The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-11

/
it matters so very much which particular
woman looks after them--any average FOOL
| would do"
One of our leading men of letters, recent
ly deceased, says in so many words Pro-
vided women will continue to undertake the
duties of motherhood |, for one, am sli-
premely unprecedented as to whether they
become wives or no."
These sentiments are embodied in works
OF felton, the most popular OF nll htefa-
ture, and they are slowly working thelf
| poison into the growing life OF our genera
| lion. Surely it IS high time to nstill right
Ideas regarding matters of such Importance.
cit me state just one more fact, The
average Duration of marriage heIofe ui'9 ,iEe
! III the United States Is 1911 years. me
| average number Of children born 10 pai-
ents subsequently divorced is 2.o7 and this
is low for in about half the cases me
number of children was not reported. we
! therefore have for the United States -.
| twenty years-scmething like go, $50 chill
| dren who must bear the brunt of divided
home.
/ In Connecticut the average number Of
children is LA; or about 10000 children IN
twenty years bear the works OF others
| wrongs. 1t would bA interesting to learn
how many of these eventually enter state
institutions or become wards Of charity-but
statistics are not available 49, 49,,
Isn't it, then bad enough? Must we still
/ refuse to talk about 1t? In thirty years q
well nigh a million children made suffer-
ers! Is 1t right that the young should be-
come stepped in the error and sin and gnor-
ance of the earlier generatlon? What bet
ter can we do than to get all the light we
can and where better can light be found
than at the feet of the Nazarene teacher,
| whose disciples we claim to bef Let me re-
mind you, ! am not outlining policy ftv'
the state; ] am speaking to Christians and
i assume that the New Testament Is hnal
authority In such matters. The state can
not act as does the church and the CHURCH
dare not proceed upon the principles of the
state. The church Is nothing, If 1t be not
the beginnings of the kingdom of God on
the earth 1t is not enough that Christians
keep within the law of the commonwealth
one Is your master, even Christ.
Here are the Statements, Matthew 5:32.
Jesus says: Whoever puts away his wife,
except for the cause of fornication, maketh
here about the mans remarriage at all.
Except for nfdelity" qualities the main
statement and is equivalent. to saying that
If she is already guilty OF adultery her put
whereas If she married again when put
away for any. cause she would become an
adulteress. The statement is uttered to dis
suade men from divorce.
In Mark 1922 the statement is absolute:
whoever puts away his wife and marries
another commits adultery. against her and
she that having put away her h,sh1nd mar
tical statement Is made i'll Luke III 10
The passage in Mark 10, 3:12, reads as fol-
lows: Whoever shall put away his wife
except upon tue ground OF .0fDl:ltlon ana
shall mlarry another committeth adultery
Let US admit that this passage gives ground
for dlvorce-we will come back to It later.
The PASS Observation-Disclosures 7Is explicit t and
hath husband Is bound by law to her hus-
band while he liyeth. But IL the husband
die she is free from the law Of her hus-
band. So then, If while the husband iiveth
she shall be Joined to another man she
shall be called an adulteress."
The last passage is l Corinthians 7:l0: !,
To those who are married | exhort that
a woman be not senarated from her hus.
band. But II she become separated let her
remain unmarried or be reconcnd TO her
husbands; and exhort husband not to put
away wife,
Tils is plain enough surely. Now, arises
the question OF what to do II one of the
parties Is henthen and refuses to remain
In the home. The apostle distinctly urges
min the family ties must not be broken,
but II he insists upon going, let him 20.
The wife Is not bound to remain In dis
cordant union but lin peace hath God call
here at ALL There ~ separation, but the
apostle had just said that neither must
marry again.
What now must we conclude? OF these
either divorce or re-mnrrtage. The other
Ave are explicit against both. Now shall
the five yield to the one or the one to the
Ave? It Is cratnitous to say that the CON
dition Is understood where not stated Such
a statement cannot be justified. 1t Is my
judgment, therefore, that the New Tesla
ment In no case sanctions rc-marrlage and
that the vast bulk of its teaching Is against
divorce for any cause. It distinctly teaches
separation as relief to innocence but does
not, to my mind, contemplate a scctld |
According to its letter and spirit, |
in marriage the two become one flesh and
what God hath Joined together may not be
put ns,inder.
# we accept the New Testament as guide
that only. one ground, BY the most liberal |
is recognized as sufficient |
for the severance of the marriage tie |
namely infdelity Personally Do not BE-
licve that the one passage In which this /
Is a fair Inference. should outweigh all the
rest which are explicit. For several years
have not oficiate Mt the wedding ceremony /
II any divorced persons and such shat con I
tinue to be my attitude But IL the Chris. +
tian church, consistent with its scripture I
teaching. would confine Its moral support to /
the cases Of the re-marrlage of the inno-
cent party. divorced on the ground of adui-
terry, long step In advance would be
taken. If the state sees fit to dissolve the
marriage bond contrary to the teaching Of
he New Testament, let the state-alone---
be responsible for the converting of new
lniOn.
Is there then no relief from a life Of mis-
cry In a discordant union? ] realize that
people to live together Yes, separation for
lust caues is always proper, but 1t should
)e the business of church and state as
we'll, to declare that persons who have made
me home wretched shall never nave the
,hance to ruin a second.
What shall be the attitude of the church
ioward this matter? What shall be Its
eatment of divorced people? Exactly The
same as in other sins A sincere repent
nce should be received here as elsewhere
tut q deliberate infractlon Of divine law
hould not be passed lightly over
The pressing need now Is honest teaching
n this subject. Our young people should be
'rought to an understanding Of these vital
matters, but even then another generation
must come before substantial reform will be
cached.
CONCpEC ATJnNAJ. rJIfp