Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-10-29
The Bishops OH Divorce .

At the conference of P. f. bishops at
Washington last week, the prevailing
opinion favored a rule forbidding any re-
marriage of a divorced person. whether
the innocent party or not but it was de-
cided to postpone the matter of more
stringent divorce legislation until the
House of Bishops and the House of
Deputies meet in Boston a year hence
The following were among the notable
declarations regarding divorce made to
a New York Tribune correspondent by
leading bishops.
Bishop Potter of New York said:
There is a general trend in the church
at this day toward greater rightly in the
enforcement of the marriage law.
1t must not be forgotten that the office
used in the Episcopal Church expressly
says for worse" as we'll as for better"
Divorce is Il growing evil, and the people
must be educated TO appreciate that the
family is a foundation of the state. 1t be-
comes apparent that, while there is a
possibility of Gissolving the marriage tie,
persons bound by matrlmony Will be prone
to let their thoughts revert to that pos
ments OF, shall We say ,incompatibility,
which occur in almost every family on
more or less rare occasions.
! was once greatly impressed with the
opinion expressed by E. j. Phelps, one
OF the ablest lawyers we have ever had,
a man who should have been on the SUI
prome bench. Mr.. Phelps had long been
an earnest supporter of the position held
by the Episcopal Church. permitting the
innocent party TO marry, but he finally
said to me: Il am convinced that so long
as adultery is recognized as IA valid
ground for divorce. SO long will adultery
be committed for the very purpose of pro-
curing divorce That is a grave considera-
ton"
ON one point we are all agreed-that is,
on the necessity of a uniform divorce
law throughout the United States.
Bishop Edward Robert Atwell of West
Missouri said:
| am heartily in favor of uniform di-
vOrce laws, but think it will have to be
accomplished by united action on the
part OF the several States. The condition
of society especially in the West may
be described as dreadful on account of
the lack of uniform divorce laws. l am
in favor of forbidding our clergy to marry
a divorced person when the other party
! is living.
Bishop Sweatman of Montreal described
a remarkable situation with regard to
divorce in Canada. He said
You see, we can hardly be said to have
a divorce evil in Canada Our laws are
| so stringent that il is extremely difficult
to procure divorce on any ground. In
the first place the only ground recognized
! by the Canadian law as cause for alb
solute divorce is adultery proved" A
second clause in the law permits re-
marriage Of the innocent party at the
+ option Of the Senate All applications for
divorce must he made 20 the Senate. the
legal fees alone amounting to 81 300. AS
Il result Of this stringent law, we have
had in Canada during the last twelve
years an average Of about three and one
half divorces a year. In 1882 a law was
enacted permitting Il man to marry his
deceased wife's sister. He added that
unfortunately, many Canadians sought d.
vorce in the States, where the laws were
more lax,
Resolutions also were adopted providing
that the Episcopal Church should in its
contention for its rights contend always
with unlimited charity to the Roman
/ Catholic clergy ard people, rather in the
spirit of maintenance, defence ana proof
than Of controversy and attack The
resolutions urge that Episcopalians mar
rying Roman Catholics should not prom
Use that their children should be brought
mp Roman Catholics.
Resolutions were also adopted recon-
mending a more kindly attitude toward
the other Protestant bodies with view
to possible union with them.