New-York tribune., 1883-03-10
tDR. MORGAN DIX ON DIVORCE
rpp FIFTH OF HIS LENTEN LECTURES.

TpE FIFTH OF HIS LENTEN LECTURES.
.,.,,,.o,, oo,ynr,,x.TIoy OF LOOSE DIVORCE LEGIs-
.T,ov-rHE RULE OF THE CHURCH.
Tho Pew. DIR. Morgan Dix delivered the fifth
- =, hi. Ienten course last evening in Trinity
60, xvhicb wa, crowded The subject was" Divorce.
He spoke in substance as follows;
feel at loss In beginning this lecture-at JOSS anu
q, dopbt II has been said and truly that 1t Is mp"ssloe
10 use too strong language in speaking OF the succV
divorce AN az loss and in doubt; at loss ior 'ei'
ADEQUATE to state the kind and degree OF peru no"'
menacng the social order and Christian clVilza'ion
Snntn whether IL he not now too late to rouse men
10 sense of the danger aud cheeA 'H0
movement OF the age. For e'l eiV"1
ever gets such headway that " P
1t requires more than human strength the ho , W i
mics appear to be numberlcss, thelr ioi' a. -.
pregnabe Moral poison is in the air we breathe; % v
d,nraoa o,d soon Z, will stiae it will choke, IL VIII
make the whole head sick and the whole heart Ia' "
viii kill and dry ND from the roots the sentiment o p
love faith LOYALTY and honor until at Ias' Va -
once set free from the bands OF an anu s."' ~ :,
righteous usness, 1t may again be hty said III tuo
the old proverb 1.-The dog Ia turned to hs Vom' aSah
and the sow that was washed TO her "aAo"Ine i '
,,, Tn b,s Convention address of 1881 the Bisnop oi
Connecticut said; "There were In the year OF grace
1879 In Maine. 47S divorces; In New'hainpSnire'
PAL: in Vermont, 1917; In Massacnuse's'
6OO in Connecticut, 40l; and In Rhode isahu'
a96-makng total of 2.113 and q larger ratio ID pro
norton 10 the population than in France I'D the
the Revolution though far less than In the city OF
I'm the bas, OF population by the present census there
vas I divorce to every 1857 inhabitants III name
in New-EIampshire TO 1,439; In vermont, "
4 l6S7 in Massachusetts to 2,97l IN Conhectiou''
TO 1853, aud in Rhode Island to l,l4l' Inc con
diton of things to-day is worse tnan IL was III oo0
1869 and 1870 when we vainly petltioned the Legs"
a. IN
sronhecy OF evil then made has been more than iu-
filled The movement has been steadily In the wrong I'll
rection" ,.,
Isen o ,ome statistics taken still from the shameful
xecord OF the New England States which seem 10 DC 'no
centre OF this moral cesspool In Massachusetts IN
ds6O there were five causes for which divorce cou e
obtaned and ratio OF / divorce TO 5l marriages III
1876 the number of causes for which diVorce was
allowed hal advanced TO 9, and the ratio 10 uIooo ~
eyery q marriages. In other New-Engahu ot"'o' '
case was even In Vermont the rauo was vi
yorce 10 IA marriages; IN Rhode lsand the ra'io "
divorce 10 l2 marriages; in Connecticut the rato was
divorce 70 IL marriages; in New Hampshire the same
ratio prevailed. and even worse n Maine
fact must be stated From the total OF marriages
,n the several those contracted ana W
Roman Catholics be deducted for they-ai hohor 10
them-aow no divorce. following literally tue comnS"
10 our ord Jesus Christ. Among Protestans or nom
Roman Catholics divorces occur aud these run II" "
IA high rate as ! divorce In every Ia thaiIi"s' "
Massachusetts and 1 in every g IN Connecucu'.
ract,cal eut of this facility of divorce Is tha III 'n'
NewEoeland states alone 900 families are broken up
every year 1000 persons divorced Again. ho'e 'nia
that while the laws protecting marriage nave oeen nus
gradually weakened and facilities FOR divorce eA'o'
crimes against chastity, morality and decencS nave 0e
.teadily increasing In Massachusetts iom A>o0 ~
which time divorces have increased TWO ana
one-half times while marriages have increased haruE
tonr ner cent and while all convictions for crime nave
Increased hardly onefth those crimes known as Dehg
~spatust chastity" morality and decency' " hllhy
crimes thsome, Infamous, nameleSs crlmes nav" "
creased threeiold. Looseness Of legislation mas sus
esst ad increased looseness of living disproveu the
p'ea III AT sins against chastity Will unlhlsh '"e
Law vegulatng marriage lie made less severe
The results of this Of things, II not specify
changed will be the desructiOn OF the home nIs' anu
next Of the social order which is built on the nome Us
its necessary base. And Communism ana Sociansh'
which aim az the destruction OF all existing mstutohs
are logically correct In proclaming the design OF aDo
t.bine marriage and making all children the property OF
the STATE to be reared at the public expense
INCREASED FACILITIES FOR DIVORCE
II Il, not possible 20 present than TO SPEAK
briefly of few topics connected with the SUBJECT anu
tbo.e selected are as follows The point aimed at Is
snt,otpe dtvorcs the theory which underlies these
o,temnts the connection Of this movement with some
socal and religious heresies and the positoh o. 'Nc
Church on this question
No of the frat point: is not the relief OF persons
49,
Christian statutes Divorce of two kinds one consists
An ,h separation of persons who cannot i've
Together in safety; they however remaining husoah
and wife II married persons mud 1t impos'io'e 10 "o
,oeether in peace If be hard, cruel brutal oahger'
ous. II is right that the Other Shouiu pe
allowed TO withdraw from the peru anu
that they should remain apart I'LL they coNe
70 beer mind But this differs from another KIND out
of which springs poison, the wasting flame IL Is
divorce followed by q new matrimonial a'nan0o "i
some other person Keep these two always shafpy us-
tneusbed in your thought They were always 80 o4'-
tpgushed until recently in the law OF the stae hu VI
tbe Church Divorce with the privilege Of marrying again;
oivorce which absolutely separates the married. destroys
the home and throws the road open to other alliances
that Is the a9omnatlon which we have 10 deal win To-
day Unauestionaby that is the point ained at; 'hat
for any cause shall carry with it freedom to
marry again and that the for which divorce may
ne ohta,ued shall be made 80 numerous that any
married conple may easily be parted under prOtec-
tion of the law This Is the only adequate explanation
OF the movements which have at length 80 startled and
.hoeked thoughtful and religious people They who dare
10 sneak their mind distinctly that what they want
entire freedom this matters that men shall have the
right TO put their away for and women
TO dismiss their husbands at will Public decency and
the lingering power OF religion forbid the concession o.
that Oery yet, that they must be content Tor the
present to go through legal fornalities In order TO
senarafion The grounds granting such separations
shoud be numerous enough TO accommodate all desiring
therefore point TO aim at in view OF the
end ultimately be attained is 10 make divorce so easy
that il will become common rs marriage Itself
wbereupon the legal procedures Will be gwen up as prac
tcay unnecessary and license shall reign supreme lr
Dpe part of New-EDgand tbev have fully prepared the
xVav for what may como In Maine a divorce full and
absolute may be granted not merely TO any one OF
long list of specified causes but, adds the statute
by any Justice the Supreme Court, whenever. in The
exercise OF sound discretion, he deems 1T reasonable
and proper conducive to domestic harmony and cons
tent with the peace and morality Of society" Think
Inc cIanted N Ornnnd an