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Leader (1850-1860), 16th August 1851, Edition Town of 2, Page 785, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER . Dover , July 28 , 1851 . Sir , —In Lev . jcviii . 18 , Dr . Lees has , I believe , at last discovered the very thing which he sadly required , a good scriptural argument in justification of the proposed enactment . It is very certain that a mere absence of direct opposition would by no means satisfactorily , imply the Divine approbation ; for there are innumerable duties not strictly ordered , and peccadilloes not expressly forbidden , in the Bible , which , notwithstanding , pure religionists of all sects know to be in accordance

      with , or contrary to , the tenor of its general inculcations , and which are therefore regarded as laws equally sacred with those which happen to be literally promulgated through the medium of its pages . We observe an instance of this in the fact that , although Moses is silent with respect to the union of a woman with the brother of either of her parents , yet there exists a statute at this moment in our highly orthodox code , which renders such a union invalid , the said statute being of course founded on the 12 th and 13 th verses of that grievously victimized chapter above-mentioned , which are presumed to contain God ' s veto against the marriage of a man with his

      aunt . Depending on the applicability of the same rule to the point in dispute , and for want of special evidence to the reverse , I have hitherto contended that a prohibition affecting the brother ' s widow should be construed as also affecting the wife ' s sister ; but that opinion I must now unconditionally surrender . The simple circumstance of the great lawgiver having declared ( according to the authority of the best Hebrew scholars ) that a man and his sister-in-law might not enter the " state matrimonial" during the lifetime of his wife , and declared that only , is ample proof for me that lie never intended it to be understood that they might not do so after her decease .

      To doubt that the creation of a positive exception was a consequence of the positive omission , I see would be to at once condemn the Israelite ns an extremely careless " Father of his People ; " and tlu ; saints forbid that we should -ever entertain so profane an idea , even though grandmamma Church , in tlu ? desperation of tottering power , pour upon our poor heads from her well known pale , her no less celebrated " viwl of wrath" ! So far , then , Dr . Lees and I are agreed . I submit to his showing not only that there is no text in the Scriptures absolutely antagonize to the alliance in question , butthat there really is one which unmimakeably permits it ; further than this it is very improbable thut we shall concur .

      However , as my avowed object in introducing the subject was merely a vindication of the consistency of those who advocated this measure on Christian principles , and as their ehatnpion deelines to proeee , < l beyond the conviction which lie has fairly expressed , it only remains for me to make my bow ( a sutKrienily awkward one by-the-by ) , and so JVr as he is concerned to way my adieu . Yet , let these be accompanied by a disclaimer of all 40 ogmatmm in connection with the name upon which jDr . Lee » does me the honour to be fucetious . jle will perceive that my alleged assumption must ijidced have been of a temporary character ; for I only mtiintaiii my own interpretation till he furiiinheu mo with a better , and then -without u groan (!) abandon it .

      What more can be reasonably expected from a most imperfect , ehild of thin " weak aiul sinful tlesli" ? Allow me to add in conclusion , that 1 cannot , acquit ; the Jewinh marriage laws and their modern counterpart of exceeding incongruity ; the lirst , iuutimuch « h I urn utterly ut , u Iohh to determine . for what earthl y reason other relations b-y affinity should be excluded from the edicts which legalized the

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      union of the widower with hia gister-in-law ; the latter , because many of them are totally at variance with natural affections and moral freedom . Perchance some correspondent who is more at leisure than Dr . Lees , will be good enough to inform us why legislation as to marriage is necessary at all . Faithfully yours , Richard Fkiknd .

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      MONEY MARKET AND CITY INTELLIGENCE Satubday . Consols maintained the prices quoted in our last up to Wednesday , when they declined an eighth , rallying slightly on Thursday , and finally receding to 961 for money . The closing prices yesterday were— Consols , 96 | § Fluctuations have been , Consols to 96 f to §; Bank Stock , 215 to 216 ; Exchequer Bills , from 46 s , to 50 s . premium . Foreigu Stocks have been dull . Yesterday the bargains in the official list comprised .- —Brazilian , 91 J ; the New , 92 ; Danish Three per Cents ., 78 £ ; Mexican , for money , 29 , 29 £ , and 29 ; for the account , 29 j ; Peruvian , for account , 90 f ; Russian Four-and-a-Half per Cents ., 1015 ; Sardinian Scrip , par , £ dis ., and par ; Spanish Five per Cents ., 20 |; Venezuela , 31 ; Austrian , 82 ; Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cents ., 60 ; and the Four per Cent . Certificates , 93 and 93 J .

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      THE POWER OF EDUCATION . Lon , August 4 , 1851 . Sm ,-I see in the Leader of August 2 , some remarks upon the subject of education , on which I must beg leave to make a few observations . It is stated that it has taken thousands of years to arrive at our present stage of mental development , and it may perhaps take thousands more to bring man to the perfection of which he is capable . lhis I grant , and more ; because , judging from the pa « t , it that will at stage of his tnat win iogo

      mav be inferred man every may be inferred man ax every » u * m » development be capable of further improvement . But it is added ; " Hundreds of years will probably be sufficient to place man in a very advanced position to any which he has hitherto occupied . Let us not , however , be too sanguine ; for we have to wait patiently for the growth of the material organs upon ¦ which the strength of the higher mental feelings depends . If all things were favourable to this growth , it must still take many generations in the mass of mankind . "

      An encouraging prospect this , for educational reformers ! Fortunately , however , we have facts to demonstrate that " when all things are favourable , " the material organs may be so educed , or made to grow , or to be developed in the children of the mass of mankind , in any generation , as to place them in a very advanced position in comparison to any which has been previously attained by any portion of the human race . This is not a matter of speculation or of mere theory , but a truth which is practically demonstrated by facts .

      Hitherto mankind have been mentally blind to certain facts of the highest importance , and in consequence of this blindness they have imbibed erroneous ideas most injurious to their intellectual powers and moral feelings . With this mental blindness and these erroneous ideas—which all have hitherto been made to possess—the attainment of true intellectual and moral excellence is an impossibility , even to the most highly favoured by nature in intellectual and moral organism , and by education such as can be given by persons thus mentally blind and perverted .

      But , now that the knowledge which has hitherto been wanting has been attained , —as it has been , — the children of the mass of mankind may be trained under the influence of this knowledge and of the consequent correct and beneficial ideas and feelings and other favourable circumstances unattainable without this knowledge ; and when so trained , they will be delivered from this mental blindness and its consequences ; and every sane individual , whose intelligence and moral feelings have been thus liberated and educed , will of necessity be greatly superior , intellectually and morally , to those who have remained under the influence of the blindness and erroneous notions which have hitherto perverted the faculties of a / 2 .

      Of course , educational advantages being equal , the better the original organization the better will be the educated result ; but to those who have acquired some knowledge of the new science of education it will be evident that even organizatijns , which are below the average in natural endowments , will become much superior in useful practical knowledge , in consistency of mind , in purity of goodness , and in universality of benevolence when educated in and under the influence of this science , and of the educational means which it will suggest , to the best intellectual and moral organizations educated in and under the ignorance of thui science , as all have hitherto been .

      It would be most true that " it would take many generations to place man in a very advanced pouition mentally to any which he has hitherto occupied : " if ho could continue to be trained in and under ignorance of this new science of education and the consequences of that ignorance—as many generations , or thousands of generations as can be imagined ; for man can never attain any great mental elevation while trained in falsehood and inconsistency ; und ho must continue to be no trained until this science shall be brought into practice . Hut now that this science hun beco me known , the extension of thia knowledge , and its consequent general application , cannot be much longer deferred ; and when it shall be thus applied , one generation will produce an immeasurable mental "dvaacement in the human race .

      I will endeavour in other letter ** to explain what this "cience in , and how it will produce the effects which I have Htuted ; for until both theao diviuions of the subject are understood no rational judgment can be formed respecting it . 1 will not now intrude further upon your space than to quote' the following whort « tutement of tlus rt'Hultb of a purtiul application of the knowledge to which 1 have referred , in the only educational eupthnshmentin which it has been even purtiully upplied to pruet . iee—namely , at New Liinurk , under M ( r . *> wou ' m superintendence .

      ' 1 he children born within thib eatabliahment , // in < l tnuned from infancy in the new institution for . ^ hat 'oriuution of churucter , were fur superior to thtiiohil" « - ' » i of thtir class in wny part of the world— -mi eoino *« Jp « ctH to the children of uny clttaa in society . So «» U < aU bo , that many of our first female nobility , on

      witnessing their conduct , manners , and attainments , said to me , with tears in their eyes , ' — « Mr . Owen , I would give any money to have my children as these are . ' Many clergy of all denominations visited the establishment ; and some of them said , *— ' Mr . Owen , this is a new human nature to me , and is what I never expected to witness in this life . ' Others , after inspecting the whole proceedings of the institution and the entire of the establishment , said , — « Mr .

      Owen , this is a new world to me and a new human nature ; and if my brothers , in whom I place all confidence , had described to me what I have seen in common practice here , I should not have believed them . Nothing less than actual inspection , and seeing what I have seen with my own eyes , would have convinced me that such a state of goodness , excellence , and happiness , especially among the working class , was attainable . ' "—Owen ' s Universal Revolution .

      And yet in this experiment , owing to local circumstances , the new science was applied under many disadvantages , and in a limited and very imperfect manner . The results stated were seen by thousands , and are attested by the published writings and speeches of many persons whose testimony is beyond suspicion . Henbt Thavis .

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      Ava . 16 , 1851 . 1 ffftg fLtSttV * 785

      Cmtmterriiil Iffuirs.

      Cmtmterriiil Iffuirs .

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      BRITISH FUNDS FOB . THE PAST WEEK . ( Closing Prices . )

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      FOREIGN FUNDS . ( Last Official Quotation during the Week ending Friday Evening ' . ) Austrian 5 per Cents . 82 Mexican 5 per Ct . Ace . 29 { Belgian JJd » ., 4 i p . Ct . — -Small .. .. — Brazilian i ) per Cents , flj Neapolitan 5 per Cents . — Buenos Ayres 6 p . Cta . — Peruvian 4 J per Cents . — Chilian 6 per Cents . .. — Portuguese ft per Cent . — Duiiish 5 per Cent * . .. — 1 per Cts . — Dutch 2 A per Cents ... GO Annuities — ,--4 per Cents . .. 03 J Kuanian , 1 K 22 , 4 . } p . Ota . 101 J Kcuador lionds .. — Spun . Actives , f ) p . Ct » . 2 0 ^ French ft p . O . An . iitParis — 1 ' unnivo .. —' 3 p . Cls ., Juljll , ¦— Deferred .. —

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      Satur . Mond . Tues . JVedn . \ Thurs . Frid BankStock .... 215 2153 215 ? 215 * HH 3 per Ct . Red .. 9 7 * 97 | 97 $ 97 A 97 i 97 J 3 p . CCon . Ans . 96 | 96 g 98 § 96 | 96 g 96 * 3 p . C . An . 1726 . 3 p . Ct . Con ., Ac 963 96 § 96 ? 96 § 9 M 96 4 p . Cent . An . 99 J 98 | 99 J 99 99 $ 98 £ New 5 per Cts . ¦ ~ Long-Ans ,, 1860 . 7 J 7 g 7 S , $ Ind . St . 104 p . ct . 263 261 2601 Ditto Hoiids .. 58 p 57 p 57 p 57 p 58 p 00 p Ex . Bills . 1000 / . 46 (> 46 p 46 p 49 p . > 0 p 56 p Ditto , 5 JU * . .. 46 p 46 p 46 p 49 p 50 p 56 p Ditto , Small 46 pi 46 p 46 p 4 'J p __ /) 0 p 5 P p

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      SHAH KB . Laat Olllcial Quotation lor Week ending Friday Evening . Kaii . ways . . Hanks . Aberdeen .. .. DjJ Australasian .. .. — IVriutoi ; uul K&oter - W > British N 01 th American Caledonian .. .. 10 / J Colonial .. .. .. — Lantern Counties .. 6 Commercial of London .. — Edinburgh Mid ( jlun ( jow ¦— London and WeKtmiiialX' r — ( ircat NorlMern .. .. ltijj London Joint Stock .. — orfitt . 8 . He \ V . ( Ireland ) — National of Ireland .. — Oreut NVentern .. tUj National Provincial .. —~ Lancashire and Yorkshire 47 Provincial of Ireland .. Lancaster and CurliHle — Union of Australia .. 3 . > Lou el ., llri hton , XcH . Count OH Union of London .. — - London and Hluckwall . . 6 j ) MlM ' . H . London ; ui < l N .-Western UO . j | Bol . mos .. .. .. — Midland .. .. .. 4 i * , j Jlraziliun Imperial .. —¦ North III it i « h .. «> . | Uitl . o , St . lohn del Key — Houtli- Kanti'i 11 and Dover lil ^ Cohrt' Copper .. .. — South-WeiUerii .. Mi t M 1 HOKI . 1 . A . NKOUS . Vorlt , Nimvciih ., Me Berwick I 7 H AtiHlrnli . 111 Agricultural — York and North Midland 17 ^ Canada .. .. .. — Dooih . licni'iul Steam .. .. — l '" , unt . hikI VV « i \( , Indiu .. - — P < -. nin » . & Oriental fciteaiu ' . ) London .. .. .. Koyal M . iil Steam .. —• Ml . Katharine .. .. — South An tialian .. —

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      AVKRAliE 1 'IUCK OF HUOAU . The r . verupe price of Brown or MiihcovuiIo ( Sugar , computed fiom tin ? letiinih mnde in the week ending the l ^ th day of AligUHl , 1 H !) 1 , ih 2 ! m . 6 ; Jd . per c . wl ,

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      CORN KX (; iIANOK . Makk-j . ank , August !/> . —With jtliort jiuppliea the ( . rude in all grain reniuiim an on Monthly . On OlUa olom ; a ttlighl impi'ovcmi nt in priws in ohi . ii ¦ ' KiikIi , Ii . IiimIi . Foreign Wh « at .. .. li ) .-J . » */>*)> JiarU-y .... -10 £ " £ Out * .. - < W 0 —• <* . 870 Flour : KngYish , 1 , 610 . Foreign , 1 , 010 moka , 9 , 260 barroln .

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      HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEKK . ( From the Registrar-General's Report . ) The sickness to which young children are subject at this period of t-e year is apparently the cause of a progressive increase in the mortality during the last three weeks . In the week ending July 19 th , 873 deaths were registered in London ; in the two following weeks they were 956 and 1010 ; and in that ending last Saturday they

      rose to 1038 . Making allowance for increase of population , and excluding the year of epidemic cholera from the comparison , it does not appear that the present return differs materially as regards the gross amount of mortality , from the average experience of corresponding weeks in the years 1841-50 . The births of 749 boys and 728 girls , in all 1477 children , were registered last week . The average number of six corresponding weeks in 1845—60 was 1286 .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 16, 1851, page 785, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1896/page/21/