The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-01-17
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.


give religious combat. Thus as the public leaders of many denominations are fight ing this undermining and would be de- stroyer of the home. it is not inappropri- ate for me to speak few words in ref erence to those legal and domestic causes which might hereafter make easy di- vorce" an impossibilty.
 First, nothing can be accomplished in a material way unless there is national legislation or at least concerted action among the different state legislatures upon this subect. There must be all over the land harmonius and united legal ac. tion against the divorce evil. It should be made impossible for a man to get a divorce in one state which he could not obtain on the same ground in any one of the 5000 divorce courts of the United States. All these courts ought to be an agreement as to what causes justify and what do not justify the dissolution of marriage.
 We recognize the necessity of the crim- final courts of the United States working in harmony. Why should we not recog- nize the necessity of concerted action by divorce courts? Some years ago in Chi cago man killed his wife and buried her body in the vat of a sausage factory. Sup posing after that crime he could have stepped across the state line and in 1ndt- ana defed the legal authorities of Illinois. What would have been the result? Sup posing that a notable murderer could have walked free man in Philadelphia after he had poisoned his child wife In New York city. Why. murder and out lawry would be everywhere in the United States running rampant. Today sour life would not be worth the value of pin only as you were able to protect 1t with your own arm and defy your would be murderer behind the barricaded walls of your own home. Mo- no, The only safety of life depends upon this fact: If YOU commit a murder in one state and then run away another state governor will recognize your extradition papers and allow you to be forcibly returned to the place where you committed the crime.
 Divorce Laws Should Be Uniform. We recognize the necessity of con certed action between states on the mur- der question. We recognize also the ne- cessity of concerted action between diff ferent nations and widely separated au- thorities in cases of theft as well mur- der A few years ago all that a cashier had to do after wrecking bank was to cross the Canadian line and he was safe. Ontario and Quebec and Montreal were "cities of refuge" crowded with fugitives from American justice. Hundreds of de- faulters from Chicago and New York were living there, gloating over their crimes But now men guilty of financial crimes legally have no escape. crim- inal in the United States Is criminal in England, a criminal in Canada is crim- final in France, To suppress forgery and theft there must be concerted action be- tween nations as well as states Why, Tn the same way, should there not be con- certed action between states in refer ence to the divorce law? But though concerted and harmonious action by the different state courts should be regarded as necessity yet we find the actual con- ditions just the reverse. To illustrate how a man can defy the divorce courts of one state by living in another state, a prominent member of the Presbyterian general assembly committee told me that a short time ago a man died in the United States and left three legal widows He left three widows, and he was not be- liever in Brigham Young, either! How was that? few years ago this man went to a western state and there set tied and married. After awhile he be- came tired of his wife and decided he would marry another woman. So this man left the state where he was then living and went into another state, got a divorce and there remarked. Of course