Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-20
GODS LAW AND MANS.
Rev. Cue breaches ON the Severing
of Sacred Bonds.
Divorce and How It Might be Prevent
ed-.-StAtutOry Provisions for Legal
separation Asssiied IN the Pulpit.

AS per previous announcement Rev
q. w. Cue preached upon the subject o
divorce" at the First NJ. E. church las
evening. His text was from MALACHI
216:
For the Lord the God o. Israel saith that h,
hateth putting away
Out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh, began the speaker, is 1
maximum of divine truth. So 1t seems
to have been to the Apostle Paul as he
passed through Athens. and saw the
whole city given to idolatry. His spirit
was stirred within him when he saw the
inscription to the unknown God. Sc
when | see how Gods great law regard
ing the sacred institution OF marriage is
outraged by human law, my spirit is
stirred within me to speak to you upon
this subject of divorce" l see this
great nation increasing in this unnatural
exceedingly sinful God-provoking sin,
that of men putting away their wives,
aud sometimes women their husbands on
other than scrptural grounds. Gods
law is very explicit, when it says that
only for the cause of adultery shall a
man put away his wife or the wife her
husband.
But the laws of most of our states al
low persons to put away their com
panions for the most trivia, causes, and
this too in the face of the solemn vows
made when entering the marriage con
tract. Our state legislature gives long
list of proper causes for divorce and then
closes up by giving to the courts the
right to make decree of divorce in any
case where they deem it expedient After
this statement you will not be surprised
at the announcement that in one county
of this state there were 1873 divorces
granted in one year.
If man wants divorce from his wife
in this state all that is necessary for him
to do is to abuse her until she is compel,
ed to leave home; then apply for Il
divorce on the ground of desertion.
Divorces are so easily obtained in many
states, that the first the other party
knows of it is seeing the announcement in
the papers. Divorces are so easily obtained |
that about all you will have to prove |
against man is that he left his slippers |
ia the middle of the floor, and all you |
will have to prove against a woman is
coffee. In the state of Connecticut for
The last twenty years there has been one
ivorce given for every ten marriages
Rhode Island has issued one divorce for
Every eleven marriages For six years
Jast in Cook county of this state the di-
yorce suits commenced, stands one to
very nine marriages. In one year in
san Francisco, California, divorce was
granted to every five marriages. From
acts that are easily gathered, both from
be old world and the new, It is apparent
hat there is a rapidly rising tide of di
'Orces among the progressive nations,
nut the main swell and crest of this dark
ida wave is here in America, aud it
Uses higher and higher as it sweeps west
ward, until it breaks into the Pacific.
The divorce question strikes at the very
enter of the problem of christian civili-
alton.
An eminent scholar says sociology is
he coming science, and in its sphere
lay lie no small part of the next battle
round between christianity and unbe-
EFF. The family is the fundamental ele. I
lent of christian civilization, and the
marriage institution is the vital point in
be problem of the family. Church and
late alike are dependent upon it, What
yer, therefore threatens the integrity or i
of the family, threatens the a
'elfare and very existence of these insti
ltiOns. Therefore divorce legislation is
II it touches the very corner stone of
lie whole structure. The growing prev~
ence of loose legislation in order to an r
ull the marriage bond is one of the most
farming signs of the growing demorali-
alton of modern society. The institu
on of marriage is of divine origin, and
cd has made laws to regulate it, and
lid "What God hath Joined together, let
0 man put asunder." Our courts should !,
rOteCt this sacred institution, and they
ave no more right to legislate against it \
ian they have against baptism or the
ord's supper. Many people who enter
lie marriage bond have no regard for !,
lie sacredness of the vows they take ups :,
a them. There are many unfortunate =,
carriages and thousands of unhappy
ONES, homes where they have the ever
sting sound of the war whoop 1t :
eeds no argument to prove to them -
lere is hell, they are in it all the time.
is not a loosen divorce law that is
eeded to remedy such infelicity. but a
ore rigorous law, that will cause peo
lie to pause on the verge of marriage
ntil they are satisfied they are taking
lie right step. God sometimes authorizes Il
vorces as certainly as he authorizes d
arriage, and have just as much re s.
'eot for one who is lawfully divorced in r.
os sight as one lawfully married. But L
gu know that wholesale divorce is one of u
If national scourges today. What we a
ant in this country is that divorce be r
ade more difficult to be obtained. o
hese people who enter that relation t.