The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-06-20
EFFORT TO CURB DIVORCE EVIL

EFFORT TO CURB DIVORCE EVIL
More than 100000 divorces hav,
been granted in the United States il
the last twenty eyars, according tt
Rev. William O'Brien Pardow, S. j.
formerly Jesuit provincial of the New
York province and president of st
Francis Xavier's college, New Yorl
City. He estimates that 100000
American children have seen thei1
homes broken up. The number of per
sons divorced would populate the state
OF Nebraska or the City of Philadel
phia. They are more than the popu
lation of each of twenty-five states
and territories of the Union. These
figures are from statistics and esti
mates furnished by Rev. William
.O'Brien Pardow
An attempt is being made to bring
about an understanding between the
denominations-Ca Catholic, Episcopal
ian,, Presbyterian, Methodist and
many more-to stem the divorce tide
in this country. Already sub-com-
mittee has been formed.
Protestants Take Action.
The Episcopalians, headed by Rev.
DR.. David H. Greer, rector of st.
Bartholomew, where the Vanderbilts
and many others of the fashionable
set worship, began the movement. DIR.
Greer takes practically the same posi-
ton as the Catholics, for whom Father
Pardow, leader of the Jesuits in New
York, has taken up the cudgels. Now
going with them in the movement are
are such men as Bishop James Doane
of Albany, the venerable Bishop Clark
of Rhode Island, Bishop Paret of Mary
land and Francis Lynde Stetson, all
the Episcopalians; Rev.
DR.. William Henry Roberts of Phila-
delphia, stated clerk of the general
assembly, Rev. Charles A. Dickey
and Rev. Drs McIlvaine, Nichols and
and John E. Parsons, for
the Presbyterians, and Bishop E. G.
Andrews, DR.. Kelley and Judge Rey-
holds for the Methodists.
Statement by Father Pardow.
Archbishop Farley has been invited
to join the movement in behalf of the
Catholics. While he is strongly op-
posed to divorce, it has been left to
Father Pardow to make the chief pro-
test. He makes a statement to the
world, in the course of which he says:
I'm these days Of modern civiliza-
ton, we glory in the horseless car
rage, smokeless powder and wireless
biography; soon we will be coming
to the motherless child and the child
less mother. More than 100000 di-
vorces have been granted in the Unit
ed States during the last twenty years
Think of the homes broken up, the
children whose parents are separated,
he untold misery that such a state of
affairs brings about!
"There are today in this land prob
ably as many as 100000 children who
nave not what we call real home
lot the home in which father and
mother unite to bring up their chill
lren as God willed them to do.
Long List OF Divorces.
In 1885, by authority of congress,
he United States commissioner of Ia
)or was ordered to report upon mar
'iage and divorce in the United States
or the twenty years from 1867 to
1856, inclusive. He found that in that
ime Their had been granted 32S,716 di-
-orces-657, 1882 people had severed
he marriage tie.
''All we can say in estimating fig
Tres for the last twenty years is that !
he ratio is increasing every year, and
hat since those figures were compiled
more than a round half million of di- |
-orces have been added to the num-
Ter. This is no mere speculation. The
igures, 32S,716, were upon an esti- |
mated population of 50,000,000. With
'ur present population of S0,0O0,O00, |
he estimate of 100000 divorces is lit
lie enough.
With its pouIation of 380,000,00O, the
lumber of divorces has been only 214,-
Al. With population five times
reater than the United tSates there
ave been less than one-half the num-
er of divorces.
Considering the loose hold that re-
gon seems now to be having upon so
1any Of the people of the United
tates, it seems as if the power of
oming to the rescue of the country
as been transferred from the church
D society
'The responsibilities of the rich and
he educated upper classes cannot
therefore,, he too much insisted unon
his water runs down hill by its own
-eight, so the breaking of the divine
NV among the -four hundred" will
Don reach the millions, spreading
'om the classes to the masses.
"The religious penalty seems not to
ave the power of restraining from di-
orce. There remains now the ques-
on of social ostracism.
THE worst cases in the world are /
, NpwnOr+ IF naOpIa IN I,;1d IiFo |