The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-07-17
Marriage and Divorce.
AN EXACT COPY OF THE DOCUMENT DIS
TRIBUTED TO THE p. L. CHURCHES
OF CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA,
SUNDAY, JULY 5, 1885.

Inc 1OllOWlnS remarks on tne SUD-
ject of Marriage and Divorce were
made by the Bishop of Central Penn
sylvania III his address to the Con-
vention of the Diocese on June 9,
1885, and on the following day an Or
der was adopted by that body, that
5000 copies of that portion of the
Bishops address be issued 10 tract
form and distributed through the Do
Cese:
The three Dioceses contained in this
Commonwealth have now all con.
Cured in the expediency of organizing
under the canon which allows the for
nation of a Federate Council when.
ever jurisdiction related as these are
desire it, and all have appointed depu-
ties to represent them in such a body.
There are many matters in which they
have a common interest, and on which
their joint expression of judgment and
concert of action would prove more
potent and effective than their separ-
ate and perhaps variant proceedings.
Whenever any Legislation is required
for the security and improvement of
public morals, or for the protection OF
deliverance of the church, the plea
would obtain from the civil power a
much more favorable hearing if the
church in her majesty would speak
with strong, united voice her deep con-
victions and most positive desires. 1t
is notorious that in this, as in almost
every State in the Union, the laws on
marriage and divorce are very lax, and
that home life is thereby lamentably
degenerated in tone, in purity and sta
bility. The statutes in this Common
wealth do not enjoin such prelimina.
ries to the formalities of marriage as
must ensure to the parties principally
concerned some time for consideration,
and some notice of their intention to
their families and friends. Evidence
that the contracting parties have both
attained to full age, or have the con-
sent of parents or guardians, might
properly be required. In some of the
States no minister or other official is at
liberty to conduct marriage ceremony
without certificate from the Town
Clerk where the betrothed reside re-
spectively, that their intentions have
been entered at his office and by him
been advertised for two weeks before
the wedding. If the Legislature can.
not be induced to erect even the slight
obstruction in the way of secret, hasty,
and ill-advised marriages, l could wish
that at least in this church the old
practice of publishing the banns on
three successive Sundays might be re-
vived and made obligatory.
The civil-contract idea of which
most of our loose Legislation respecting
marriage is predicated has almost
crowded out the recognition of its sa-
credness. And consequently alliances
are lightly formed and being in many
cases found TO have been unwise and
productive of misery, a wildly dissent
mated public sentiment has called for
and has secured legislation which fa-
vors their easy dissolution. Laws that
make divorce easy on insufficient and
demoralizing pretexts are the natural
and logical sequel and complement of
laws that make clandestine and precipi.
tate marriage easy, 1t is high tirae
that the religious world gave attention
to the iniqrities that multiply in the
land under the sanction of these licen-
tious laws. Their existence were rea
son enough for the calling of some iep.
resentave council that might appeal in
the name of the primitive and Apos-
tolic Church in this Commonwealth to
law makers for some righteous changes
in legislation on marriage and divorce.
We are shocked by the barbarous
polygamy of the Mormons, and are
clamoring TO have it suppressed by the
strong hand of the government II
persons may under our statutes assume
marital relations on brief acquaintance
and with little ceremony, and at their
caprice, or any flimsy pretext, get re-
lease and form other equally fragile
connections, have we not a polygamy
as bad in essence though not as abhor.
rent in aspect among ourselvesl
Let the Federate Council of the Do
ceses in Pennsylvania organize, and
make its first essay in practical useful