Show marriage and civilization W S lilly m i n the me january forcin the enemies of proper marriage assume a eliae that christianity chr is diF discredited credited well for the sake make of ar aument let us suppose that this is so doey it follow that the tile ethics of marriage chith as a matter of fact the modern world has received from irom christianity are also discredited I 1 reply most certainly not TI the 1 e ethics taught by christianity are in independent d d of those mysteries an aud d agn would 1 subsist to all eternity though I 1 christianity and all religions were swept into oblivion the moral law is is ascertained not from th the et rients of pr prophets ieti apostles evangelists but from a natural and permanent revelation of 0 the reason the great fundamental truths of ethics are necessary like the great fundamental truths of matho so much concerning christianity and ethics in general and now of the ethics of marfi marriage age in particular fi the earliest form of marriage known to us va was as that in which the bride was obtained by capture her volition counting for nothing her consent not even sought then she was w w accounted a mere chattel now ehe she is recognized as ai a person her liberty inviolable her will treo tree W to be won on she site m must be wooed N now ow t marriage Is a contract and is t to the ethical rules that govern all contracts marriage arriage Nl is something more than a mere contract we may put it aside saide the ecclesiastical view ot of it quite apart f from r 0 m t that h at view fr from 0 m t those h s e coart toi considerations t I 1 0 n s we A e m must so a account C C au n it L for jor if it is a symbol of that mystery whereby our spiritual life id its joined to our baily frames nay it is is more than that it is the outward visible emin eminently enty sensuous means whereby we attain to tu the inward spiritual grace of the furest purest joys the moet most un an selfish affee affections ions that this world 0 affers it is a natural sacrament of which the tile liu husband eiband and the wife are themselves the ministers it is is the accomplishment of the mans manhood and of the woul ins womanhood the blending of two personalities in a social organism embr embracing acin 9 their heir whole existences but the per though equal are diverse I 1 more th there e re are far peael reaching ing phy physical aleal differences the old platonic fable that the woman is the other half of the man is io profoundly true bite bile is the tile corn complement berneat of hl him 1 n and he of her let the perfect ideal idea 1 of indissoluble marriage age be once definitely beje rejected eted by mhd d world and human homan society will I 1 inevitably nev bly fa fall I 1 ba back c k to that wallowing in the mire from which the church rescued it and in whatever degree you tamper with this ideal and derogate from its strictness in that decree degree do you demoralize dem oralise woman yes and manitto manI man too tor for assuredly assur assuredly edl Y ho 0 speedily epe Ppe edily sinks to tier level T the j moral tone of society I 1 say defends depends 11 upon pon the chastity of woman and the he chastity of woman d depends e upon the absolute character of marriage |