Year: 1875

also IN this county, L am clergyman
for thirty years of the p T. Church; il
1872 | was connected with the Indisni
State University at Bloomington, which
was and is open to both sexes for study
this has been so for seyen or eight years
Mr.. TiltOn lectured there on tho 9Th o
February, 1872 the subject of the lectur'
was, marriage and divorce" and it
title was, "Hone, Sweet Home" during
that lecture he gave an account of th'
marriage relation as he defined it; hetolc
them to follow nature in the formation o
marital relations not the law of nature
he used very i'll terms about the church
and State; he said to the audience tha
he would not permit the State TO Interfere
or regulate the formation of this relation
between sexes, and if he could have his
way he would crush the church and State
too He said it any two of you loyt
each other and promise to be faithful
to each other, that vow makes you one
without the Intervention of priest; he
said that as they came together without
formality on their mere desire without
church or State, they could separate in
the same way. He sald there might be 4
difficulty about providing for children
born in that way, but that the State ought
to take care of them; there were 43 or
A female stadents at that time; these
young women were of all ages ranging e
from Is to u or %; / have been here
two weeks to-day, and came here on bus
mess with the church.


Cross ss-examined-I was written to by
Mr.. Shearman about two months ago
with reference to this case; L received
two letters and replied to them; MIR.
Shearman said he thought my presence
would not be necessary; | gave him somc
facts about what have told here, but did
not give him all | recolected, because
| had filled the sheet, and thought | had
given him enough; not dollar of ex-
penses have been paid me; Shearman
sent telegram TO my home, telling mo
to come on, and it WAS forwarded to me
to New York; Evarts gave me notice to
come here to-day; after this lecture of
Tiltons | addressed the meeting, and he
made reply.
The President of the University Pre-


sided


Mt that lecture; he lectured to similar
audience the next day in the College
Chapel on the same subject; heard he
was requested to repeat his lecture
by the officers and faculty; l heard that
the students passed resolutions of than ks
TO Tilton for his lecture; did not attend
the second lecture because | was DISCUS
ted with the first; | was member of the
faculty theh and continued there six or
seven months, when | resigned in cOnse-
quence of the persecution | received for
the action | took the night of Tilton's
lecture; was requested to resign; do
not know Prot. Warwick, but have heard
his name; heard he was an elocution
arv reader in and about the college;
never heard him lecture in the col
lege building; in the forming Of
matrimonial relation, | hold that
the laws of nature ought to be fol-
lowed; should not feel that / was mar
ried, by VOW or resolution, to woman,
nor do not believe so; bold that there
should be some divine or religious sane.
ton by either the church or State, or
both; hold that there is no valid cause
for divorce except that given in the New
Testament, namely, adultery; under any
other circumstances than adultery hold
that man should not be divorced l be-
lievc Mr.. Tilton advocated desertion as
Il cause of divorce. or blathered (?) some
thing about it.


He reviewed the laws of
the different States on divorce,
and advocated their harmoniza-
ton. am not well acquainted with the
laws OF divorce in Indiana. l hold that
n marriage performed by Justice of the
Peace is a valid and legal marriage,
though not religious one.


Re direct eXamination--After Tilton' S
lecture, l said to the audience that ] had
never heard more dangerous lecture
both to the place and audience. Tilton
replied, running his hands through his
hair that he did not wish to measure
swords with the gentleman on the sub
iect. He said he had been asked
to deliver lecture on this
subject by both professors and students;
this stirred up an opposition and feeling
against me which kept increasing, and
six weeks after was constrained to re-
sign my situation and did so; since then
! have pursued my calling as a minister
| was in New York two weeks when l
received the telegram from home day
before yesterday; before that l had no
communication from any gentleman
connected with the cause; |
went and consulted friend as to my
course in the premises; had no desire 20
be called on to testify in this case.


One of the letters written by Mr.. Gay
to Shearman, offered in evidence, after a
brief argument, was ruled out, but allow
ed to be marked for identification.


Witness then continucd-There was a
change in the laws regarding divorce in
Indiana, the first session after Tilton's
lecture.


This concluded Gays evidence and the
Court adjourned.