Record of a Friendship

acknowledge the child. But a certificate in itself does not constitute a
marriage. There is nowhere a law which forbids actual marriage without
a certificate for adult persons. And giving in to pestilent public opinion
in such matters means to counteract yourself if you fight for human
health. Furthermore, not the law but the marrying people declare
whether they marry or not. The certificate only certifies this decision of
the marrying people.
We do not force anyone to live married without a certificate, but,
taking human freedom deadly seriously, we have to object most severely
to the pestilent attitude of some kind of people to force married people
to take out a certificate if they don't want to.
I firmly believe that if we do not take the principles of freedom
deadly seriously. we shall not accomplish anything, and all the talk
about democracy will remain idle chatter. The essence of the matter is
that you were actually married to your wife when you felt married.
Whether you take out a certificate or not is of no importance at all. And
if you live practically and functionally married, then you believe in
marriage whether you acknowledge it or not. I regret not to be able to
be at a meeting in your school and to shake the conscience of those
teachers of yours who did not take the trouble to think a matter through.
I wish you all good luck for the New Year, much success and as much
joy as you can gather in these times of disaster.