The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-11-24
THEORIES OF MARRIAGE.
Fsllx Adler Arxues That the Eshs-al b.
the Coere~t One.

FelIx Adler ApWues That the Eahscal b.
the Corrert Dine.
The announcement that FELIX Adler
would speak on 1.-THE Ethics Of Marriage
and Divorce" yesterday. says the New
York 7isses. served tn nm every seat i'm
ChickerinR hall.
"a painful interest has bcen given to
the subject Of marriage and DIVORCE" he
said. ''by the publication Of tile statistics
gathered by Commissioners Carroll ID
Wright. The figures show that for the
years from 1s;7 to 1ssi the population in
creased about GD per cent. and the
number Of divorces Increased 151 per cent.
In the last one of these years t1ss6i
few morc than 600 divorces; i'm France .
few more than 600; i'm England. Ireland,
Sf q, AND Wales only aiS, Sn. q" T shs
Tha, IS. in over 10000 cases the
proved "a failure. IL the children bc in
cluded, between l,0U0.oOO and 2.UOO.UO
lives have bssn injurioisly affected by
1.-THE three theories Of marriage with
which to compar the ethical theory are
the CONTRACT theory the sn
The notion that marriage il a
civil contract and nothing more
is extensively held. especially by liberals.
But the essence of n civil contract is free
dom. People cannot he forced to contract
for life. A marriage contract that Is tn
~ asAhtt ~ - W. shtss
riaRc AT all. Ii is also the nature of u civil
contract that IL may he enforced: But
fore. marriage is not in the proper sense n
contract at all. IL is better to- call il u
q~nasi-contract, i'm that il has the form OF n
contract as the civil status of marriage.
"The theory seems hsauti-
fWl. 81. Augustine ticfined ~ sacrament
AS the visible form 81 the invisible Rrace'
Ii is the sign that makes forciblc the thing
signitied. The church defines marriage
as "a spiritual union. II in the br idcgrooin
and bride who make the sacrament. The
priest is present merely To q the tTne-
diction. Ii IL supposed that God joins the
man and woman. There is u divine pres
once. If il were meant by tins presence
the presence of unsclfishucss l should
agree with the theory. the I'M
have existed, separation ought to hc pos
sibic. But the church holds that the mar
il without offending HIM.
"According tn the romantic theory, love
is ~ flame, a passion, q blind INVESTIGATION.
The lover believes he has found his ideal.
The woman thinks she has found the man
who represents all heroisin and manli-
now.rs. hht n n ass snake turks be-.
meath them. For there il not one mar
riage in u million i'm which, these romantic
conditions are realized.
1.-The ethical theory is characterized 10y
the idea of duty between husband and
wife. That idea should he written in
lGrH.. characters on the altar of every home.
The inception of every marriage should
he love. Ii makes duty easy and coInpcI
safes love by deepening and enriching IL.
When the whole nature of the one re-
spends to the whole natute of the other
there is love. The ethical theory makes
full for s~hortcoIninEs. Ii il
consistent with the perception of impcr-
fcctions. In this respect ethical love
differs from romantic love, The true idea
and aim is not to be blind to imperfcc-
tioIs. hut to- seek tn correct them" -
In closing Mr.. Adler said that $50 long
a. theirs. is no irreparable breach of duty
between husband and wife the marriage
tie should remain intact. So long as th,
sense of duty il alive tho prospect of "a re-
newal of love is not hopcless."