New-York tribune., 1900-11-16
FATE OF CANONS IN DOUBT.
EPISCOPALIAN CLERGYIEN DIFFER AS
TO THE CHURCH'S PROBA-
BILE ACTION

new canons on marriage and divorce that will
| be submitted to 1t in San Francisco next Octo-
| Der is a question on which the Epscopalian
| ministers in this city differ. AS reported in
! yesterdays Tribune, the committee appointed
| by the General Convention of 1898 to consider
the question of divorce and remarriage has de-
termined on it's recommendations The new
| canons. as formulated prohibit members of the
Church from uniting in marriage either the
| guilty or innocent party to a divorce while the
former wife or husband is alive, unless the mar
! rage has been annued for cause existing pre-
Flous TO the union. Another canon excludes
! divorced person from the sacraments of the
Frotestant Episcopal Church unless penitent or
| separated from the other person to the subse-
! quent marriage when penitent and in i'm
mediate danger of death: but the canon is not
! 10 apply to the innocent person in a divorce
! for adultery
The subject has been discussed al various CON
ventions and the necessity of some definite
lion led to the selection Of the committee. 1t
| remains to be seen whether the General Con-
| Vention will accept the restrictive laws sug-
| rested
MINISTER'S APPROVE THE cANONs.
For the most part. Episcopalian ministers in
| this city would not discuss yesterday the new
| canons or comment the effect the proposed
| laws might have on social condition reflected
| in the growing number of divorce cases They
! also refused to talk on the urgency of action by
! the Church. The attitude taken by the clergy
/ men who were asked for their views that
| II would be invidious their part to express
their opinions publicly until the General Con-
vention had the opportunity to pass its judg
ment Speaking in confidence, however many
! of these ministers declared that the
| should be accepted for the that they
were aimed directly at defect. against which
clerical legislation was imperative, if remedy of
the fault to be made. The ministers be-
| leved that action by the Church on this ques-
tion would lead social opinion, and therefore
| inevitably prove a strong bulwark against H.
vorce.
on the other hand. ministers predicted
that the proposed divorce canons would follow
! ing the precedent OF similar endeavors fail to
be adopted. They pointed that efforts to
swing the Protestant Episcopal Church into line
with the Roman Catholic Church this ques
tion Of divorce and remarriage had often been
! made and had often been defeated. The
| opinion voiced also that the committees
report was too drastic In that II sought 10
punish the innocent alike with the guilty by
forbidding either to remarry. Such restric-
! ton, than minister asserted, was ret
| rogress1ve. It pointed out that this law
would be widely distinct from the law of the
Roman Catholic Church. which prohibited d.
vorces altogether. and therefore did not recog-
nze them
DIR. DIX EXPECTS OPPOSITION
| That opposition will be manifesto against
the new at the General Convention is
generally admitted. The Rev. DR.. Morgan Dix.
chairman OF the special committee which drew
up the canons expects controversy. He said
! yesterday 10 a Tribune reporter:
There is no doubt that very considerable op-
position will be directed against the proposed
laws. But we hope that they will be adopted.
The committee has devoted itself for three years
to this question and their report decided
upon unanimously. Therefore. I have said.
we hope TO see the canons adopted. but whether
or not the general feeling OF the Church runs in
the same direction is something that cannot
be determined until the General Convention
meets in October.
THE LAWS OF OTHER CHURCHES
! In view of the step which the committee rec
ommends that the Episcopal Church should
take, it is interesting to know how the laws Of
the other Protestant denominations bear on
this point The Rev. DR. John Dixon. of the
Presbyterian Church. said:
Divorce is countenanced by the Presbyterian
! Church for two causes only. These causes are
adultery and separation which cannot be rem
edied The Presbyterian Church does not sane
ton the remarriage Of the guilty man or woman.
When persons whose fault 1t that their for
mer marital tie was broken apply to a Presby
terian minister to remarry them they are quiet
ly informed that the Church does not permit the
/ union.
The Rev. DR.. c. II. Pool. corresponding sec
retary Of the Board of Domestic Missions of the
Reformed Church, said:
There is nothing in our constitution regarding
| divorce and marriage. Our Church depends for
| its guidance upon the SCrptural teachings.
The Rev DR.. C. ]. Ryder. corresponding sec
| retary Of the American Missionary Society. said:
The Congregational Church has no organic
law such the Protestant Episcopal Church
has. we recognize the autonomy of the local
Church. Questions involved in the remarriage
of divorced people are decided largely by the
local church or are left to the Judgment of the
pastor. l may say, however. that the attitude
of the Congregational Church. as a whole. has
been uniformly against the marrying of men
women who have been divorced
The Rev. DR. Thomas B. Neely. Editor of the
Sunday school publications Of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. said:
Our Church recognizes only one cause for di-
vorce, that is. adultery. and permits only the
/ innocent person to remarry.
BISHOP STARKEY's VIEWS
Newark N. J.. Nov. 15-Thomas A. starkey.
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese OF Newark,
to-day asked for a statement concerning the
proposed canons of the Episcopal Church
garding divorce and remarriage. He said that
so far as he could see. the canons contained
nothing not covered by previous edcts. Bishop
Starkey said there was nothing original in
Canon No. 3 The wording of Section l of
Canon No seemed to the Bishop ambiguous.
The section reads:
No person divorced for causes arising after
marriage and marrying again during the life
time of the other party to the divorce shall be
admitted to baptism or confirmation. or received
to the Holy Communion, except when penitent
and separated from the other party to the sub
sequent marriage. or when penitent and in i'm