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Show MASSACUCNETTS AND POLYGAMY. POLYG-AMY. Just as Utah is showing signs of a willingness to abandon polygamy, a movement is set on foot in Old Massachusetts, Mas-sachusetts, having in view the adoption adop-tion of polygamy in a modified form. The Call's "Boston Letter," of la.-'t Sunday, says, "A petition has been actually prepared for submi-ion to the legislature signed by many of the best married women in the State, which, in substance, declares that the law which now governs society says, practically, that women should be married, should engage in work at their homes, aud ehould look to their hu-bands lor support. sup-port. But the census shows that it is impossible to carry out this unwritten but recognized law; that prejudioe and custom havo decided in favor of restricting re-stricting the husband to a single wife, yet without justice or authority, as the petitioners believe; that in the book which lies at the foundation of all law, there is no injunction against a plurality plural-ity of wives; that tho law against the marriage of a man to more than one wife, whero the wife does not objeot.and it is evident that the man is able to support two wives, Bhould bo abolished." abolish-ed." This is a singular petition to come from woman in any State, but one in which religion has educated the sex to b elievo in the divino origin of the doctrine of polygamy. Tho first and warmest desire of evory true woman's heart is to have a husband who loves her and no one but herself. Any o',hor marriage to the intelligent woman, whose mind is not warped up by the influences of polygamic teachings, teach-ings, is a mere matter of ooavenienee a choice between evils, and no more ohaste, in a moral point of view, than a relation faithful in its observanoc.yet unsanctioned by law. Such a petition is an admission, on the part of the women who sign it, that they are willing to give themselves, if tho law will make tho relation respeotublo, to any man who is willing and ablo to support them. The idea of love must bo banished-from a union of two wives to ono husband or two husbands to one wife. There may be passion, friendship, respect in suoh a union, but thcro can bo no lovo as tho word is understood in monogatnio countries. But these Bav State wo men are not petitioning for the realization realiza-tion of their ideal they are asking tor what thoy oan get. Tho law cannot give a woman tho wholo of a true-hearted true-hearted husband, but it may permit a woman to take suoh a portion of a husband as she can get without the disgraoo which attaches to an illicit relation. re-lation. Now it is a question if the social law has a right to forbid a woman wo-man to booomo a mother without marriage, mar-riage, unless it renders marriage possible. possi-ble. It is denying the woman the most saored privilege of har existenco. The law whioh presumes to regulato the conduct of individuals becomes responsible respon-sible not for their happiness but for possibility of happiness for tho chief elements of happiness. Thus a law whioh forbids a man or woman to become be-come a parent without marriage shou'd make marriage possible to evory man or woman not incapaoitated by nature. Where there aro more women than men or moro men than women,- a monogamio marriage for all is of oourse an impossibility. Golden Era. |