San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-11-28
The RELIGION Of MgTQgG
Written for the Sunday Light by Lady
Cook, nee Tennessee c. Cla1in.l

written Tor the sunday Light by Lady
Cook, nee Tennessee c. Clahin.l
The subject of marriage concerns ev-
eryone so nearly that scarcely too much
light that can be thrown upon it is O.;
necessity a public benefit The Dean
of Lichfield must have been of this
opinion when he published his recent
History of Marriage, Jewish and
Christian, in relation to Divorce and
Certain Forbidden Degrees" What
ever merit 1t may have as a church
dignitary's plea for extreme clerical
views, as history of marriage it has
no value whatever. 1t does not even
tell us what marriage is, and the deans
notion of its religious aspect appears
to be confined to the "indissolubility of
the bond,'' and the infamy OF marrying
deceased wife's sister. He saws in
the latter, I'm the eyes OF the church
such a marriage is incestuous, and no
state legislation can alter this charac-
ter but he does not show why it is
thus. The indissoluble oneness" of
man and wife is gravely based upon
the deep significance of the mode in
which Eve was created" out OF Adam $
side. HE refers to the bagier of not a
few of the Rabbis. that in the first
human being, man ind woman were
united together, and that they were en-
dowed with a separate existence only
when the latter was formed, but So
nevertheless, as still to remain one
flesh. He quotes Eusebius, who said,
We must first learn about mans ma
ture, for that which we had originally
is not the same which we now have.
Ihen IL was androgynous, in form and
name combination of both male and
Ienale.
Ihls human hermaphrodite, having
the organs ana sexes or both male and
1cmale, TINS monster OF a man and
woman combined, is the gooo deans
conception OF Gods highest effort in
creation, whereas the merest tyro in
zoology would tell him that such be-
ing, IL II ever existed, could rank only
on par with the androgynous snails
and earthworms that crawl beneath our
feet. Such a grotesque tale might
but now it can only excite good ma
tured smile of pity except on the coun-
tenance of dean.
We learn the nature of marriage bet
piers, than from priests. The assist
ance of the philologists is not to be de-
spised. These tell us that the word
comes from the Latin maritus, and this
from Mars, and that Mars probably
had the same origin as the English
ancient verb, to may; may-en, man;
mayed, maid; mayer, mar; mar-is,
mars. Chaucer says, He which that
hath no wifi l hold him shent; he liveth
helpless and all desolat." The origin
al idea was that neither man nor maid
should live a full, manly and woman
1y life, except by being united. This
sentiment is as old as humanity, and
existed long before Christianity or Ju-
daism. Among the Romans, Mars was
the glorified man, and Venus, the all
excelling woman. 1t was a poetic ne
cessity, therefore, that in them valor
and beauty should be Joined together,
or, as Dryden wrote of another couple:
Happy, happy, happy pair!
None but the brave,
None but the brave,
Holinshed applies the word. ''yiripo-
tent" to a yo,ine lady TO express that
she was marriagable. True marriage is
the home and haven of love. Its state
is thus beautifully described bv Cham
Ger:
'Arviragus and Dorigene his wifi
In soyeraine blisse leden forth bir lif.
Never eft he was ther anger hem be-
twene.
He cherished hir as though she were a |
ouene.
And she was to him trewe for ever
more"
Rem Jonson wrote.
Marriage Jove,s object is. ar whose |
hrigbt avas
He lights his torches and calls than,
bis sl.ias