The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-15
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH
AND PERSONS WHO HAVE
REEN DIVORCED
BARRED OUT From THE FOLD
NEW AND STRICTER CANON RE.
GARDING REMARRIAGE OF
OFFENDERS
REPORT MADE BY COMMITTEE
Will Come Up for Adoption AND
Probably Become Part of
Church Law at Next
Conference.

NEW YORK, Nov H.-When The gem
eIdI conference Of the Protestant EMS,
copal church meets in San Fra cisco 1Ie1,t
October, three new canons on tbe s',h
Ject or marriage and divorce win ba
pldced before the body for It's considera-
uoh should these canons become 2 Lax,
OF Inc episcopal church through the an
proval Of the general conference thea me
Episcopal church will have pronounced
us aIlathema against divorce, and more
particularly against the remarrvfnc of
divorced persons, while another partv to
the divorce still is III life.
Inc subject of marriage and divorce
came In for good deal of attention at
the hands of the general Episcopal con.
ference of 1898. So much in fact that a
committee of twelve was appointed for
the purpose of taking the matter under
consideration and make such reroro-
mendation to the next conference of thar
pody, as would pave the way for changes
IN the present tenets of the church on
these subjects
This committee, after having met a
year ago, when it failed to reach an
agreement looking toward reform, again
went INTO session today. At the c;ose
of this session it was announced that the
conference of the committee had been
adjourned sine die AMI that three canors
dealing with the subject of the confer
ence had been drafted
The first canon adopted is entftledt
Holy matrimony and impediments there,
to. The full text of this canon is -
follows:
MATRIMONY DEFINED.
Section 1-(AD Holy matrimony Is an
estate of life which for the purposes of
TINS canon is sufficiently defined in the
form appointed for the solemnization of
matnmony IN this church. OBJ The sol
emn1zation of holy matrimony is serv-
ice where the mutual consent of the par.
ties IS given in the presence of a minis
ter, who then pronounces them in the
name of the Holy Trinity to be man and
wife.
RULES LAID DOWN
Sec. 2-This section defines the impede
ments of consanguinity and affinity as
stated in the books Of Leviticus and
deuteronomy. The second canon draft
ed deals with the subject of the sol
emnli;zatIon of holy matrimonyr II is
Subdtvided in four sections, as follows
Section lit shall be the duty of all
ministers of this church to conform To
the civil authorities relating to mar
Sec. EVERY minister who shall sol
emn1ze marriage, shall without DELAY.
make such record of same as may be
civil authority.
Sec: 3-No minister shall solemnize
marriage without the presence OF wit
nesses, nor without witnesses to whom
the parties are personally known. excent
III case in which it is impossible for such
witnesses to be secured. No minister
snail solemnize the marriage of any per-
son not identified to his satisfaction
sec: mo minister shall sOlemnize
marriage between any two persons un-
less, nor until, by inquiry, he shall hav,e
SSausllea himself that neither party has
peen or IS the husband or wife of anv
person living unless the former marriage
was annuled by decree of some court Of
competent Jurisdiction for cause exist
ing before such former marriage
MAY NOT RENARRY
The third canon goes one step further
ami excludes from all means of grace
within the dispensation Of the church ary
divorced person who shall have remar-
rled and be living with husband or wife
as the case may be while the other partV
to the divorce still is in life This canon
is subdivided into three sections, az fol-
lows:
Section l. No person divirced for caus-
es arising after marriage an6 marrying
again during the lifetime of the other
party to the divorce shall be admitted
holy communion, except when penitent
and separated from the other party to
the subsequent marriage, or when peni-
tent and in immediate danger of death
but this canon shall not apply to the
innocent party in divorce for the cause
Of adultery.
Sec. 2. No person shall be denied bap-
tism or confirmation or the holy COM
muniOn until after the minister shall
have given to the person due and suffi-
cient notice of such intended denial and
of the right of appeal therefrom as
here and after permitted.
Sec. 3. This section provides for appeal
to the bishop if the diocese or mission
airy district. which, If he deems the
cause sufficient may take counsel with
two neighbOring bishops and decide
whether there shall be any dispensatiOn.
ADOPTION WAS UNANIMOUS.
The canons in this form were Unani-
mously adopted by those taking part in
the conference. The committee, when
appointed by the general conference Of
1898, consisted of twelve members. Only
nine of these members We're present al
the meeting today, one having died and
two not having been heard from
The committee was made up of an
equal number Of clergymen and laymen.
Those present were:
Rev DR. Morgan Dix, rector of Trinity
parish; Rev. DR.. Hoffman, of New York;
Rev. DR.. Mann, of st. Louis; Rev. DIR.
Fulton of Philadelphia, and Rev. DR..
Eccleston, of Baltimore.
The lay members of the committee
who were present were:
Francis A. Lewis, of Philadelphia;
Francis l. Stetson of New York; Charles
H. Stanley, of Washington, and Judge
E. Bradford of Wilmington, Del
DR. Morgan Dix presided, and Francis
A. Lewis, of Philadelphia, acted as Sec
rotary