The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-07
The CURSE
OF DIVORCE
Theme of Sermon by
Rev. w. M. Kincaid.
A PERIL TO THE STATE
Frivolous Causes for Which Separa-
tions are Sought Denounced
Last Night.

Rev. William Morris Kincaid. pastor
| of Central Union church, says that di-
vorces are imperilling the American
home, and that this is due in a large
measure to the latitude allowed by the
courts for the dissolution of the mar
! riage tie.
In sermon last evening to his con-
| gregation, Mr.. Kincaid made some
startling revelations concerning the
abuse of the divorce laws and the friv-
olous causes upon which annulments
of the bonds of n.atrimony are sought.
What God hath Joined together let
no man put asunder' was the text.
He considered the divorce evil as the
greatest foe to family life. He divided
the subject into two parts: What is
marriage? and under what circum-
lstances may it be dissolved?
He contrasted the two conceptions
of the subject from the Pagan and the
Christian points of view. The Roman
Catholic position was that marriage
was a divine law and that the church
has the right to determine who should
marry and who should not. On the
|other hand the Protestants, in their re-
volt from the Catholic church, denied
that marriage was a sacred rite and
that the church had any right in de-
termining who should marry and who
should not, and said that it was a civil
contract, like any other contract. This
doctrine taught that in taking this po
|sition the parties to this marriage
were simply partners in a common en-
|terprise and that being partners in
common enterprise the natural logical
conclusion was that the partnership
could be dissolved by mutual agree
ment of the two parties
Mr.. Kincaid said in contrast to, this
all should turn to the teachings of
Christ from which the text is taken.
The words of Christ were denial of
the Pagan conception of marriage at
three crucical points-first, that it was
a. civil contract, declaring it a divine
ordinance, and second, it denied the
parties to a marriage We're partners,
but declared them to beeof one flesh,
and third, there was a denial that the
marriage contract could be dissolved
| by the mere desire of the two parties.
| The speaker dwelt at length on the
/! last point wherein he said Christ de-
| MED that marriage could be dissolved
flor frivolous reasons. One of the
| strongest elements of Christ's teaching
| in this respect was that He taught
that whosoever put away his wife and
| took unto himself another, commit
| ted adultery. No one, said he, has a
| right to put away a husband or a
wife, except for the one crime which
DESTROYS the family
Excerpts from dissertations on the
| old Roman customs were quoted to
show what the Pagan view of marriage
twas.
| The ease with which divorces were
granted was illustrated by the record
| of the ST. Louis courts, where between
the hours of a. m. and p. M, in a
single day not long since, sixty divorces
were granted. He then quoted the CAL
| ifornia laws under which divorces
could be granted. These were for
cruel and inhuman treatment and
Iother statutory causes, and he cited
many amusing instances as adduced
| by the testimony to show how frivolous
We're many of the causes assigned for
lcruel and inhuman treatment. Among
them We're the following which he read:
"The witness testified that he had
seen the plaintiff with but one button
on his vest, and that he heard the de-
fendant say that she would not allow
the plaintiff to go to fires at night.
The court decided that the wife was
guilty of cruel and inhuman treatment
and granted a decree of divorce"
| Another was that defendant treats
lplaintiff with great and unmerited con-
tempt, having said that he did not care
whether she left him or not. The fore
| going remark was adjudged to be cruel
and inhuman treatment, as it caused
mental anguish. A decree of divorce
was accordingly granted
| Still another: My wife would not
get up in the morning nor would she
call me in the morning; she would no
do anything / requested her to do. All
| this has caused me great mental suf
lfering and anguish. Divorce granted"
| "The defendant does not come home
until 10 o'clock at night" quoted Mr..
Kincaid, "and when he does return he
keeps the plaintiff (wife) awake talking
sometimes until midnight. Divorce
granted"
4 But perhaps the most extraordinary
bf all these cases was this: During
four whole married life my husband
never offered to take me out riding.
This has been a source of great mental
,anguish and injury. Divorce granted.
= ''Such divorces bring the blush OF
shame to the face of every true Amerl-
can to think that there should be men
. and women in this land where so much
. has been made of manhood and wo-
manhood who will stand up before God
and pledge themselves to love and