The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-15
ON MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE


and Remarryingsot Divorced Persons
While Another Party to the Divorce is
Living.
New York, Nov 14.--When the Gen
eral conference of the Protestant Epis-
copal church meets in San Francisco
next October three new canons on the
subject of marriage and divorce Will be
placed before that body for its consid-
Grafton. Should these canons become
the law of the Episcopal church through
the approval of the general conference
then the Episcopal church will have
pronounced it's anathema against di-
vorce, and more particularly against
the remarrying of divorced persons
while another party to the divorce stlll
is in life.
The subject Of marriage and divorce
came in for a good deal of attention at
the hands of the General Episcopal
conference of 1S9S so much in fact that
a committee of twelve was appointed
for the purpose of taking the matter
under consideration and making such
recommendation to the next conference
of that body as would pave the way
for change in the present tenets of the
church On the subject of marriage and
divorce.
The committee went into session to-
day AT the forenoon session nothing
of definite nature was accomplished.
This afternoon the committee resum-
ed work and as the members issued at
the close of this session it was an
nounced that the conference of the COM
mttee had been adjourned sine die, and
that three canons had been drafted.
The first canon adopted is entitled
"Holy Matrimony and Impediments
Thereto The first section says:
"(a)-Holy matrimony is an estate of
life which for the purposes of this can
on is sufficiently defined, in the form
appointed for the solemnization of mat
rimony in this church.
"(b)-The soemnzation of holy mat
rmony is a service where the mutual
consent of the parties is given in the
presence of minister who then pro-
nounces them in the name of the Holy
LIluIly " Dt liictu anu NilC
The second section defines the imped-
iments of consanguinity and affinity as
stated in the books of Leviticus and
Deuteronomy.
The second canon drafted deals with
the subject of the "solemnization of
holy matrimony." 1t is sub-divided in
four sections as follows:
Section 1T shall be the duty of all
ministers of this church to conform to
the civil authorities relating to mar
riage
Section 2-Every minister who shall
solemnize marriage shall without de-
lay rake such record of same as may
be required by the law of this church
and civil authority
Section 3-No minister shall solemn
ize marriage without the presence of
witnesses, nor with5ut witnesses to
whom the parties are personally known,
except in cases in which it is impossi-
BILE for such witness to be secured. No
minister shall solemnize the marriage
of any person not identified to his sat
isfaction.
Section 4-No minister shall solemn
ize marriage between any two persons
unless, nor until, by inquiry he shall
have satisfied himself that neither per-
son has been or is the husband or the
wife of any other person living unless
the former marriage was annulled by
decree of some court of competent ju-
risdiction for cause existing before
such former marriage"
While the above two canons erect
new barriers as safeguard against IL
legal marriages and prohibits remar-
riage by any Episcopal minister of any
party to a divorce suit whether guilty
or innocent the third canon goes one
step surther and excludes from all
means of grace within the dispensation
of the church any divorced person who
shall have remarked and be living with
husband or wife as the case may be-
while the other party to the divorce
still is in life This canon which, how
ever, applied only to the offending party
of a divorce, practically tends to out
law the offender as far as church fell
lowship goes and provides for his re-
adoption in the fold only on the condi-
ton that he come truly penitent and
separate from the party to the second
marriage, or if he should happen to be
in immediate danger of death and show
the spirit Of true repentance. This
canon is subdivided into three sections
as follows:
"Section mo 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 holy communion, except
when pentent and separated from the
other party to the subsequent mar
rage. or when penitent and in imme-
diate danger OF death, but this canon
shall not apply to the innocent party in
q divorce for the cause of adultery.
Section II-No person shall be de-
MED baptism or confirmation or the
holy communion under this canon un-
til after the minister shall have given
to the person due and sufficient notice
of such intended denial and the right
of appeal therefore as here and after
permitted.
Section III-This section provides
for appeal to the bishop of the diocese
or missionary district, who. if he deems
the cause sufficient may take counsel
with two neighboring bishops and de-
eide where there shall be any dispensa-