New-York tribune., 1900-11-15
DIVORCE CANONs ADOPTED
EPISCOPALIAN COMMITTEE TAKES RAD
ICAL ACTION AGAINST RE-
MARRIAGES.

When the General Conference of the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church meets In San Francisco
next October, three canons the subject
of marriage and divorce will be placed before
that body for its consideration. Should these
canons become the law of the Episcopal Church
through the approval of the General Conference
! and there is every reason to believe that they
will-then the Episcopal Church will have pro-
nounced it's anathema against divorce, and
more particularly against the remarrying OF di-
vorced persons while another party to the di-
vorce still is in life in manner more emphatic
than any other denomination of the Protestant
Church.
The subject Of marriage and divorce came in
! for good deal of attention at the hands OF the
! General Episcopal Conference of 1898. A COM
rnittee of twelve appointed for the purpose
! or taking the matter under consideration ana
! making recommendations to the next conference
| This committee, after having met a year ago.
when 1t failed to reach agreement looking
/ toward reform. again went into session yester-
/ day. At the forenoon session, which began at IL
! o'clock and lasted until 2 o'clock, nothing OF
| definite nature was accomplished At 3 o'clock
/ the committee resumed work, and as the mem
bers issued at the close of this session 1t was
! announced that the conference of the committee
/ had been adjourned sine die. and that three
canons dealing in most lucid and definite man
| ner with the subject of the conference had been
| drafted.
! FIRST CANON'S DEFINITIONS.
| The first canon adopted is entitled Holy
| Matrimony and Impediments Thereto" 1t de-
| fines matrimony and the impediments or con-
| sanguinity and affinity stated in the BOOKS
| of Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
| The second canon deals with the subject OF
THE Solemnizaton Of Holy Matrimony' Its
| provisions contain the following:
Every minister who shall solemnize marriage
| shall without delay make such record OF same
| may be required by the law OF TINS Church
! and civil authority.
| No minister shall solemnze marriage without
! the presence of witnesses, nor without witnesses
| TO whom the parties are personally known eX-
! cept in case in which 1t Is imposslpie TOT
such witnesses to be secured. No minister shall
solemnize the marriage OF any person not lden-
| titled to his satisfaction.
No minister shall solemnlze marriage between
any two persons unless, nor until, by inquiry
| he shall have satisfied himself that neither per
! son has been is the husband or the wife or
any other person living, unless the former mar
! rage was annuIled by decree of some court of
! competent jurisdiction for cause existing before
| such former marriage
BAN ON REMARKED DIVORCES.
While these canons erect new barriers as a
| safeguard against Illegal marriages and pro-
hibit remarriage by any Episcopal minister Of
any party to a divorce suit, whether guilty
innocent, the third canon goes one step further
| and excludes from all means Of grace within the
i
son who shall have remarked and be living
| with a second husband wife. the case may
| be while TIE other party to the divorce still is
| in life This canon, which, however. applies
| only 10 the offending party of a divorce, prac-
! ticallY tends TO outlaw the offender as fat ae
| Church fellowship goes and provides for his
readoption in the fold only the condition that
he come truly penitent and separate from the
| party to the second marriage If he should
| happen to be in immediate danger of death and
show the spirit of true repentance.
This canon is subdivded into three sections:
Section mo person divorced for causes aris-
! ing after marriage and marrying again during
! the lifetime of the other party to the divorce
! shall be admitted to baptism confirmation or
! received to Holy Comm Lnion, except when peni-
! tent and separate ed from the other party to the
/ subsequent marriage. or when penltent ano IN
, immediate danger Of death. but this canon shall
/ not apply to the innocent party in a divorce
for the cause Of adultery.
! Sec >. No person shall be denied baptism or
/ confirmation or the Holy Communion under this
! canon, until after the minister shall have given
! TO the person due and sufficient notice of such
! intended denial and of the right of appeal
Sec. 3. This section provides for appeal to the
/ Bishop of the Diocese or missionary district,
who. If ne deems the cause sufficient. may take
! counsel with neghbOrng bishops and de-
! eide whether there shall be any diSpensatlon.
DIR. MORGAN DIX PREsIDEs.
The canons in this form were unanimously
! adopted by those who took part in the confer
| ence The committee when appointed by the
| General Conference Of 1898 consisted of twelve
| members Only nine of these members
present at the meeting yesterday, one having
| died and two not having been heard from.
The committee made up OF an equal number
! Of clergy and laymen. Those present the
! Rev. DR.. Morgan Dix. rector of Trinity Parish;
! the Rev DR.. Hoffman. Of New-York; the Rev.
| Dr. Mann, of st. Louis; the Rev. DIR. Fulton, OF
| Philadelphia and the Rev Dr. Eccleston, Of
! Baltimore. The lay members of the committee
| present were Francis A. Lewis. of Philadelphia;
! Francis L. Stetson of New York; Charles H
! Stanley. Of Washington, D. c., and Judge Z. q.
| Bradford of Wilmington, Del.
/ The Rev DR.. Morgan Dix presided. and Fran
els a. Lewis, of Philadelphia, acted as secretary
! The meeting held Trinity Chapel, West
! Twenty -ifth-St.
| The meeting of the committee surrounded
with good deal of secrecy. Dr. Morgan Dix
declined discuss the action taken by the
| The Very Rev. Dean Hoffman, when seen after
| the meeting replied in the negative when asked
whether the action Of the General Committee in
appointing the committee had been caused by
the divorces swiftly followed by marriages
/ of recent occurrence among prominent members
of the Episcopaan Church. He would not say
whether any such cases had been cited during
! the deliberations of the committee.
WERE IN TOW OF TUG TEAsER BOUND FROM
PHILADELPHIA FOR PROVIDENCE.