The times., 1898-01-31
IDEAS ON MODERN MARRIAGE
Discourse From the Pulpit by Mrs
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Discourse From tie PuIptt Dy MIS-.
Clara Neymann.
Mrs. Clara Neymann addressed the
congregation of the Peoples Church
yesterday on the subject of The Mar
riage Problem She asked: What ia
to be the future marriage relation? Is
it to be based upon permanence, or
upon the whims. the caprice and the
passion of the contracting parties?
Mrs. Neymann said that upon the So
luton of this problem depends the fu-
ture growth and prosperity of our ma
tional life. We must solve this, as
many other problems, because the old
notions no longer satisfy the advanc-
ing spirit. Our marriage ideas have TO
undergo a radical change to be in har-
mony with the growth of philosophic,
scientific and economic religion.
We are slow to move" said Mrs.
Neymann, because we are afraid to
face the new idea which has arisen in
regard to the most fundamental rea-
ton of human existence. And because
of this sloth and Indifference and dis
harmony reign at the hearthstone of
the nation. Divorce is on the increase,
the instability of family life is felt in
public life, trust, loyalty, devotion to
duty are rare virtues in those who
guide the nation. Ideality is hardly to
be met with in our representative men;
self-interest, pride and inglorious self
seeking have taken the place of the
stern responsibility, the deep sense of
duty and honor, which characterized
the first decades of our republican in
stitutions. Men of high attainment will
not serve. honorable, independent men
cannot command a place in the admin-
istration of affairs, because servility,
mercenary motives, trickery and self
seeking are uppermost and all-power-
full. Under such conditions the country
suffers, and will go to ruin unless we
find the remedy for these grieyous
sins. Many are the causes assigned for
this state of affairs. and many are the
remedies proposed to establish high
eli morality
Mrs. Neymann said that she would
speak of but one remedy, namely. the
necessity of Il higher ideal of marriage
and home life. She said that dissolu-
ton in the family leads to national de
cay, and national decay Is character
. lied by lax morality and a dissolute
home atmosphere. The marriage con-
tract is broken at the slightest proVoca-
ton. People marry, live together and
separate without any compunction of
soul and act as if there was nothing else
to satisfy but their own immediate de-
sires. Young people form alliances.
break the contract, renew it after a
short time with some other party, and
act as if all holiness and sanctity were
absent and no longer the ruling mo-
tives of welded life. They make in
dlvidual caprice, momcntary pleasure
and passion the binding and severing
elements of a relation which decides
more than any other the destiny of the
individual, the success and moral pros
perity OF = nation.
With such serious facts before u.s."
said Mrs. Neymann lis ii not astonish-
ing that so little is said and done to
stem the unholy tide of divorce scan
dal. Instead OF searching for the
causes and desiring remedies. many
writer's and thinkers try to solve the
problem by new schemes of separation.
TEere Is no end of new literature on
this question.
Mrs. Neymann made a strong plea
that people contemplating marriage
should weigh the proposition carefully