Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-30
DEFENDS DIVORCE
AND REMARRIAGE
DR.. BOWLING SAYS THEY ARE
JUSTIFIED
Does Not Think God Hath Joined
Together All Welded Couples and
Believes Many Unions
Should Be Broken

Should Be Broken
Divorce is right and proper, accord
ing to DIR. Levi bowling, pastor OF the
Church of Humanity. DR.. Dowling pc
lieves implicitly in the severing OF
matrimonial bonds that gall ana the
remarriage Of divorced couples IL the
divorced persons are so inclined. lie
Numerically scores the orthodox min
isters who would have laws passed to
nrevent divorce. In a lecture to his con-
gregation he said.
"ralk as much as you please about
the all-absorbing interest of men ana
women in politics, religion, soclety,
literature and art, the question that
rises like a giant above all other dues
tions is involved in marriage anu ilS
consequence. Church authorities, leg
islators and popular sentiment nave
often settled the questions that have
presented their many heads and faces
have buried all issues, and still, ike
Banquos glost, they will not down.
ministers of the gospel, from the
country parson to the highest prelate,
are now engaged in storming the castle
of matrimony and are making Her
culean effort to bring the tnump
screws and prison bars of the dark
masses struggling in dire ignorance toI
find happiness in the uncertain mazes
of marriage, divorce and second mar
riages Marriage congresses and d.
vorce law congresses and second,
third and fourth marriage congresses
are being held by the assumed leaders
of religious thought and in all the re-
ports of these conventions thus far
received not a redeeming feature isl
cytroo
been made that can lift an atom of the
burden from the shoulders of the mar
ital sufferers or to make the way more
pleasant for the millions who are rush
ing on to be such.
Critical students recognize three
kinds of marriage: Spiritual. senti-
mental, commercial.
Spiritual Marriage
"a spiritual marriage is one in which
the characters and idiosyncrasies of
the contra citing parties produce per-
feet equili brium. Ancient masters tell
us that people were created in pairs;
that the great overSOul in the begin
ming assigned one particular womanl
to the tender mercieS of one particular
man, and vice versa, and when in the
wonderful chain of births these two
meet they Immediately affinitize, are
l1TeSlSLtDlyF uIdWll bOS5CliCit thS AAOeou
tive meets the positive, a Sunion is
consummated, spiritual marriage
takes place. This is a marriage of
which may be said: What God hath
Joined together no man can put aSun-
der
"This marriage is in no way affected
by legislative bodies, or ecclesiastical
courts. Human permits and licenses
are not for one moment considered;
the union is effected according to the
law of God, with which puny man
has nothing to do.
Now, mark l have never said that
marriage licenses are valuless These
are legal documents, and while men
must be governed, must have civil and
political institutions, these legal rec
ognitionS of the union of man and
woman are absolutely essential. What
/ do say is that no one but the high
contracting parties have anything
whatever to do with the marriage
Rights of the parties are no way
changed by legal enactments; but the
legal records are evidences to the pub
lie that such relations do exist, and
the state thus formally agrees to pro-
tect the welded pair in their rights,
so far as others are concerned.
1.-The state has never yet had any
trouble regarding the affairs of a true
marriage, a spiritual union for there
is not power enough in the dominions
of BeeIzebub to separate two people
whom God hath Joined together.
Sentimental Marriages
Quite a per cent of manageable
people are attracted to each other by
sentiment, admiration. The attraction
of beauty, of form and feature, intel
lectual force, fascination Of speech
elegance of manners, and kindred ac-
complishments, may produce such
magical effects that union is con-
summated and qualified officer pro-
nounces the contract legal and the
matter of proving up adaptability
crowds to the front at once for con-
sidera ton.
"OnIy a few weeks or months are re-
quired to demonstrate the fact that
Imagination has made the picture too
strong; that both have been deceived;
that what appeared as love before
marriage deteriorated into sentiment.
Other persons with more beauty, more
accomplishments fit by; what might
have been probes the tender heart of
both husband and wife, and dissatis-
faction spreads her awful wings over
the new made home.
I'm fully nine out of every ten cases
sentimental marriages lead to a dis
satisfac ction that is appalling, and both
husband and wife lift up their hands,
many times from the depth of despair,
and ask for some relief. Ecclesiasti-
cism filings back the cruel taunt: You
made your bed and now you must lie
in it; there is no help you must love
the one of your choice. Did you not
solemnly promise the priest or preach
er that you would ardently love the
one you took for mate at the altar
until by death you shall be separated%
Pause! o cruel doctor of divinity
Who gave you authority to compel
these trembling souls that you are
said to have united in wedlock, to
promise to love anything in heaven,
earth or hell for even the fractional
part of minute2 Love is not under
the control of the will. Love is SUI
perior to will. Whoever promises to
love any one forever is reckoning with
unknown Quantities. Much of that
which men call love is admiration, and
admiration may lead on to nfatuation,
and infatuatlon is tickle goddess and
leads her devotees into dreary marshes
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