The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-10-19
THURSDAY : October 10, 1899
DIVORCE AND BISHOP TALBOT,
LATE OF WYOMING.


The way in which the Bishops of the
Episcopal church are aoundering
around about. the question of divorce is
pitiful. .......... ..........
The divorce question, with two or
three other matters, threatens to disin-
tegrate the Episcopal church.
Bishop Potter, unable longer to stand
out against the protests of people out
side his church and a few Of his clergy
men, in favor Of an indecent condition
which he had long sanctioned by social
approval, is still continuing his ridic-
ulous attempt to make the civil law re-
sponsible for the Migrant manifesto
lions Of disregard for Gods law by the
most prominent members of his church.
It is a healthy sign that there are
some clergymeh in the Episcopal church
who keenly feel the disgrace which the
tenporizing of their superiors has
brought upon them. 1t seems to be well
established that those who have most
condoned the re-marriage of Divorces
are the bishops themselves. Not only
is this true of Bishop Potter, who has
always given the approval of his pres
ence at the social gatherings of those
VIGOROUSLY unfaithful to-their marriage
vows, but it would seem that Bishop
Talbot, who for some years resided in
the neighboring state of Wyoming, is
equally guilty with bishops and others, |
in entertaining lax notions regarding 1
the marriage tie.
A prominent Episcopal churchman in
,i,aI,l
Will be of interest to people in this part
of TIE country. He says: Beyond |
question, the root of the evil lies in the
bishops:
Il now proceed to fortify my argu
ment Take the bishop of Central Penn
sylvania. His Lordship," late of Wyo-
ming, is an ambitious prelate. He, with
burning lips and fiery tongue will
seattle the guilty person with words of
scorn. be he deacon, priest or bishop,
who will. by marrying a man to di-
Vorced woman make that man an adul-
terer. (St. Matth., xix, 81 Alas, nos
To such questions like the worShiperS of
Baal there is neither voice, nor any to
answer" Not a voice has he raised,
not a word has he uttered, not a line
has he written against this wicked pro-
cedure in the church, the reniarrying of
divorced persons. The sin is not sc
great in the divorced man or woman
seeking re-marriage as it is in the
priest or bishop who re-joinS in holy
matrimony those whom the divorce
court put asunder." But is there not
a cause why the bishop is thus silent?
Verify there is. and a sad one, too.
Out in Laramie, the late see city of !
Bishop Talbot there are, or were a
short time ago, two factions in the
Episcopal church, and therefore in So
ciety. each led by d woman divorced
and remarked! These have full church
if they wish to avail them /
selves of them, and there is no rebuke, Y
or episcopal, for past mis- :
deeds. They are rich, they are the :
leaders Of society, they are parish work Z
ers zone Of them was in the Altar chap t
teri, they are members of the guilds. I
they are visited by women in the con- =
gregation, the bishops wife having had :
the privilege of entree to the homes of
both ladies': but the congregation is di- C
vided, the church rent asunder the ser A
vices neglected, the cathedral empty u
and religion at a low ebb, owing to the ~
'euds Of these two women, divorced
out remarked. Let US hope that things e.
are not so bad now. OF course, what il
happens in the see city, where the pre- w
attic chair is, may be expected to pre- a
-ail in other parts of the diocese. And :.
20 it did. Divorced parties remarked,
md the guilty parties, too, came to the ~
,ltar and were communicated by the
bishop himself, knowing they had been fl
divorced for adultery, and, though >;
-uilty. were remarked. Like priest 40
Ike people,, is an old and true pro- W
erb But like bishop, like priest is OF
qually true. So that one must have
Oreseen that the fire of religion would dc
urn low in the diocese of Wyoming. -
nd it did. ie
The foregoing is bad enough, but W.
here is worse to follow. For these re- ne
larried divorced parties there was no
Dcial ostracisn, no accommodation as CO
no repelling from the blessed
lcrament. no rebuke even. Why? III
Well one reason, and a very sub fr'
-antial reason it will be allowed, is Sc
lat Bishop Talbot himself married one tr;
the divorced women to the man she A.
ow calls husband! Men and women -
the world will hold their breath and In
and aghast at this episcopal act But col
ANTS of God viii smite upon their Pc
-easts and cry, Spare thy people. Oh, Ga,
ord, and give not Thine heritage to -,
'proach." pls
Here, then. is a bishop of the church. is
I'd a leading and popular one at that. fun
no at marriage ceremonies had often nos
tered in those solemn tones he knows A.,
well how TO conjure, those whom -
ID has Joined together let not man BIS
1t asunder," uniting in the bonds of wit
Dly matrimony, in face of the prayer sio
,ok and the church, a person put n
under by a disreputable divorce
urt. me