The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-03-11
GAVE SERMON ON DIVORCE
oLITET BAPTIST CHURcH LAST
EVENING.
Rev. A. *. Foster Believes New Tesla
ment In No Case Sanctions Re-mar-
riuue-says Only One Ground Suf-
ficient 10 sanction Marriage Tie.

| riage-Says Only One Ground Suf-
| ficient 20 Sanction Marriage Tie.
| The Olivet Baptist church has for the past
| few Sundays been unable &c accommodate
the crowds which have been attracted by a
series of Sunday evening sermons on topics
relating to the home, delivered by the pas
tor of the church, Rev. Allyn Is. Foster.
Next Sunday evening he will begin series
| of character sketches, the first one being en-
titled 1.-THE Career OF a Gossip, Considese,ui
| in Both Genders." The Yale quartette Will
probably assist at this service;
| The sermon last night, which IS given pc
| low handled very firmly and skiilfusly from
the New Testament standpoint the question
| of divorce:
object in view-namely, the arousing OF
public conscience upon vital questions.
| have thoroughly realized that the pubic
| conscience cannot be expected to pc III a.
vance of the Christian conscience nence inc
| first place in which to prosecute study Oh
| divorce is in the church of Christ. Let
your light 50 shine, said Jesus, that others
seeing your good works may glorlty your
Ftaher which is In heaven. The cnrlstlan
propaganda becomes tragic farce II Shrls-
tians do not first demonstrate the eihcacy
of their own gospel. 1t is with the sole on
ject Of stimulating you to the study oil TINS
matter, in the light Of your sacred canons,
that offer you the results OF iny own cX-
| animation. l do not hesitate to say mat
the Protestant church 'n 1any piaces mas
| not done its full duty, in that u has neg
lccted definite teaching upon thlS SUBJECT.
l speak advlsedly when say that niany
ministers of all denominations are without
adequate conviction in the matter, and nat
urally avoid discussing publicly 50 unpleas-
to say nHq that T Il any sy denomination il
the last thirty years, has devoted as much
time and brain to the honest examination
and exposition of the teaching concerning
divorces, as has been expended upon the de-
tense of cherished pecularities many
home would have been spared anu inahy
own nostrum and say that IL the Baptists
had been as Jealous for the New Testament
doctrine concerning the married state as
they have been for their distinctive Deiiets,
many of their own entanglements might
have been avoided. / am glad, however, TO
say that my own denomination at It's CON
tentlon in Waterbury In ls9o took higher
stand than ever before IN their history, In
this state BY practically unanimous vote
the Baptist ministers decided TO remarry no
divorced PERSONS except the innocent par
ties In cases Of inhdelity.
Now in discussing the matter tonight, l
do not appear before you in the role or
Judge. / do not come either to condemn
or to advise any man OF woman categor
ically. ! avow at the outset my profound
sympathy for any Innocent person, who may
have become entangled-and yet | cannot
hesitate to declare TO you what regard as
truth. ! can only tel You wna a,t ! peliene
a minister Of Christ ! shall not discuss the
legal aspects at all; my search Is solely for
the proper Christian attitude toward the
question. Ny hope Is not so much to cure
the existing evils as to prevent future In
lection.
My task, then, involves three things:
First, the facts In the case; second, the New
Testament teaching. and third, some concln-
4 single glance at the statistics is enough
to produce establishment and dismay. The
only complete figures obtainahle are Tor the
teen countries of Europe reported In 1867,
there were 6,540 divorces; In 1855, 1o3o9 an
increase of IL per cent. In 1855 In all the
European countries reporting, there were
%, 735 divorces.
In the United States the divorces in 1856
were 1869 per cent. more than In 1867. The
increase IN populati9oe- was LITTLE ,, more tan
the increase has been steady until in 1850 /
the total number for the twenty years !
reached 32S,716. In general, divorces are
increasing more than twice as fast as TIE |
population.
What about New England? The total ei-
vorces for twenty years QS67-S6) were 49, |
1876. OF the four great sections p ibe
Southern and Western states. New England
stands second In proportion of divorces, |
here being SO for every 100000 Of the popu-
alton whereas the west has 60.
In Connecticut, between 1S61S8, ;here
we're granted S542 divorces MS over against
rs, 1877 marriages. That is to say, one mar
riage was dissolved for every lib for
years from '6706 the average ratio of a.
rorce was one In every 12.1 marriages. Only
me state In the Union for the twenty
ears between 1S67S6 Rhode Island, has a
ut however, is improving steadily, for l
ind that for 1895 the ratio was one div orce
H. every 14,5 marriages
still the situation Is bad enough. Let lis
ONE still closer and look at New Haven,
county In 1896 there were issued Mt New
Iaven 953 marriage licenses. Three hun
lred and thirty-seven OF these. were e lto
nan Catholics, among whom is practically
10 divorce, leaving GIG Of those to whom
livorce was possible, There were granted
he same year 100 divorces. OF course no
livorces had to be granted at New Haven
md some of the marriage licenses had to
Re issued to those out of New Haven city. i
But that there should go out from our town
enses and 169 dissolutions of the marriage
one divorce to 81 marrlagesis az
east significant. In 1900 there were grant
d at New Haven 1877 divorces.
Surely it Is the part Of good citizenship.
o say nothing of religion, to sustain an
intelligent relation to such an evil
As to causes Of divorce Smith gives
he proportion for all Countries esertion
eing the most frequent or 40.15 per cent.
+ the whole; adultery 2145 per cent; and
ruelty 1886 Desertion too often means
lutHal agreement between paftleS W1SllIn5
O be divorced; while cruelty Is one Of the
lost elastic words in the language. Here
re some examples of cruelty on which di
orceS were granted:
plaintiff alleges that defendant would
ot wash himself thereby inaicting on
laintif great mental anguish
Plaintiff says she Is subject to sick head-
ches that grow worse when she SMELLS to-
acco Defendant uses tobacco and thus az Z
ravates her headaches"
OF the S,542 divorces granted in Connecti- I
ut between 1S67-S6, 661 were for adultery |
,S36 for adultery and one or more addi- 4,
ional causes, and 5,706 for other causes.
VI the latter 5,214 were desertion
But In multitude of figures there Is {
and will forbear to go further :
nough has been said to MAKE 1t clear that
ne evil is of monstrQus proportions; ami 4
ven though in Connecticut the situation Is !
owly improving, yet much remains to be .
one, If the home Is to be restored to its I
rimitive sacredness. |
There is another fact which demands n y
vigilance. The sacredness of the J
and. The stage and much of modern If
.ature are saturated with unholy contlmnt t
II the marriage bond and there are NOT Y
anting, here and there, prominent men OF II
tiers who deliberately advocate free love. t
ere are a few of the expressions to be $
,und in modern fiction. Says a heroine to t
or lover: where there is love there L
lould be marrlage-and where love ends
arrage should end too Another charoc- | !
"a woman--whcn asked what she should y
}, if after marriage she found herself I'm 8
We with another man, replied: "a sLould e.
lmly face the situation. If dac'deT If a