Page:The Truth about Marriage.djvu/42

 All barriers would be swept away if marriage were only a matter of trial and easy divorce, and we can easily imagine a time when men and women would be as free as dogs to mate with whatever dog of the other sex that came around.

How about monogamic marriage, marriage with one only? What is the nature of the instinct of love when it awakens in the human heart? I do not now refer to strong sex desire, but to that holy instinct of true love which puts a woman upon a pedestal and makes her an object of reverence? Does not love desire marriage only with the beloved? Does it not desire that such marriage be eternal?

Is not this kind of love truly human, even though it be mirrored now and then among the animal creation? It is distinctly opposed to mere animalism. It is a matter of the mind and spirit. It represents a true marriage of mind and soul. Shall we do away with all such ennobling sentiment that changes sordid life into transcendent beauty? Such sentiment makes marriage. Have we forgotten the romance enshrined in literature and music?

Frankly, is the word "marriage" to be thought of as an appropriate name for a relationship which has in mind only temporary sex-satisfaction? With