Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-08-29
The Ideal IarrfaSA
IN a Boston Minister'S Sermon.


He preached, in response to mapy
SPECIAL requests, on Marriage, taking
for his text Genesis ii, 21-24. He said
the subject OF marriage was taken be-
cause ofits intrinsic importanceand its
fundamental relations to all social or
der. Thecommunity arenow in fear ola
coming pestilence that will bring death
and destruction in the summer. Ell
forts are being made to ward of this
enemy and prevent its fearful work,
but at tile same time another pesti-
lence is on the way and its black fringe
il touching us. 1t is far more danger
ous than any other conceivable one,
from the fact that it menaces the home,
the greatest of all institutions. In
Massachusetts, in 1860 there was one
divorce to fifty marriages, iii 1876 one
to every twenty, and in 1883 one to
eyervfourteen. In New England 2 900
families are broken upby divorce every
year. -.
This alone is an appalling state OF
affairs. Along with the increase III
divorce moral poison has increased.
In'the period between 1S6O-7O divorce
increased two and one-half times iii
frequency, while crimes against chastity
and morality increased three-fold.
The question then comes: Has not
Iooseness of legislation fostered loose
ness of social life, and how long will it
take to bring the ratio OF divorce to
marriage to an equity? Then the
home as an institution will be de-
stroyed 4 and the millennium OF hell
viii be here. The marriage bond is
sinking in the public estimation to n
mere civil contract, and there
needs to be q reassertion of the divine
origin of marriage. The Roman Catho-
lie church, is not responsible for
any OF this state of affairs, be it said
toits credit. The difficulty is, that sub
ordinate reasons of u profane nature
: have undermined the sacred element.
Marriage has become the stepping
stone to improve family connections,
to gain admission to society, to gain
power, and many like things. Tho
Young man looks for wealth, the girl to
gaining her own way. The meaning of
the institution seems to be misappre-
hended. For this process OF disinte-
grafton something is needed besides
prohibitory legislation. 1t is not the
lack of high ideal that renders so
many marriages OF our day q series OF
social disasters? 1t must be religion
and morality in its highest sense. The
ideal must be raised in the popular and
youthful mind. The underlying ideal
and primcval principle is moral, not
physical or material. The idea is that
it is not good for man to be alone, and
so woman was made as his compile
ment, his converse. The fundamental
principle is companionship. There Is
nothing equal to the dreariness OF a
heart that has been torn from its
counterpart by death. The unmar-
ried man or woman must have some
thing as q substitute, either ingreater
work or larger interests, to that self-cen-
tered seltishness which makes the term
"old maid" or bachelor" opprobious.
True marriage is the greatest moral
good, an actual and absolute surrend-
er OF the individual unit. The only
higher act is surrender to God. True
marriage is a redemptive force, and is
aimed to destroy seliishness and teach
us the secret of living for others and
not for ourselves. The social value OF
the institution is inevitably salutary
in any social organization. Some look
upon marriage i'll the same way as the
pairing ofbirds in spring. Hcwho does
take this purely physical view is lower
than bird or beast. This danger can
only be averied rhen young men and
women look at matrimony as a means
of moral elevation and spiritual cn
lightenment.