The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-03-05
Marriage and Divorce.

BALTIMORE, March 1.-Cardinal Glib
bons to-day preached the annual sermon
on marriage and divorce. During his
remarks he narrated how Popo Clement
VII refused to sanction the divorce of
Henry VIII from his lawful wife, Catha.
rine Of Arragon, and how Plus VII, when
solicited by Napoleon, refused to annul
the marriage between the Emperor's
brother, Jerome, and Miss Patterson, who
were married in Baltimore By Archbishop
Carroll in 1908. He continued:
"Christian wives and mothers, what an
immense debt of gratitude you owe 10
Christ and His Church for your emanci-
patton and the dignity which you enjoy
in Christian Commonwealth. If you
are no longer the slaves of mans passions,
like the women of Asia, but his peers
and equals, if you are no longer tenant
ut will, like the wives of pagan Greece
aud Rome, but mistress Of your own
household, if you are no longer confront.
ed by usurping rivals, like Mohammedan
and Mormon wives, but if you are the
queen of The domestic kingdom, you are
indebted for this position to the Church,
and especially to the sovereign Pontifs,
who have 7indicated your honor when
assailed by lustful men.
II said you are queen of the domestic
kingdom. Ifyou would retain that en-
pire shun the political arena, avoid the
rostrum, beware of unsexing yourselves.
If you become embruiled in political
agitation the queenly aureola that eucir-
cles your brow will fade away, and the
reverence that is paid to you will disap-
pear. If you have vain ambition of
reigning in public life your domestic
empire will be at an end.
''The subject of divorce is invested with
painful interest in our time and coun-
try. There are more divorces legally
granted in the United States than in any
other Christian country-more, perhaps,
than in all other Christian countries com.
bined. In the space of thirty years, &C.
cording to official statistics, from 1867 to
1886, inclusive, 100000 divorces were
granted in the United States-that is to
say, two.thirds of a million of persons
were legally separated during that time.
The number of divorces has steadily in.
creased since that time, and beyond all
proportion TO the general increase of pop.
ulation. Divorces are granted on the
most himsy preteSts, and throughout the
country Divorce Courts are established
which are very appropriately called
divorce mills since they grind out di-
vorces with such rapidity and crush out
happiness from the domestic roof.
sLet the imagination picture to itself
the number of homes made desolate by
the destroying angel, the number of hus-
bands and wives whose hearts are crush
ed and whose spirits are broken, the
number Of children that are cast upon
the world bereft of a fathers protecting
arm and of a mothers love, who dare not
cling to one of their parents without
arousing the jealousy and hatred of the
other. But is it not cruel and heartless
to compel the husband and wife to live
together who cannot 40 live in peace, and
who are entirely estranged from one
another? I answer that the laws Of the
Gospel do not oblige some persons to
dwell together If there is no hope of
reconciliation between them. They are
allowed to live apart and to obtain
divorce from bed and board.
"But you will insist is it not cruel aud
unnatural to condemn such persons to
life of forced cclibacy after they are
separately Would it not be more merci-
ful to permit them to enter into sacred
nuptials and enjoy the society of congo
NAL partner in marriage? YOU speak of
mercy to the separated couple, but is no
mercy to be shown to the peace and good
order of society? Is no mercy to be
shown. to the Gospel of Christ, which up
holds our society7 Alllaws are made for
the common good, and every law has its
personal inconvenience. Ifyou abrogate
a law because of its incidental annoyance
you undermine all legislation. 1t is on
that principle that the atheist objects to
observance of Sunday when he would
prefer to work, and that the saloon keep.
er objects to closing of his store when be
would rather sell. It is better that one
man should suffer than that the whole
nation should perish. Better, far better,
that in few individual cases divorced
people should be forbidden to marry.
than that the foundations of the sacred
edi6ce of society should be undermined"