Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-09-23

hefnttous u1u frequency WIN
which Marriage Vows Are broken.
Uniform DiNorre Laws Needed.
lCopyrisht. Louis klopsch 1891
WASHINGTON Sept. l7.-pr.'ralmnge in
this discourse discusses "a question of na.
tional Importance. which il confessedly
as difficult a. II is urgent. The text is
Matthew xiX. q. What therefore God
hath joined together let not man put
asundcr."
That there are hundreds and thousands
of infclicitous homes In America no one
will doubt. II there were only one skcle-
ton In the closet. that might be- locked
up aud abandoned. but IN many home
there is skeleton IN the hallway and a
skeleton In all the apartments. "unhap-
pills married" are two words descriptive
Of many homestead. II needs no or
thodox minister Ia prove to badly
mated pair that there Is a hell. They
are there now. Sometimes grand and
gracious woman will be thus incarcer
ated, aud her life will be n cruciiixion.
as was the case with Mrs. Sigonrncy. the
great poctess and the great soul. Some.
times a consecratcd man will bc united
20 fury. A. was John Wesley. or united
10 " NlAtts AN WIS dtiu hlfhis sHttttf
times. aud generally. both parties are tn
blame. and Thomas Carlyle Is an iniolcr-
able grumhlcr. and his wife has pun
gent rctort always ready. and Froude,
the historian. pledged to tell the plain
truth. has e. pull aside the curtain from
the lifelong sqnabble nj Craigenputiock
aud , Chcync row.
Some say that for the alienation Of
ii l.. 4 4.
hear easy divorce is a good prescription.
God sometimes authorizes divorce as
certainly as hc authorizes marriage
have just a. much regard for one law
fully divorced as ! have for one lawfully
married. lInt you know and know that
wholesale divorce is one of our national
scourgcs. ! am not surprised al this
when ! think 81 the Influences which
have been abroad initiating against the
marriage relation. For many years the
platforms 81 the country rang with talk
about 1. free love millennium. There
were meetings ~ this kind held Ia the
Academy Of Music. Brooklyn: Cooper in
stituic. New York: fremont temple. Bos-
ton. aud nll over the land. Some of the
women who were most prominent in that
movement have since been distinguished
for great promiscuosity of affection. Pop
ular themes Tor such occasions were the
tyranny Of man. the oppression ~ the
marriage relation. womcn's rights and
the afliniiies. Prominent speakers we're
women with short curls aud short dress
aud very long tongue, cyerlasiingly nj
war with God because they were created
women. while on the platform sat meek
men with soft accent and cowcd de-
mcanor. apnlugetic for maSculinity and
holding the parasols while tnr icrmagant
orators went on preaching the gospel OF
free love. That campaign Of about 20
years set more devils into the marriage
relation than will be- exercised ia the
next 20. Men aud women went home
from such meetings 50 permanently con
fused as To- who were their wives and
husbands that they never got out Of the
pcrpicxiiy. and the criminal aud the
civil courts tried To discntangle the Had
Of woes. and this one got alimuny. and
that one got limited divorce. and this
mother kept the children on condition
that the father could sometimes come
and look at them. and these went into
poorhouSeS. aud those went into an in
sane asylum. aud those went into dis
solutc public hfc. and all went 10 de-
struciion. The mightiesi war ever made
against the marriage institution WAS
that free love campaign. sometimes I'M
der one name and sometimes under AN
other.
The system of Poiygamy.
Another influence that has warred up
on the marriage relation has been polyg-
amy in Utah. That i stereotypcd earl
cature 81 the marriage relation and has
poisoned the whole Land. You might rs
well think that you can have an arm in
state 81 modification and YET HE whole
body not hc sirkrmed ~ &C. have any ter
ritories or states polygamized and yet the
body ~ the nation not feel The putrefac-
ton. Hear il. good men and women ~
America. that 81 long ago a 1852 a law
was passed by congress forbidding rnlyg-
amy In the territories aud in all the
places where they had jurisdiction. Thir-
ty-seven years have passed along and
nine administrations. yet not INITIAL the
passage ~ the Idmuuds law in lSS2 was
any active policy Of poiygamic suppress
sion adopted Armed with Al the power
OF government and having an army al
their disposal. the first brick had not ill
then been knocked from that fortress ~
libcriinism Every new president IN his
inaugural iicilei that monster with the
straw ~ condemnation. and every con
gress siultihed itself in proposing some
plan that would not work. Polysa.ay
stood in Utah and in other of the terri
tories more intrnchcd. more brazcn. more
puissant. more hragsart and more inter-
nal than NJ any time in its history
James buchanan. much abused man ~
his day. did more for tho cviirpaiipn or
this villainy than all the subsequent ad
ministratiuns dared Ia 10 up t. lSS2.
Mr. Buchanan sent ont an army, and.
although IL was halted Ia lis work, still
he accomplished more than the sulise
quent admiuistratio which lid nothing
but talk. talk. talk Even NJ this late
day and with the Eumumi< act in force
the evil has not been wholly cxtirpats.i.
Polygamy in Utah. though outlawrd. is
still pracfircl in secret. II has warrrd
against the marriage relation throughout
the land. II Is impossible To- have smch
IN aw III sewer II iniqnity sending up its
miasma. which Is waited 10y the winds
north. south. east and west without the
whole land being affected by H.
Another Influence that has warred
against the marriage relation in this
country has been a puStulnuS literature.
with It's millions of sheets every week
choked with stories Of domestic wrongs
and infidelitica aud massacres ana ont
RACES. until IL is wonder tn me that
there are any drcencics ar any common
sense left on the subject of marriage.
One-half ~ the newssinnds ~ our great
cities rcck with the filth.
Easy Divorces Condemned.
Snow" says some. 1--WE admit all those
evils. and the only way to clear them ont
or 10 correct them j. 10y easy divorce.
Well. before We yield a. that cry let ~
find out how easy IL j. now. ! have
looked over the laws ~ all the states. and
I iiud that. while in some states Il
IN. easier than ia others. IN every
STATE II Is easy. The state ~ Illinois.
through its legislature. recites q long list