Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-02-09
DIR. LANDRUm ON DIVORCES.
He says They Are Growing Alarm
fngIy Frequent I'm the south.

III
In q letter to tho Atlanta Journal
DR.. w. w. Iandrum, formerly OF the
Second Baptist church of this city,
makes the following pertinent remarks
concerning the grinding Of the divorce
mill:
divorces in Atlanta seem to me
alarmlngly frequent. judging by the re-
ports / read in the newspapers. Really,
should be glad II the press would kind
~ refrain from publishing the details
Of such cases, as they serve 10 tamiliarlze
our people with crime. L am opposed TO
public hanglngs. They debauch the peo-
pie in my opinion. Private executions
meet the conditions Of justice, and excite
more terror IN would-be criminals than
the vulgar display of public executions
with all their opportunities for glorify-
ing the condemned In the dying hour.
For the same reason L should be glad
II our newspapers would simply state
that certain parties were divorced,
where divorces occur. without a word OF
comment Divorces are sadder Tar than
funerals. LeWty about the dissolution
Of the marriage bonds Is unseemly and
wicked. Georgians of forty years ago or
the good old well-bred stock would never
speak Of the subject OF divorce except
with painful emotions
"The old South held 70 the Scriptural
position on this subject of divorce. d.
vorce was tolerated only when one or the
other Of the contracting parties had bro
ken the marriage vow. Separation was
sanctioned by our best society, where
there was good cause for it, but separa-
ton never looked towards divorce except
as in the case already mentioned. Law,
e is said, is crystallized public opinion.
IL so. public opinion on the subject OF
divorce in Georgia has sadly degenerated
Of late years. Our laws are essentially
and consequently evil as DR.. Hillyer points
out; these laws allow husbands 10 take
cruel advantages Of their wives and wives
to take cruel advantages Of their hus-
bands.
According to the statements Of Hon.
Carroll d. Wright, Of the Department OF
Labor, l should infer that there is no
nation on all the face Of this world that
IS so disgraced by divorce laws that are
at once radical and ridiculous as America.
His volume Of eleven hundred pages or
carefully sifted and compiled statements
is most appalling. During the last twenty
years there have been granted IN the
United States 3l2,7l6 divorces, or nearly a
third OF a million since 1870. Our popula-
ton during that time has increased t5
per cent; our divorces have increased IN
that time 157 per cent.-that IS the In
crease in the granting Of divorces has
been more than twice the increase in the
population OF the United States, though
great crowds of people have aocked to US
from all parts of Europe and Asia.
illinois is the cap-stone OF this monu-
ment Of infamy. The State granted, I'm
this time 80 $40 divorces. Ohio comes next
with $685. Indiana with 24,409; Michigan
with 1882. Maine shows one divorce for
every ten marriages. Twenty-Five cOun-
ties in California show one divorce for
every seven marriages. I am not posted
On the statistics IN Georgia. DR.. Hill
yer's paper shows a most wretched state
Of things I'm Fulton county. He has
thoroughly studied the question and our
Evangelical Ministers Association will
soon publish his alarming facts.
1.-The family IS Gods oldest institution.
II is the model on which both the Church
and the state are founded. The Chris
tian family in Georgia was well nigh
ideal, but Is imperilled to-day right here
I'm our capital city. Agitation on the sub
ject Of divorce IS eminently timely; agi-
tatiOn leads 10 education and education
TO right legislation This theme Is one
which confronts every patriot that loves
his family and every Christian that loves
his God. Let the press help the pulpit
in the good work Of preserving our
Georgia homes"