The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-02
ON PARKHURsTs WORDS.
Notable Women Of New York Com
ment on His Startling statemant.


ment on His Startling Statement.
Commenting on DR.. Parkhurs't state
ment in his New York sermon that
there were $50 600 faithless husbands
and wives in New York, the following
appears in the New York Journal:
Mrs Jennie CroWly (Jennie June)-
Our marriage relations are the purest
and most holy of all our social connec-
uonS and it is a shame to pull down
the idol that has been built up by
years of faithful companionship be
tween man and woman Years of ex-
perience have shown me that people
are better away down in their hearts
than they show on the surface 1 have
watched and seen young men and WO-
men who scarcely knew each other
meet; I have watched them grow fond
of each other, marry and live happily
through life each one better for the
love and companionship OF the other
Destroy that happiness of perfect love
and trust and the sweetest and most
holy state of society," mean society IN
its broadcast sense-is destroyed and
made a hollow mOckery Cherish 1t
and it is the life of the natiOn-na-y,
the whole world. And if DR.. Park
bursts words We're true, what is to be
gained by parading it before the
world2 Absolutely nothing. Although
I admire DR.. Parkhurst for many OF
his good works. I cannot but believe he
has made q grave mistake
Mrs Elizabeth 3 Grannis; Or
full husbands and wives can say IS too
true, and the only error he has made
is i'm the proportion The ratio OF nus
bands who support establishments 9TH
er than their homes is largely IN excess
of the number that he has quoted, and,
in fact, so per cent OF the mats IA TINS
city in which a friend is installed as
the mistress by married men would be
a small proportion. The sO-called so
cial evil which is. to speak plainly,
only indebtedness to the marriage
VOWS in more than half the instances
that have been brought to the surface,
is brought about largely by excuses
of men before marriage do men ever
marry women whose lives have been
besmirched2 No, not if they know IT,
and when they marry a pure, sweet
woman do they remain true to her?
NY knowledge of such characters has
been-such as to permit me TO say, NO.
they do not.
What do they bring to the pure girl
whom they swear to honor and re-
spect2 Is it purity that they mlngie
with the pure love that an innocent
girl gfves2 No. DO they respect their
vows to love and cherish2 Very sci
dom They may for a short time dis
continue their Illicit relations. but the
force OF habit is strong and there IS no
law that Furnishes them FOR OIenceS OF
that kind have known cases Where
a husband deliberately tainted his
wife with the facts and offered to fur
nish the necessary evidence Tor nef 70
obtain a divorce if she did rot IAe IL
Many women for the sole reason OF
obtaining the pittance whereW1th to
support life practically agree to live IN
such q state thereby becoming access
sorry to his crime. Is she much better
al that stage than the husband2 NO;
and vet we have examples OF that klnd
all around us.
Not only among those who are not
communicates of the church, do We
find these things, but sO-called church
men and high officials OF our govern
ment live double lives. and are not Tree
from the faint that society passes over
the social evil with scarcely a thought
NV daily life brings me in close con-
tact with such people, and say that
this evil was never more prevalent
than the present. From bank presl-
dents to the most humble clerks, such
a social state exists, and the only way
to remedy it is to show the public that
we know it. 7 honor DR.. Parkhurst for
the stand he has taken, and believe
that he is honest in that belief, despite
the fact that his proportion of faithful
husbands and wives is at fault.
superintendent of Police Ih0maS
Bvrnes: AS the statement refers en-
tirely to the relations of the marriage
vow. and is one affecting the privacy OF
a quarter Of million homes, decline
to make any statement concerning It.
Whatever facts have come to my
knowledge in my official position, which
were only in isolated cases. I certainly
shall never give for publication