The San Francisco call., 1910-12-10
BURKE WROTE VIEWS
MISS SMITH GOT ESSAY

radShip. But this, however, Is
marriage of preference and not that
voluntary and natural marriage. All
human experience shows US that
socially enforced marriage can not
be an education in anything but
spiritual bitterness, the gentle are
of nagging and all uncharitable
ness"
Doctor Burke ridiculed marriage
vows to love and cherish, saying:
Does then a promise to cherish
and the obligation to render
throughout life the kind of love that
a man or woman can morally
promise to render with it the opi-
CATION to live throughout life In
the relationship of husband or OF
wife with the person to whom the
vow has been made? Every student
of social evolution predicts tnat the
conscience of mankind-and woman
kind-wiIl more and more unequlVo-
cally make the negative answer.
For. obviously, there is no necessary
relation between love in the sense
of gratitude, sympathy and Kind
ness on the one hand and cohabita-
ton on the other. One does not
cease to love and cherish his pa
rents when he leaves them to live
as man and wife In the absence OF
such necessity our moral question,
stripped of all sophistries and ir-
relevancies, becomes this point
blank issue, to wit: Is natural love,
meaning thereby not only passion,
but also the spontaneous prefer
ence of two agreeing minds, or TWO
sympathetic natures for each other
the sincere, decent and therefore
right basis of cohabitation, or is
some other consideration, as OF
economy, social standing or of price
or of kindness or of gratitude or OF
pity, a more natural and therefore
a more sincere and more decent ba-
sis?
Individuality consists in being
truly, frankly, honestly ourselves
Only as we are sincere in this sense
can we love truth and a fearless
rectitude. And only as we love
truth and are fearless in our recti-
tude, shall we give our minds and
sympathies free play, thereby at
tanning mastery of the world and
perfecting the joy of life. But as
we become sincere we shall cease
to compel one another to live con-
ventional lives.
you and l are born of woman
and begotten according to Natures
laws, so immutable that no king,
emperor, president, congress, legis-
lature, city council, church or in
dividual can change them. Had
your parents and mine been un-
married the natural laws would
have worked just the same, al
though the church and society
would have declared us illegitimate,
though we would have possessed the
same attributes or faculties that
exist within us now. Our environ
ments would have been the same.
The only difference would have been
the stain set up by the popular
standard of morality, on our names.
TT is true, however, that we are
children of parents reared in the
darkness Of the church, whose prac-
tice was strict and their training
of their children no less strict. but
all contrary to Natures laws.
cowardly Christians formerly took
lives, and now take the liberties of
many who dare think and act ac-
cording to natural laws and ex-
press them, yet they never did and
never can suppress the laws of Ma
ture and their workings. They are
blinded by popular (standard of
morality of the church by declaring
mems statutes superior to Natures
most elementary principles. Hence,
natural philosophy shows me it is
their own minds which are diseased
and there is where the whole trou-
BILE lies, and this self leads all into
hell of misery and the very thing
which causes all our trouble.
THE noble woman is she who
has faith in the divine and courage
enough to live Natures ways. no
matter what the results, no matter
what the popular standard of NOR
ais that are contrary to the dictates
of divine Nature. The noble are not
among those who teach and prac-
tice contrary to the Nature that
gave them existence
Where there is affinity there is
the opportunity for obedience.
Where there is repulsion 1t, too,
must be obeyed. Afinities come
together, repulsions do not. 1t is
Divinity (in these), manifesting.
How can you believe all is good.
and condemn about half of the all?
All is good, and If the selfish stand
ard of morality were out of the way
all would see it. But do not under
stand that we condemn these selfish
standards, for out of them will
grow the true standard. But do not.
r-rtIo
mony, peace and rest for these will
not be found there. These must
exist until they fulfill their pur-
pose and then they will pass away.
When any one condemns ANYTHING
In this universe that is natural. as
Is done by many, 1t is condemnation
OF Divine ways. Nature is God
speaking to us. No. says one. that
won't do So here is self setting
himself up as God in the temple of
God.
Love is affinity one for another.
but on planes or grades. You and
l are the absolute abandon of love
II we would allow it so.
Love is more than passion, but It
lives not without passion. 1t can
not live on passion alone. Passion
born of affinity is divine. Passion
born of the brain or the body is
abortive = humanity .abortive. Ma
ture says: Be utterly passionate
where there is affinity and then II
Will be pure Human morality SAYS:
You should not be passionate or
you can not be pure
What is love? There is no an
swer for such as need ask Loves
only interpreters are loves exem-