In general it has to be said that it treats lack of
chastity among unmarried men as a very venial offence and punishes the
same offence in women with very severe social penalties; and it may
certainly be said that it has not yet demanded a full recognition by
the law of the equality of the sexes in the matter of moral and married
rights.
Now the question of the relation of our legal standards to the
Christian standard is an exceedingly difficult and yet vitally
important one. The hope of enforcing the Christian standard by law has
tempted many minds. In our own day many try to make the law of the land
enforce the Christian position about divorce. But there are grave
difficulties in connection with this course. The Christian attitude and
spirit cannot be produced by law. The scope of mere law must always be
much more restricted than the scope of the mind of Christ. The
Christian mind is not primarily concerned with penalties and does not
desire to see penalties attached to the failure to reach the Christian
standard in all things.
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