The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-01-03

terlal Tor thought ana spcculatiOL .
For the first time in its history 'po-
lygamist has presented himself at the
doors of Congress, asking a seat in
that body. Society, almost as a unit.
has held up its hands in horror at the
aifront. Yet it would be hard to get
what philosophic historian WOULD
consider logical reason for this from
many of those who are shocked atMr.
Roberts tcmcrity. 1t is known gen
orally that there are laws in all OF the
States against Il plurality of wives. 1t
is also matter Of common knowledge
that the average bigamist is Il sneak
in his offending against these Laws AID
that he is usually only discovered by
chance. When one is discovered as
having gone further than bigamy in
breaking the marriage laws he is held
up to the public as something i'll the
way Of freak. The women regard
h n as a human monster, and the men
look on him with something akin to
plying contempt Punishment is ac-
c.p;cd without question as the proper
thing for his offensc.
Men guilty Of other crimes under
the law often raise the question Of the
justice Of the punishment Inflicted,
but bigamist takes his penal SEN
tencc rs matter Of course. Little
wonder that society should nearly have
lost it's breath when it became known
that polygamist was coming to Con-
gress. Society knew in a general way
that way "out yonder in Utah there
was religious sect whose male mem
bcrs had plurality Of wives. But
outside Of few reformcrs knew or
cared anything about tic matter But
when one Of these much married men
asked for scat in the highest law
making body in the land an entirely
new phase Of the matter was present
cd. A cry like tia. Of .Macedon went
up to Congress.
The womep, the ministers and all
the members Of that great element Of
society called the moral reformcrs'
rose as one in protest against this man
from Utah. The women, in their de-
lightfully artful way, did not give any
particular reason why he should be
excluded. Indeed, they were not ex-
pected to. Because was amply
sufficient in this case, as it is in SO
many others, where femininity is call
ed on to give reasons. It fell to the
lot of the ministers and moral reform
ers to furnish the reason why Mr..
Roberts should be excluded. It was
generally conceded among them that
marriage is divine institution, be-
cause God gave Eve TO Adam, and
further, that 1t was never intended that
man should have more than one wife
because. the Lord only gave Adam one
It is true that there is no record Of
any marriage ceremony, so dear to the
female heart, ever having taken place
in the Ga,d Of Eden; so that the
origin OF our present views on the
question can scarcely be traced to any
recorded divine law in regard to tho
matter It is true that the Ten Com
mandmcnts, handed down to Moses,
imply marital relation as existing
among the Jews, but there is no inti-
nation that monogamy was the rule or
that polygamy was prohibited. In
fact, that Bible record is explicit IN
its statements that polygamWAdid
exist among the "choscn people of
Cod
: Gladstone, in one Of the magazine
articles he wrote in reply to Col. In
gersoll Oh the subject Of Christianity,
remarked quite incidentally that mar
riagc was to him the greatest mystery
Of humanity. To thesmind of the
great English statesman and scholar
the miracles Of Christianity presented
suc.i difficulties for comprehension as
this purely human institution. He
had gone deep into the history Of the
subject without getting much light as
to the reason why marriage existed as
an institution. He was content, how
ever, to limit practical experience in
the matter to one venture in the way
Of matrimony; whether from Difference
to established custom orfor prudential
reasons the great commoner gives no
intimation.
Where Gladstone failed to master
the reasons for the s'institrtion," tits
hardly to be expected that the members
Of the 56th Congress should find ready
means ef placing .hemselres c= .ssssSS..aa
in tne matter. This is history max
ing period, however, and ie may be
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