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Adultery Legalized

Adultery Legalized image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
April
Year
1843
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The Argus of last week quoted the first parag.-aph of our article on thie subject, and comments thus: We are al a loss to determine which was tlie most excited on reading the abovo paragraph, our pjty or our disgust, pity for the ignorance which could pen a paragniph contaiuing such misrepresentation, or disgust at. the gross wickedness which could seck tb palm upon their readers tuch bold deceptiori, at least. VVesuppose the grapliic desenption of the interview with, and decisión upon the case, by our Saviour, of a woman. who was accused of adultovy Sc taken in the very act belongs not to the Christinn Sciptures, for the editors say that ïhey condemn it; and they make 1lie assertion without aiiy reservaiion. Again, they sny "it is fnrbidden by the lavsofall civilized nations." We ftippose accoi ding to these editors, England isnotin.ckided nmong the mimber ofcivihzed uations, for the offence is unknown to her statutes. No ennctments prohibiting it are fuuud in her laws.The cditorsare equally unfortuoate in the asserlion 'we boüeve enactments ogaint it have been passed in each State n the union,' The Slate of New York' has no stiitutory enactment mont njrainst it. And we bclirve ihat a large mnjority of the States in the Union have no sucl) laws. We have taken stops to ascertain huw many ofStates have such laws, which we símil lny béfore our readers. ín tbe, tiioautime let the nbovc suffice for the present." As the editor is determined to bestow on us bis "pity" or his "diác-ust," we plead not ffuilty tothe charge of"gross wickedness,'' and confess oureelves to be defaulters ín the matter of "ignorancc," if our posi'ions bé incorrect. But how starids the case? We said that i-by the Cliristian Scripcures, AduUery & Fornicaliou are considered as heinous acts." Will the editor of the Arus o deny or admit it? Will he picase to an swer to our propoaition, yea or nay? By turning to his Bib!e, b.8 will finJ that the last. words tlrcSavior said fó thé adulterous wömnn, wore,- "Go, and sin no more." Was not this condemning her crime? We said that f(it has been forbidden by the ' laws of all civilied hations." Perhaps we were unfortunate in our assertjon in respect to I England, yet a reference to Bluclcstolie's Commentaries, vol. 4, p. 65, will show that the letter of our declaration was strictly true- The lea'rned Judge saysrIn the year'of 1650, when the ruiing powers fouïid il for lheir[interest to put on the sembiance of a very extrnordinary slriciness and purity of moráis, riot only incest and icilul adultery toeremade capital cri mes ;bul a!so the repeated'act of a brotliel, or cornmiltingjöniicalion were (upon a seóond óonriction) made felony without benefit of clorgy. Astothe laws of the several States, we ill wait till the editor favors us with the rcsu!t of bis inveatigations. In another part of lus paper, he speaks of the law a jainst adultery as an"old federal blue law of Massachusetts." That will do well enough for an epithót. But canrrot yoli advance a bet ter reason than Ihat fot it3 repeal?05 Iïcnry Clay proclaims to the world tliat hisElav.es are iCfat and slcck Their inl'elligcnco rnay be suimiseJ iVom the circum stance ihat wheri he udvertised for one of his fugitivos, the fnct that he coulJ ''read a iittle' was tetforth in the hondb'll as an index eufficiently rcmarkablc to aid in his detection.

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News