Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-06-11
The Ideal Marriage.
From a Boston Minister'S Sermon.

The Ideal Marriage.
From Boston Minister'S Sermon.
He preached, in response to many
special requests, on Marriage, TAX
ing for hls text Gen. H., 1884 The
subject of marriage was taken because
of It's intrinsic importance and its fun
damental relations to all social order.
The community are now in fear of a
coming pestilence that will bring
death and destruction in the Summer.
Efforts are being made to ward Off
this enemy and prevent its fearful
work, but at the same time another
pestileDce is on the way, and its black
fringe is touching us. 1t is far more
dangerous than any other conceivable
one, from the fact that it menaces the
home, the greatest of all social iustitu.
tions. In Massachusetts, in 1860 there
was one divorce TO fifty marriages, in
1875 one to every twenty, aud in 1889
one to every fourteen In New Eng
land 1000 families are broken up by
divorce every year.
This alone is an appalling state of af-
fairs. Along with the increase IN di>
vorce moral poison has increased. In
the period between 1860 70 divorce in
creased two and one~half times in fire.
quency, while crimes against chastity
and moralitysincreased three fold. The
question then comes: Has not loose
ness Of legislation fostered looseness
of social life, and how long will it
take TO bring the ratio of divorce to
marriage to an equity2 Then the
home as an institution will be destroy
ed, and the millennium of hell Will
be here The marriage bond is sink
ing in the public estimation to a Inere
civil contract, and there needs to be a
reassertion of the divine origin OF
marriage. The Roman Catholic
Church is not responsible for any of
this state of affairs, be it said to its
credit The officially is that subordi-
nate reasons Of a profane nature have
undermined the sacred element. Mar
riage has become the stopping>stOne
to improve family connections, to
gain admission to society, to gam
power, and many like thiags. The
young man looks for wealth, the girl
to gaining her own way The mean
ing OF the institution seems to be mis-
apprehended. For this process of dis.
indignation something is needed be
sides prohibitory legislation. tt is
not the lack Of a high ideal that rem.
ders so many marriages of our day q
series of social disasters2 1t must be
religion and morality in its highest
sense. The ideal must be raised in
popular and youthful mind. The
underlying idea and primeval prin-
ciple is moral, not physical or ma
terial. The idea is that il is not good
for man 10 be alone, and so woman
was made as ms complement his con
verse. The fundamental principle is
compsnionsbip There is nothing
equal to the dreariness of a heart that
! has been torn frona its counterpart bY
death The unmarried man or won
an must have something as a substi
tute, either in greater work or larger
interests, to that self-centered selfish
ness which makes the terms ''old
maid or bachelor opprobrious
True marriage is the greatest moral
good, an actual and absolute surren-
der of individual unit. The only
higher act is surrendered to G Cd
True marriage is redemptive force,
and is aimed to destroy sel6shness
and teach Us the secret of living for
others and not for ourselves. The
social value of the institution is me-
vitably salutary in any social organi-
cation. Some look upon marriage
in the same way as the pairing Of
birds in spring. He who does take
this purely physical view is lower
than bird or beast This Ganger can
only be avertod when young men and
women look al matrimony as means
of moral elevation and spiritual en-
| lightenment.