
nor be inspired to the benevolence
necessary to equip endowed schools
and colleges.
The basis of marriage is not con-
tract; though without a contract
there can be no marriage. The basis
of marriage is the ordinance of God.
Not written in a book, though the
Book ipterprets it; not authoritatively
declared by JESUS Christ, though Jesus
Christ did recognize it and declare it;
but written in the constitution of
| things; in the nature of man and
woman; in the fact that God created
them male and female; created them
to marry, and set them in families, and
gave them the sacred trust of chill.
dren. and made the church, the state,
industry, life, all welfare, depend on
their fidelity to one another, for richer
and for poorer, for better and fol
worse; till death do them part
Whoever endeavors to weaken this
bond OF loyal fidelity, by word or ex-
ample, sets himself not merely against
the authority of Jesus Christ and OF
the Bible; he sets himself against the
highest moral and spiritual instincts
Of mankind, and does what little lies
IN his ower-happily not much-to
undermine The very foundations OF
society, to dissolve it into tire anomaly
Of individualism; to substitute 1us..
for love, and selfindulgence for pa
ty to the plane Of the brute creation.
Christian Union.