Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-11-04
Memorial NJ the Clergy and Lnity
NJ tho Protestant Il Episcopal Church
In Vermont, praying eog n " odi-
fiCaaj0n Of tho Laws relating
To Divorce.

10 he LiDnoraIic he LegtsLat,trc If Ne
SUITE Of Vermont The undersigned,
Clergymen and Laymen Of the Protestant
Episcopal Church and members Of the
Convention Of the Diocese Of Vermont,
held at Rutland, ON the I'd and 3D. days Of
June, AID. 1860, do herewith respectfully
memorialize and petition the honorable
Legislature Of the State Of Vermont, as
follows
In view DIST Of the alarming frequenc y
and increase Of libels of Divorce sought
for and granted in the State of Vermont
during the past five years, as shown r
the recent reports of the Registrar of tn
State, by which the number of ID Voroe
is to the number of marriages 4, o,e I.
nineteen; and by which it appe ara that /.
every Mtrty-eight persons mo .ried durin.
the last five years, tara pc rsons are con
cerned in divorce; and by v hich it an
pears that there has be,sn granted at III,
rate OF one divorce to every t,o0 huu1yel
and sist5tsi1 msrriageabie persons;
In view I'D of the TACT that the statute
law lays down, on the one hand, before
marriage, Olly list Of the forbidden de.
grees, the age which the parties must have
reached, and the titles Of those qualified
I ~ TpA'hibN' tb1 u<atIARe5 and the
other hand, after marriage, provides full
facilities for dja.olying tho tie upon yari.
Gus pleas, allowing re-marriage in every
case;
La yiew 3D. 0. the opportunity afforded
by the Law Of Divorce, and the practice
under II, 10 successtse polygamy by
which = man may have sUocessspH ~
wives, aud woman a suecesst1n Of hgss-
hands NIflf.Uf limit a. 49, 81
~ the same time living in the com aJiuity +;
In view l4thj u the Christian La~ f4.i
down ia the Holy Gospels, ~ which the
tic u marriage IL pronounced ~ be iiidis-
soluble except for ono c.lse only and Ivy
which, except for thig rEase, 10 put away
a wife aud another Or ~ put away ii hus-
band aud marry another, or for a third party
" marry the ono put away, is distinctly
condemned AZ & breach nf the seventh conn
mandmont
Ia view 9Th ii shS eminent danger
which thgeatcns tbs domestic morals Of the
Whole community, Whenever the sluctity
Of the family IL invaded, and the dura-
bility Of tho marriage bond impaired ;
danger that marriage be held in low os-
teen as an affair ST convenience, no ION
ger binding them, the capric.ous will Of
other party may direct danger Of moral
evil, scandal, domestic strife, irnmodesty
and dcbauchcry; danger that the springs
of virtue in the. people DE- poisoned, and
that premature decay and corruption sap
the foundatioIs Of the State:
In view, finally, OF these considerations,
We respectfully pray your honorable body
to take such ineasurcs us III your wisdom
scemeth best lst, to feiterate the Law of
Divorce npOn such basis IL - dis
tinguish between legal separation and
absolute diverse, and to grant tbsplute
divorce with liberty to marry again only
in cases OF we'll proved counubial in
hdelity I'd, to increase the penalties for
the crime OF adultery /; Sd, to Invest the
Law OF Marriage with precautions and
protective tD2malitIes to dignity and |
ennoble It la the sight of the people. /
without obstructlng the marriage OF any
hoEest citizen whatever bis station /; and |
at the same time to protect tie coInmu-
nifty, 20 far as practicable, against the |,
misfortune Of i'll Judged, hasty, clau.S4s- }
tine, and criminal marriages. 4tE 50 IL
identity, by license or other wise. I'D . pr
ties seeking marriage ~ tn guard the
rights Of parents and H. protect The
officiating minister fro.a imposition at
the hands Of designing persons, and from
becoming unwits;rsly all Instrument
for solomnizing tlsplestine or criminal
unions.
With a p.stound sense Of tl.s u. por-
lance OF t1js subject, and believing that it
involves, through the family, the best and
truest Interests of 3he State, your petit
TONERS respectfully commit tha whole
matter into your hands.
MALCOLM DOUGLASS,
INVENTION FAIRBANKS, r.
II. CANFIELD, ooh'hi'tee.
GEORGE NICHOLS,
Rutland, VI, june 8, 1869.
Upon presentation of the foregoing re-
port tho following resolution was unani-
mously adopted by the Convention
Res0l0ed, That the report of the Com
mittee on the Canon on Divorce now snb-
mitted, be accepted and adopted by this
Convention, and that it be signed by the
President and Secretary of the Conven-
ton in behalf of the Clergy and Lay
Delegates, and presented, together with |
their resolution to the Legislature at the |
next session by Committee consisting of |
the Hon. r. Richardson, Hon. Harmon
Garfield, and the Hon. Charles Dewey.
In behalf of the Clergy and Lay Dele
gates, and by order of the Convention. the |
undersigned have caused their siguatas->
to be attached, !
W. II. A, BISsEI'
residsnt 9. O., ,snt -,
Bur- ,Ei,, ecretary.
This co.,. ..LINe.roN, June 4, 1859.
and p -.,fies mat the. foregoing Report
= ..esolution were y unanimously adopted
,penly by the Conve ntion of the Protest
ant Episcopal Church in the Diocese O.
Vermont, holden at Trinity Church, Rut