The sun., 1903-12-13
Religious and GviI Disagreement. {.

Religious and CiviI Disagreement.
We have received letter discussing
the marriage and divorce question. 1t
comes from Brooklyn, a community
which, Judging from the many contro-
versial letters on religious subjects
thence sent to us, is seat of very great
and peculiar interest in such questions.
The point OF view of this orrespondent
is that of member of the Protestant
Episcopal Church. If the marriage
canon Of that Church was made the law
Of the land and duly enforced as such in
every State he is convinced that there
would be "an incalculable amelioration
of social conditions throughout the
country" for the law would be uniform
and in conformity with the requirements
of GODS Word"
In this assumption our Brooklyn friend
is an example of many of our corre-
spondents on religious subjects. They
lay down as automatic truths propo-
sitions which are stoutly rejected by
great divisions of the Christian world.
Protcstantism started out with adding
malicious desertion" as a cause of di-
vorce "in conformity with the require
ments of GoD's Word" The Roman
Catholic Church then denied, and 1t still
denies, that any divorce from the sacra-
ment of matrimony is possible Finally
comes the school, represented in the
vast majority of modern legislation,
which looks on marriage as civil con-
tract merely and therefore dissoluble ac-
cording to laws civilly enacted.
Moreover even in the Episcopal Church,
of which this correspondent assumes
to be the spokesman, there is radical
difference of opinion on the subject. For
many years very earnest party in that
Church has sought to secure the adop-
tion by it's General Convention of the
Roman Catholic principle that matri-
mony is sacrament, and its strength
seems to be increasing steadily. The
present Episcopal canon, allowing d-
vorce for adultery as "in conformity
with the requirements of GODS Word,
it denounces as sinful.
Our Brooklyn CORES pondent COM
plains Of diversity in the divorce legisla-
tion of our States, but so also is there d-
versity in the rules and canons and prac-
tice of the different Churches An at
tempt has lately been made to bring
about an agreement between gentle
men," to bind Protestant ministers, as a
dictate of courtesy, to refuse to solem-
nize the new marriages of divorced per-
sons at which any other Protestant minis
ter had declined to off1ciate But how can
ministers of Churches which recognize
"wilful desertion" as sufficient Script
ural cause consistently pledge them
selves to follow the Episcopal rule which
allows the dissolution of matrimony for
adultery only? According to the Prot
estant theory, matrimony is not sacra-
ment, and being dissoluble as a purely
human contract there must arise diff
ferences OF Protestant opinion as to the
proper or expedient grounds for its dis
solution as such.
An association of women in the State
of New York opposed to woman suf-
frage, at their annual meeting in this
CITY on Tuesday, referred to the crcum-
stance as "a point worthy of note, that
woman suffrage exists only where men
outnumber the women" 1t might also
be remarked as notable that it is in such
States, more particularly, that the causes
of divorce are most multiplied; and whv?
They were allowed for the benefit of
wives especially, in pursuance of the
tendency of American men to hold in
especially tender regard the rights of
women, and actually the vast majority
of divorces obtained in this country are
obtained by wives and for other causes
than the prime breach of the matri-
monial contract.
A Roman Catholic priest, also of
Brooklyn, contends in letter we print
to-day that if "the intelligent press"
supports the movement for the abolition
of divorce, it will surely be successful;
but he should remember that divorce is
now allowed by the laws of every State
of the Union except one, and that, ac-