The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-08
DUTY OF THE CHURCH,


The amendment to the canon on the
solemnization of marriage adopted by
the committee on marriage and divorce
of the conference of the Episcopal church
now in session at San Francisco repre-
sents a grave departure from all the
practice of that church on the general
subject in the United States. It's adoption
will doubtless be followed by the most
far-reaching consequences on the legis-
lation of the several states on the sub
ject of both marriage and divorce.
For the benefit of those who may not
have read it as already published, the
C o b here reproduces the proposed
amendment adopted by a vote of II to L
by the committee having the subject I'M
der consideration. 1t is as follows:
mo minister shall solemnize mar
rage between any two persons unless,
nor until by inquiry, he shall have salts
fed himself that neither person has been
or is the husband or the wife of any
| other person living, unless the former
marriage was annulled by a decree of
some civil court of competent jurisdic-
E
mer marriage
The proposal of the minority of one of
the committee involves the addition of
the following modifying provision:
This shall not apply to. anyone pro-
ducing a certified copy of decree of di-
vorce on the ground of adultery, in
which he or she is found to be the limo
cent party, by a court of competent juris-
diction''
The G e has repeatedly expressed
the belief that any effective remedy
which is generally adopted for the rec
ognized evils of the present divorce sys-
TEN must be the product of the ac-
ton of the churches on the subject. It
still so believes. The reformatory leg
islation in this regard which has been
adopted in recent years is really not
worthy of serious consideration by those
who think that the prevailing freedom
of divorce should be seriously curtaiIed.
churches take a hand
Many persons, Episcopalians and 9TH
ers will be in favor of the minority sug-
gestion stated above It's adoption would
place the canons of the Episcopal church
on pretty much the same plane as
that occupied by the laws of the State of
New York. But it is doubtful whether
it will be found expedient to adopt it, or,
ie it were, that it will answer the pur-
pose of its Trainer. Every person at all
familiar with the operation of easy di-
vorce in the several states knows that
it is not at all infrequent for man
seeking to be unmarried to consent to
proof being made available against him
in the direction indicated. Until the
laws of the several states are changed
so as to embody the suggestion, its adop-
ton by the Episcopal church would real
ly be promotive of no good end.
1t would seem to be safer and better
for the cause of public morals if the nm
qualified amendment proposed were ADOPT
ed, or else that no action were taken at
all. This, of course, is from the stand
point of the general welfare, and with
out any reference to the doctrinal feature
of either proposal
If the Episcopal church were commit
ted to the non-marriage of divorced per
sons it would tend to promote the gen
eral adoption of a. rational divorce code
in many of the states which are now
afflicted by loose divorce laws. Whether
the modified amendment would SO operate
may be questioned. But in any event
the country would be benefited by any
more rigid requirement regarding the
selemnization of marriage which would
put an end to the practice, carried on
even under the auspices of the different
churches, of marrying young people with
out any regard to the sanctity or serious
ness of the celebration