The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-01
THE CHURCH AVID THE DIVORCE
QUESTION.


Advocated by AN Episcopalian.
To THE EDITOR OF The SUN--Sb: The
mans vow In our Episcopal marriage service
means fidelity. not in ono sense merely. but
also fidelity In care. support Kindness and
tender love for wife and children. If the hus-
band TO guilty Of inndelity in the sense OF
adultery. the canon OF the Church permits the
wife to be relieved OF tho bond of matrimony.
and to rcmarry II she desires. But suppose her
husband deserts her and her children. per-
haps leaving them to starve II need he. or that
he beats and brutay il-treats her or that he
Is convicted Of a felony and sentenced to
long term In prison. rendering his name in
famous and taking away her support and
livelihood. or. finally. that he becomes Il
habitual drunkard. with oil the dreadful con-
sequences that vice usually entails
Legal separation. a mensd ct thoro. while
better than no remedy at ALL Is. to a great eX-
tent. legal absurdty. A woman who has
married unfortunately ia entitled to relief and
her claim to it is practically far greater than a
mans. Marriage is everything to her: too
often 1t is but part Of the business Of life to
men. An unfortunate marriage generally
means for woman absolute wreck. Be she
pure as snow or chaste as monumental ala
baster.' she will not escape remark. unkind-
ness. question. IL separated from her hus-
band. no matter how worthless he may have
been. Her remedy therefore should be abso-
lutte. In my opinion. and she should remarry
II she desire. In Pennsylvania. noted for con-
servatism. there has never been scandal or
criticism regarding the administration OF the
divorce laws. yet there are six causes for abso-
lutte divorce upon the statute books. Practically
the only cause for divorce in Pennsylvania
which gives relief to both parties is adultery.
-Four OF the other causes are evidently IN
tended almost solely for the relief OF woman.
for. to her credit IL lp said they
which would almost certainly be produced by
the husbands, misconduct. though they are
causes OF which our ord and the early Church
made no mention. Matrmony take to be an
institution blessed 10y the Church, and its rea-
Keep sacred their marriage VOWS , ''' But when
either party to it becomes unfathful by
felony. or habituai drum kenness. It's very cause
OF existence is destroyed and the bond should
S rsmr me renson Why ba thy GSnrcs
should not receive such remarked persons.
haptize and teach their children. and hold such
families within her fold
The strict constructonist Of the Scriptures.
always forgetting that the woman's rights
were never so much as considered or even
mentioned therein. and cannot therefore he in
Guided in his narrow logic. would in such cases
partner Of an absent and supporting. a
brutal and cruel. an Infamous and imprisoned.
or a hahitually drunken consort but it seems
to me that If the Church can decide a marriage
void and divorce the parties thereto because OF
such cause as alleged physical disqualified
ton, as was proved in conspicuous case
few wears ago. it can also by clear analogy
OF reasoning give the same relief to suffering
women for the causes | have indicated. and
thus show the chivalry Of the Christian faith.
Believing 1t clear, that the man, was given
and that no such warrant was given to the
woman to divorce her husband. the same right
given to the woman by our present interpreted
ton is simply a result arrived at 10y analogy
OF reasoning. because 1t was not mentioned by
our Lord or asked Of him.
Those who would base the dissolution OF
marriage solely upon sexual misconduct on
the part OF either spouse. II seems to me. de-
grade the institution OF Christian marriage
and at. once revert to the Jewish and pagan
idea OF matrimony in the most dsSOlute age Of
the world, that period when THE day spring
from on high visited us"
1t Is TO be sincerely hoped that modern en-
ightenment and nineteenth century manli-
ness and common sense will not be lacking in
the discussion OF this important question at
the general convention In 1901.
NEWARK, May %. A CHURCHMAN.