St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-29
Reasons Why the Contract
Should and Should Not
Be Broken.
It's True 0bligations--Several
Plain Propositions Pref
tily Stated.

by the tomb, and the living are tyran-
nlzed over by the dead. Old ideas, long
after the conditions under which they
are PRODUCED have passed away. often
persist i'll surviving. Many are dis
posed to worship the ancient-to follow
the old paths without inquirng where
they lead, and without knowing exactly
whrre they wish to 90 themselves.
Opinions on the subject Of divorces
have been for the most part Inherited
from the early Christians. They have
come down to us through theological
amt prieSJly channels. The early Chris
tianS believed that the world was about
10 lie destroy ed, or that it was to be
pur fed 10y fire: that all the wicked
were Ia perish. and that the good were
to be caught up in the air to meet their
Lord-iO remain there. in all prOI'a-
bility, until the earth was PREPARED as a
hahitaiiun for the blessed. With this
thought or belief in their minds. the
things of this world were of compara-
lively no Importance. The man who
built larger barns in which to store
his grain was regarded as a fool
iSh farmer. who had forgot. in his
greed for gain. the value of his own
soul. They regarded prosperous people
As tne children of MammOn, and the I'M
fortunate. the wrptrhed and diSeas ID as
Tile ravoriteS of God. They discouraged
all worldly pursuits except the solicit
ing OF aims. here was no time to marry
or tn b given in marriage; no time to
build HON S and have families. All
their thoughts were conferred upon the
heaven they expected to inherit. Bust
ness. love, all secular things. fell into
disrepute.
Nothing is said in the Testament about
the families of the apostles: nothing of
family life, of the sacredneSs of home;
nothing about the necessity of educa-
cation. the Improvement and develop
ment of the mind. These things
were fOrgO ten, for the reason
that nothing. i'm the presence of
the expected event. was considered of
any importance. except t0 he ready
when the Son of Man should come.
Sucn was the feeling, that rewards
were offered by Christ himself to those
who would desert their wives and chill
dren. Human love was spoken of with
contempt. ''Lrt the dead bury the dead.
What is that to thee? Follow thou me-"
They not only believed these things,
but arted in accordance with them; and.
as consequence. all the relations of
ft were denied or avoided. and their
obligations disregarded. Marriage was
discouraged. 1t WAS regarded as only
one degree above open and unbridled
vice. and was allowed only in consider
alton of human weakness. Ii was
thought far better not to rarry-that il
was something grandpr for
man to love God than to love
woman. The exceedingly gOdly. the
really spiritual. believed in celibacy. and
held the opposite sex in kind of piOus
adherence. And yet. with that incon-
SiStency so characteristic of theOlOganS.
marriage was held to lie sacrament
The priest said to the man who married:
"Remember that You are caught for
life. The door opens but once. Before
this den of matrimOny the tracks are all
one way" This was in the nature of a
punishment for having married. The
theOl0gian felt that the contract of mar
riage. if not contrary tn Gods COM
mand, was at least contrary to his adj
wee. and that the married ought to
suffer in some way as matter of JUS
tice. The fact that there could he no
divorce. that mistake could not he
corrected. was held up as warning.
At every wedding feast this skeleton
stretched his fieshess finger toward the
bride and groom.
Nearly all Intelligent people have
given up the idea that the world is
about to come to all end. They do not
beIieve that prosperity is certain sign
of wickedness. or that poverty and
wretrhednPSs are sure certificates of
virtue. They are hardly convinced that
Dives should be- sent to hell simply for
being rich. or that Lazarus was entitled
TO eternal Joy on account of his poverty.
* hat 10
may be good and that unfortunate peo-
pie may he had. We have reached the
conclusion that the practice of virtue
tends in the direction of prosperity and
that violation of the conditions of
well-being brings with absolute GER
taintv wretrhedness and misfortune.
There was a time when it was be-
lievpd that the sin of an individual was
visited upon the tribe. the community
or the nation to which he ID lOnged. 1t
was then thought that if a man or
woman had made VOW to God, and
had failed to keep the VOW. God might
punish the entire community: there
fore IT was the business of the COM
munity tn see TO it that the VOW was
kept. That idea has heen abandoned
As we progress, the rights of the indi-
viduaI are perceived, and we are be-
ginning only to discover that there are
no rights higher than the rights of the
Individual. There was a time when
nearly all believed in the reform
ing power of Dunishment-in the
beneficence of brute force. But
the world is changing. 1t was at one
time thought that theInquisiti0n was the
savior of society: that the persecution
of the philosopher was requisite to the
presentation of the state. and that, no
matter What happened. the state should
be preserved. We have now more
light. And standing upon this lumn-
Gus point that we call the present, let
me answer your questions.
Marriage is the most important, the
most sacred contract that human beings
can make. No matter whether we call
it a contract or sacrament, or both. it
remains precisely the same. AND no
matter whether this contract is entered
| into in the presence of a magistrate or
priest, it is exactly the same. A true
| marriage is natural concord and agree
mentof souls. "a harmony in which discOrd
| is not even imagined; it is mingling
50 perfect that only one seems TO exist;
| all other considerations are lost; the
present seems to be eternal. In this
supreme moment there is 10 Shadow-or
! the shadow is as immense as light. And
when two beings thus love, thus unite,
this is the true marriage of soul and soul.
That which is said before the altar. or
minister, or magistrate, or in the pres
ence of witnesses. is only the outward
| evidence of that which has already hap
| pened within: ii simply testIfies to a
union that has already taken place-to
the uniting of two mornings that
hope to reach the night to-
| gether. Each has found the
| ideal; the man has found the one
woman of all the wOrld-the impersona-
ton of affection. purity. passion, love,
beauty and grace: and the woman has
found the one man of all the world her
| ideal. and all that she knows of romance,