The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-06-11
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ANTICS.
Self Divorced and Self-MarrieC-
A Curious Case.

| New York, June John J. Plunkett
and his wife, Mary H. Plunkett, are among
the most active leaders in Christian science
in this country. They founded school in
New York some two years ago, and estab-
lished the International Magazine of
Christian Science. The believers have
looked upon them as ideals among men
and women. They are now in trouble
because they have divorced themselves.
| They were married twenty wears ago.
Mr.. Plunkett is 40 and Mrs. Plunkett
is three years younger. They were married
! in Massachusetts and have two children.
1t was not many years ago that they took
up Christian science, but they have since
practiced it in Chicago, Detroit, San Fran
cisco, Washington and New York. SIX
months ago the Plunkets met A. Bentley
Worthington, of San Francisco. He be.
came interested In their teachings, and in
cidentally became attached to Mrs. Punk
EFT. Last March Mrs. Plum kett went to
Washington to teach class, and after a
few days she telegraphed to her husband
that she was sick. He went to Washing
ton and saw her. They had talk about
relations and the result was the following
We, the undersigned, having dedicated
our lives to the service of God, and de-
termined to speak, act and live in accord
ance with it, do declare, both to you who
faithfully serve, and to you who earnestly
seek the truth, as follows: For many
years We have recognized tina. the affection
between US was purely fraternal and We
have lived and worked together as friends.
~ 0rIp faor aH h Ia &
ton, and the possibility of our example
proving dangerous TO others, We have
hitherto concealed this fict. We have now
gained ripper wisdom we know with deep
and glad certainty that truth always and
everywhere proves q blessing, not a curse.
We know that our action, far from being a
stumbling block, will only aid the many who
are striving to solve the same problem. We,
therefore, from the most profound convic-
ton OF duty, do jointly declare our mar
rlage contract null and void in so far as it
lies Ia our power to render 1t so. In thus
candidly taking this stand fore humani-
ty. whom We love and serve, We experience
that peace which passeth all understand
ing, which the world and the opinion of
the world can not give or disturb. The
truth has made US free"
This document was written by Mrs. Ma
bel l.. Mccoy, sister of Mrs. Plunkett.
She has been an advocate of the doctrine Of
afinity-that is, that everybody was born
to be the mate in life of some other partic-
ular body. She imbued Mrs. Plunkett
with this idea, and Mrs. Plunkett in turn
got filled up with the notion that Mr..
Wilmington was her affinity. He seems
to have thought SO. too.
Following this divorce the intimacy be-
tween Mrs. Plunkett and Mr. Worthington
grew. Mr.. Plunkett left his former home
and set up a new establishment. One even
ing not long ago Mr.. Worthington and
Mrs Plunkett summoned their friends and
told them with much solemnity that they
had been foreordained to be man and wife.
They had spiritually been married since
the days they were, born, and that now
Mrs. Plunkett was free from all relation to
Mr.. Plunketr and felt it her duty to be-
come Mrs. Worthington. Their purpose
in announcing this before their friends was
to secure themselves from misrepresenta-
ton and to gain proper degree of pub
licity for their action. They had settled
upon formula for their marriage cere-
mopy, and after Mr.. Worthington had ex-
planned the situation he gravely repeated
these words:
SIN presence of God and you, my friends
here assembled, L take Mary Hodgkins
Plunkett to be my wife, promising, with
divine assistance, to be unto her faithful
and loving husband forever and forever.
Immediately the same words were ut
tered by Mrs. Plunkett, and the pair thus
became man and wife. Their friends con-
graduated them, and after a while the
bride and groom retired to their rooms and
the guests departed.
Mr.. Worthingtou says: ayes, we have
done something which the world may GEN.
sure, but we believe to be right because
We have followed truth"
"What is truth?"
"Well, Christian science is truth and
teaches truth. So far it has not attempted
the problem of sex-that of marriage but
we are the pioneers in this new field. That
is why We fear there may be some among
our own people who will not understand.
This is something new. We believe it
will solve the question Of the failure OF
&c. Marriage laws, as they are, are
unwise and unjust. Men and women who
are not mated are tied together. They
ought not to be kept in that bondage.
There must be some fit method for their
divorce. We hope TO educate others so
that in time this method may be made the
method OF the laws. If the world could
our motives it would not
Judge us harshly. Nc, we are not believ-
Frs in free love, but rather in perfect mar
rage, and the marriage of to-day IS not
perfect, not honest, not Christian.~