Chapter VI - Marriage
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hand to some noble woman, struggling alone with adver-
hand to some noble woman, struggling alone with adver-
sity, his more prudent wife saith "'Tis never best to
interfere with thy neighbor's business."
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Again, a wife is withheld from the ready aid her
Again, a wife is withheld from the ready aid her
sympathy and charity would afford, by some domestic
tyrant. The time cometh when marriage will be a union
of hearts; and again, the time cometh when there will
be no marrying or giving in marriage, but we shall be
as the angels; the Soul rejoicing in its own mate wherein
the masculine Wisdom and feminine Love are embraced
in the understanding. Because progeny needs to be
improved, let marriage continue, and permit no break-
ing down of law whereby a worse state of society is
produced, than at present.
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Puritanical honesty and virtue should be the stabil-
Puritanical honesty and virtue should be the stabil-
ity of this covenant; Soul will ultimately claim its own,
and the voices of personal sense be hushed. Marriage
should be the school of virtue, and offspring the germ
of man's highest nature. Christ, Truth, should be
present at the altar, to turn the water into wine, giving
inspiration to understanding, whereby man's spiritual
origin and existence are discerned. If the foundations
of affection are consistent with progress, its vows will
be strong and enduring. Divorces inform the age that
some fundamental error in this union is the source of
its discord. To gain the science, hence the harmony of
this relation, we should regard it more metaphysically
and less physically.
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The broad-cast power of evil so conspicuous to-day,
The broad-cast power of evil so conspicuous to-day,
is the materialism of the age struggling against the spir-
itual era, that advances; beholding the world's lack
of Christianity, and the powerlessness of promises, to
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make good husbands or wives, mind will at length
make good husbands or wives, mind will at length
demand a higher affection, and ferment on this and
many other subjects, until it settles down on an im-
proved understanding. But the fermentation of fluids
is not pleasant, during this nondescript stage, and matri-
mony that was once a fixed fact, is not so desirable on
a slippery foundation.
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The mental chemicalization that has brought infi-
The mental chemicalization that has brought infi-
delity to the surface, will as surely throw it off, and
marriage will settle down purer after the scum is ex-
pelled. "Sweet are the uses of adversity, which like
the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious
jewel in his head." They teach us not to lean upon
earth, it is a broken reed, that pierces to the heart. We
do not half remember this in the sunshine of joy and
prosperity. But sorrow is more salutary, and points
us from the cross to the crown prepared for those who
pass to their reward through much tribulation. Trials
are but proofs of God's care for his children. When
spiritual development takes place it germinates not
from seed sown in the soil of earthly hopes; rather do
these decay to propagate anew in Spirit those higher
joys that have no taint of earth, and thus our experi-
ences go up higher, and a point is won in progress.
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In conjugal felicity, it is well to remember how fleet-
In conjugal felicity, it is well to remember how fleet-
ing are the joys of earth, and be grateful for them. In
conjugal infelicity, separate not if there is no moral
demand for this; far better await the logic of events,
than for a wife precipitately to leave a husband, or a
husband his wife, for if one is better than the other,
this other pre-eminently needs good company. Socrates
considered patience salutary under such circumstances,