The Irish standard., 1903-10-10


in Baltimore, expressed his views on
divorce and the public school system
to J. Martin Miller Washington cor
respondent of the Newark Evening
News The cardinal declared that
polygamy existed i'll every state in
the Union, and that the public
school system was vicious and imper-
feet. The meagre government statis-
tics OH divorce gathered last year
places the number of divorces grant
ed in New York City during 1902 ut
SIT, and there is only one cause for
which divorces are granted i'll New
York state. In the city of Chicago
1,SOS divorces We're granted last year.
The Illinois statutes name eight caus-
es for divorce. New York City alone
divorced III more couples than the to-
tai number Of polygamous families in
Utah to-day, and Chicago divorced two
and one-half times as many as there
are men with plural wives in Utah.
Cardinal Gibbons received the News
correspondent, and after the subject
was gone over the cardinal asked that
the interview be written out and sub
mitted to him for approval. This was
done and the authorized interview fol-
lows:
''Your Eminence, it is said that
President Roosevelt will recommend
that Congress provide means for
making an exhaustive inquiry into the
question of divorces in this country,
with view to making national di-
yorce law to take the place of the
various state enactments that are far
from being uniform" said the cores
pondent "What do you think of such
recommendation. if made by the
chief executive of the nation?' II am
not aware of the presidents inten-
tions, but any legislative measure that
is calculated to check the growth Of
this social evil should be hailed with
satisfaction said the cardinal. 'Do
you believe there should be any kind
of a law granting divorce?" 'Of
course not; I am in favor of the strict
application of the gospel teaching"
said the cardinal. I'VE are confronted
in this country by polygamy. l mean
the polygamy that exists in every
state of this Union. and there is no
law against this kind of polygamy,
but, rather. laws that recognize it, and
make it possible. There is law
against polygamy such as exists in
Utah. Is not the law of divorce
virtual form of Mormonism in a modi-
fed shape? Mormonism consists of
simultaneous polygamy, while the law
of divorce practically leads to success
sive polygamy. Each state has on it's
statute books a list of causes, or rather
pretexts, which are recognized as suf
ficient grounds for divorce. There are
in all 21 causes, most of them of trifl-
ing character, and in some states, as
in Illinois and Maine, the power of
granting a divorce is left to the dis
cretion of the Judge. Evidences are
accumulating each year that the can
Ger of divorce is rapidly spreading
over the country and poisoning the
fountains Of the nation. Unless the
evil is checked by some speedy and
heroic measures the very existence Of
our family life is imperiled. How can
we call ourselves Christian people
if we violate a fundamental law Of
Christianity? And if the sanctity and
indissolubility of marriage does not
constitute cardinal principle of
Christianity. we are at a loss to know
what does. Let the imagination pic
ture to itself the fearful wrecks daily
caused by this rock of scandals. and
the number of families that are cast
adrift on the ocean of life. Great
stress is laid upon the observance of
the Sabbath by mOralists. But what
!; mOckery is the external repose OF
the Christian Sabbath to homes from
which domestic peace has been ban
iShed by interneclne war, where the
mothers heart is broken. the fathers
spirit is crushed. and where children
cannot cling to one of their parents