The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-03-17
No DIVORCE EXCEPT
FOR BIBLICAL CAUSE
Senator Henderson's Able
Speech on Divorce.
IT SAPS HOME LIFE
The Guilty Party Should Not be AL
lowed to Remarry.
FEW DIVORCES IN ENGLAND AND IRELAND
Men and Women VIII Do What the Law Per-
mits and Say It is Proper. The Law
Ought Not to put Stumbling Blocks
in Citizens Way."

VuSuk NUt W Put Stu"tH'"6 S'"S"s
In Citizens Way."
There was no bill introduced during
the Legislature that provoked ablel
discussion than the divorce bill. 1t is
to be regretted that the bill did not be-
come a law as it passed the House
There was no abler speech made during
the entire session than the one by Hon
John S. Henderson, the Senator from
Rowan His speech was as follows:
Marriage is a divine institution, sa-
cred union, and by the divine law nc
man is permitted to regard it as some
thing which he can undo at his pleasure
The marriage law is plainly stated by
our Lord:
''It hath been said, whoever shall put
away his wife let him give her a writing
of enforcement" Math. ", 81; XIX, z;
Mark X. A. Moses, because of the hard
ness of your hearts suffered you to put
away your wives, but from the beginning
it was not So Math. NIX, 8; Mark
NX., 5.
From the beginning of creation God
made them male and female. For TINS
cause shall a man leave his father ana
mother and cleave to his wife; andthey
twain shall be one flesh: so then they
are no more twain, but one flesh Whom
therefore God has joined together, let no
man put asunder." Mark K, 6-9; Matn'
XIX, AS.
"But i say unto you, that whosoever
shall put away his wife, saving Tor the
cause of fornication, causeth her to COM
oh
her that is divorced committeth adul-
terry" Math. ", 80; XIX, 8; Luke XVI,
IS. "And he saith unto them, whosoever
shall put away his wife, and marry an
other. committcth adultery against her.
And if a woman shall put away her nus
band and be married to another she
committeth adultery Mark x, 11-12
Saint Paul is equally positive and en-
phatic on the same subject.
For the woman which hath an hus-
, hand is bound by the law to her husband
so long as he liveth; but if the husband
no dead she is loosed from the law OF
hor husband So then if, while her hus-
hand liyeth, she be married to another
man she shall be called an adulteress:
hut IL her husband be dead she is free
from the law; so that she is no adulteress,
though she be married to another man..
Rom. VII, 2-3.
"And unto the married l command, yet
not I but the Lord, let not the wife depart
from her husband. But if she depart, let
her remain unmarried, or be reconcled
to her husband and let not the husband
put away his wife" / Cor. VII, 10-11.
THE wife is bound by tho law, so long
as her husband liveth; but If her hus-
band be dead, she is at liberty to marry
TO whom she will, only in the Lord +"
/ Cor. X, 80.
DIR. Gcikie in his great work on the
Life of Christ" commenting on the rule
or marriage as laid down by our Lord
saws: This statement was of far deeper
moment than the mere silencing of malig
nant spies. 1t was designed to set forth
for all ages the law of His New King
dom in the supreme matter of family
life. 1t swept away forever from His
society the conception of woman as a
mere toy or slave of man, and based true
relations of the sexes on the eternal
foundation of truth, right, honor and love.
To ennoblc the house and the family by
raising woman to her true position was
essential to the future stablilty OF his
kingdom, as one of purity and spiritual
worth. BY making marriage indissoiuole
and man within the limits OF the FAMILY
and, in this, gave their charter OF no
bility to the mothers of the world For
her nobler position in the Christian era,
compared with that granted her in'anti-
uuity, woman is indebted to Jesus Christ.
Vol. 2. 371
10 this day throughout Chrlstendom,
SO far as the canons, laws and authority
Of the Christian church is concerned,
Christians are warned continually, that
if they be married otherwise than as
Gods word doth allow their marriage is
not lawful. When, however, they are
lawfully married as Gods word doth al
low they are taught to believe they are
Joined by God and that therefore no hu-
man power can separate them those
whom God hath joined together, let no
man put asunder." notwithstanding there
seeems to be one scriptural cause which
will justify the husband in putting away
his wife-that is for the cause of fornica-
tion--there seems to have been an almost
unanimous concensus of opinion among
the doctors Of the church for more than
eighteen hundred years that this was for
an offence that was committed before
marriage and was not so much cause
for divorce as an impediment to lawful
marriage. for which the marriage could
be aunulled and declared void from the
begiDning-the judgment in such case
not dissolving the bonds of matrimony.
but declaring that no real marriage had