The age-herald., 1897-09-12
L5Es>tSt<StStGtetVcGcGS0&G:Vt4 N COZ. ROBERT LNGERSOLL (
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Col. Robert G. Ingersoii in New York World.
 How far should a husband or wife go in defending the sanctity of home?
 Us it right for the husband to kill the paramour of his wife?
 Is it right for ahe wife to kill the para mour of her husbanr?
 These three questions are in substance one, and one answer will be sufficient for all.
 Tn the first place we should have an understanding of the real relation thnt exists, or should exist between husband and wife.
 The real good orthodox people, those who admire St. Paul. look upon the wife as the property of the husband. He owns. not only her body. but her very soul. This being the case, no. other man has the light to steal or try to steal his property. The owner has the right to defend his possession, even to the death, In the olden time the husband was never regarde as the property of the wife. She had claim on him for support, and there was usually some way to enforce Ehe claim. If the husband deserted the wife for the sake of some o.her woman. or transferred his affections to another. the wife, as a rule, suffered in silence. Some times she look her revenge on the wanton, but generally she did nothing. Men killed ihe "destroyers'' of their homes, but the women, having mio homes, behng only wives, nothing bu,- mothers-beares or babes fo masters-allowed kheir destroy CTS to live.
 In recent years women have advanced. They have stepped to the front. Wives are no longer slaves. They are the equa' s of husbands. They have homes to defend, .s.- Il I..d tf, kill. The rights of husbands and wives are now equal. They live under the same moral code. Thdr obligations to each other are mutual. Both are bound, and equally bound to live virtuous lives.
 Now, if A falls in love wi-h the wife of B, and she returns his love, has B i.he light to kill 1t? Or if A falls in love with the husband of B, and he returns her love, has the right to kill it?
 If he wronged husband has Ghe right to kill, so has the wronged wife.
 Suppose that a young man and woman are engaged to be married, and that she falls in love wit ano ther and marries h m, has the first lover right 70 kill the last?
 This leads me to aonther queSticn: Whaa is marriage? Men and women can not truly be married by any set or form of words, nor by amy ceremonies, however solemn, nor by contract signed, sealed and witnessed, nor by ,.he words or de- clarations of priests or judges. All these put together do not constitute marriage. At .;he very besl they are only evidences of the fact of marriage-Someftng that really happened between the par,ies. Without, pure, honest, mu ual love there can be no real marriage. Marriage with out love is only form of prostitution. Marriage for the sake of position or wealth is immoral. No good, sensible man warts To marry a woman whose heart Is not absolutely hls and no good, sensible woman wants to marry man whose heart is not absolutely hers. Now, if there can be no real marriage wi,h- out mutual love, does Ghe marriage out last the love? If 1t Is immoral for a wo- man to marry a man without loving him is it moral for her to live as the wife of a man whom she has ceased to love? Is she bound by the words, by the cere- mony, after the real marriage is dead? Is she so bound that the man she hates has the right to be the father of her babes?
 If a girl Is engaged and afterwards meets her ideal, young man whose pres ence is joy whose touch is ectasy is it her duty to fulfill her engagement? Would it not be a thousand times nobler and purrer for her to say to the first liver: T thought l loved you was mis- taken. I belong heart and soul to an- other and if married you could not be yours"
 So if young man is engaged and finds that he has made mistake, is ba hon. orable for him To keep his contractq
 
 her .he truth?
 The civilized man loves a woman. not only for his sake, but for her sake He longs to make her happy-.o fill her life With Joy; He is willing to make sacri- nces for her. but he does not want her to sacri1ce herself for him. The civiMzei nus band wants his wife to be free-wanl.e the @ love that she canno'. help giving him lie does not want her from a sensa of uuty, or because of he contract or cere hohy, 70 act as though she loved him when in fact her heart is far away He uoes not want her to polu5e her soul and itNe a lie Tor his sake The civilized brs band places the happiness of his wife aoove his own. Her love Is the wealth ol HIS hearl and ito guard her from evil IS the business of his life.
 put the civiliz5d husbands knows that when his wife ceases to love him the real marriage Is also ceased. He kroWs fhat It IS then Infamous for him to comneJ 4ier 10 remain his wife. He knows that It IS her right to b. free-that her body belongs to her, thath soul is her o1y,, lie Knows, too, if he knows anvthing that her affection is not the slave of her In a case like. this the civilized husband would, so far as he had the power rs- lease his wife from the contract or mar rage, divide his property fairly with her and do what he could for her welfare Civilized love never turns to hatr4d.
 suppose he should fird that there was man in the case, that another had won her love, or that she had given her love 10 another would it then be his right or duty to kill that man? Would the kill ing do any good? Would it bring back her love? Would it reunite the family? Would 1t annihilate the disgrace or the memory of the shame? Would it lessen the husbands loss?
 society says that tha husband should kill the man because he lsd the womarS astray.
 How do we know that ha ha.,r, ,-o5 IL. woman? Mrs. Potiphar left many daughters, and Joseph certainly had bl.t few sons How do we know that 1t was not the husbands fault? Sh= may for years have shivered in the winter of his neglect. She may have borne his cruel ties of word and deed until her love was dead and buried side by side with hope. Another man comes into her life He pbties her. She looks and loves. He lifts lives nd h.a,: iaa.