The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-29
DIVORCE is DENOUNCED
BISHOP o'GORMAN ROUNDLY CON
DEEMS s. ID. PRACTICES


DEaENs s. ID. PRACTICES
SIOUX FALLS, S. D., Dec. 2S-Bishop
. 0'Gofnans stirring sermon on s'Divorce.,,-
assattracted wide attention. He made
special reference to the way in which,
e tivoreessrare granted in South Dakota.
Bishop O'Gorman's sermon was sug-
geste@ to him by an article, Marriage
and Modern Civilization in the Nine
teenth Century and After of December
The following is a brief summary of the
sermon:
christianity vindicated the moral and
spiritual freedom of men as men, pro-
claimed their universal brotherhood, and
insisted that before their Creator and
Judge, rich and poor, bound and free,
meet together in the essential equality
of human personality. By this revela-
ton of the dignity of human nature the
weaker half of humanity benefited far
more than the stronger half. The procla-
nation of the spiritual equality of wom-
an with man (for in Jesus Christ there .
neither male or female) brought about
the most wonderful part of the great
change due to the influence of Christian
ity. Before Christ woman was not the
equal of man in any of the older eivili-
cations made known to US by history.
Christian Marriage.
'But Christianity did more than mere
ly Vindicate the personality of woman.
1t protected her personality by the ere
alton of Christian marriage. Christian
marriage is the Magma Charta of women
in our present civilization; and. more
than that, Christian marriage is the very
basis of our present civilization. and by
Christian marriage I mean the lifelong
union of two equal personalities. the gift
Of helm
meet unto him; a union. a gift. conse-,
Grated by religion and made holy by mat
rimonv The feast of Christmas sets
glorious seal on this new order of things.
For the prominent figures amid the
scenes and the actors of that holy night
are the Babe and the mother. Christian
womanhood. idealized in the virgin moth
er, is glorified and sanctifed by the Babe
of Bethlehem lying in the arms Of
Madonna To no one has Christmas been
so bountiful giftgiver as to woman. On
her more than on man is founded the
Christian family. And if it be true that
man is formed at the knees of his
mother. then we must say that the kind
Of men found in civilization depend
tpon the kind of women found in it; the
moral basis of society is founded by
women; and the great bulwark of wom-
ans chastity is the absolute character
of matrimony.
Divorces Condemned.
., ssT,he absolute character of matrimony
consists in this, that it is one and in
dfssolubIe. 1t is a matter of history,
over which we need not linger, how un-
fiinchingly the Catholic church has up
held throughout the ages the uni
ty and indissolubility of marriage.
Tt is equally we'll known from
history that Professionalism has de-
streyed and still destroys the indissolubif-
ity OF marriage by the allowance of oil
voree; and that Luther struck fatal
blow at the unity of marriage by this
dispensation for polyganly which he gave
to the Landgrave Philip of Hesse. 1t
is also matter of history that, since
Professionalism came into the world. the
bond of Christian marriage has been
| growing laxer; and it is a matter OF
daily experience that in many states of
| our country that bond seems to have no
cohesion whatever In the light of this
Christmas feast it cannot be a cause of
boast, nay, it should be a cause of shame,
that. in our country, SO nl-faHed fer its
t numerous divorces, our state and cur
| city are known the world over as the
paradise of those who seek an easy snap
I ming of the bonds they once swore would
last until death did part them. The only
lresal witness in the world for the abso-
I lutte character of holy matrimony is the
{ Catholic church. She warns the world
that to degrade indissoluble marriage,
to a. mere regulation of social police, to
| a mere material fact governed by the AMI
nal. not the rational nature, will be to
throw back modern eiviliza ton to the
T mire from which it was rescued by the
Babe of Bethlehem