The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-13
Marriage and Divorce in the Episcopal
Church,

The most important question before the
Episcopal General Convention, now in ses-
sion at Washington, relates to marriage
and divorce; whether marriage, as being a
sacrament, shall be indissoluble, or whether
it shall be dissoluble for the cause Of adul-
terry, as permitted by the present canon
This existing canon Of the Episcopal
Church forbids the solemnization of the
marriage Of a divorced person during the
lifetime Of the divorced partner, except
only In the case of the innocent party
where the divorce was obtained for the cause
Of adultery. A proposed new canon now
before the General Convention lays down
the law that mo minister Of the Church
shall solemnize the marriage Of either party
to q divorce during the lifetime Of the other
party" That is, 1t makes marriage indis-
soluble, say by death, without regard to
any dissolution allowed by the civil Law.
This Is the Roman Catholic rule, and the
Catholic" or High Church party of the
Episcopalians is strenuous in demanding its
adoption. They hold that marriage is one
Of the sacraments, and that for man to ar
rogate to himself the right to dissolve its
bonds is Of the nature Of sacrilege, and that
those who take advantage OF the opportu-
nifty Of divorce allowed by the civil law
and marry again while their divorced wives
or husbands are living, are guilty Of the
grievous sin Of adultery.
AS a matter of practice, however, many
E~piscopalians socially conspicuous lave
married again after having obtained civil
divorces for causes other than adultery,
under what are known as the free di-
vorce" laws OF many States-for deser-
ton, abandonment, real or fictitious, for
drunkenness, cruelty, incompatibility or
what not. OF course, such divorces are
a fragrant violation Of the existing canon,
but those obtaining them have stood
in no terror OF it, nor have we heard Of
any instances in this diocese where they
have been visited by ecclesiastical penalties
because OF their defiance OF the Church,
though frequently their contemptuous
treatment Of the canon has been q matter Of
great notorlety. Moreover, such offenders
suffer from no social penalties, but are
welcomed to the arms of society when they
bring to it their new wives or husbands.
They continue to mingle in tho circles OF So
ciety in which the highest ecclesiastics
move, and no reproach is put upon them.
1t is this scandal" as it Is called by the
moro exacting Of the Episcopal clergy and
laity, which has given impetus to the
movement in favor Of the proposed canon,
making marriage absolutely indissoluble
except by death. The party in the Church
which holds marriage a sacrament has used
the offence caused by these divorces as q
means OF creating sentiment in It's favor.
They hold, and doubtless with much force,
that II one loophole Of escape from mar
riage by divorce is allowed, the entry OF d.
vorce for every cause allowed by any State
is made inevitable, as Is proved by the
practice to which we have referred. In
other words, the argument Is that If tho
Church recognizes any divorce by civil
law 1t must practically recognize all di-
vorce, free divorce"
OF course, where marriage is held to
be a sacrament no other argument for
opposing divorce need be raised but nei-
Their the clergy nor the laity Of the Epls-
copal Church are a unit In that belief. A
great part Of them, If not the majority, re-
1ect the sacramental obligation, and admit
the d~issolubility OF marriage by adultery.
Moreover, the practice of the social circles
composed mainly OF Episcopalians, Of which
we have spoken, justihes divorce obtained
for any cause allowed by the freest divorce
laws of any State, and the Bishop OF this
diocese does not seem to show ~disapproval
OF their latitude In the matter, so far as
concerns his social Intercourse,
Accordingly, We are not surprised that
Bishop POTTER has kept aloof from the
party In his Church which is working 80
strenuously TO repudiate all divorce as un-
ohTistiAn. This party says that the ID
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