The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-05
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
PRESByT6RlANS AND DIVORCE

From time to time the various
churches have declared in more or
less emphatic terms their condemna-
ton of the prevailing disregard in
American society of the sanctity Of the
marriage tie. The latest declaration
OF this character was made by the late
Presbyterian assembly through the
report of its committee on church
polity. This declaration is:
Viewing with sad apprehension the
many perils to family life in our time,
the growing ease and frequency of di-
vorce. upon grounds trivial and un
scriptural, the assembly urges upon
all our people the promotion OF a
wider reverence for the marriage bond,
and requires of all our ministers that
they instruct their people in public and
private OF the sacredness of the mar
riage institution and that they exercise
due diligence before the celebration of
a marriage to ascertain that there ex-
ist no impediments thereto as defined
in our confession OF faith.
This declaration is certainly not very
specific and does not involve any ac-
ton on the part OF the Presbyterian
authorities which is likely to be fol-
lowed by serious results. To the lay
man 1t would seem wholly unnecessary
to declare. for instance. that ministers
OF any faith should exercise due dill
gence before The celebration of a mar
riage to ascertain that there existed no
impediments to such marriage. Such
action is, no doubt, taken every day by
the ministry of that religion and OF all
others In the performance of the mar
riage ceremony. Standing by itself,
then, it is not plain that this recon-
mendation of the Presbyterian COM
mittee is likely TO be followed by any
serious interference with the prevail
ing tendency toward thoughtless mar
riage and virtually causeless divorce.
More of encouragement is to be had
ON this subject from the proposal Of
the same committee t:at cooperation
should take place with the authorities
of the Episcopal church and all other
churches, with view to securing some
concerted action so that uniform legis-
lation on the subject of divorce and re-
marriage may be taken by the
churches. The Episcopal church has
already gone far in this direction. 1t
would not be surprising, indeed, If that
church should ultimately go the entire
way in the direction consistently pur-
sued by the Roman Catholic church
on the subject of marriage and di-
vorce.
There is far from being a general
sentiment prevailing in American So
ciety against rendering divorce appar-
emily easy of accomplishment. There
certainly has not been any substantial
barrier erected in recent years against
easy divorce. The legislation of all
but a few Of the States render divorce
practicable on a great variety of
grounds. There Is not. in fact, in
this country today, except in the State
of South Carolina, any prevention
whatever against the severance of the
marriage tie by those who wish, for
almost any cause, to secure it's un-
doing.
1t is recognized by ali students of
social questions that the existing con-
ditions with reference to marriage, di-
Vorce and remarriage will continue in
existence as long as the various
churches do not take any particular
steps toward their removal In fact
1t can be said that almost all the re-
sponsibility for the prevalence of di-
Vorce and remarriage is chargeable to
the churches Aside from the reli-
gious feature of the question, and
purely as matter of public policy, it
is one of the crying needs of American
society that this whole subject should
be taken up by the different States and
some uniform and more rational legis-
lative policy be formulated and en-
forepd