Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-05-11
FIGHT LEGAL
SEPARATIONS
Denominations Unite in a War
Against Divorce-churches to Be.
gin Campaign Of Education.
MATRlMoNY BECOMES A FARO
Ministers Appeal for a Higher Ideal
Of Marrisee-Lax Divorce
Courts Scored.

Philadelphia, May S.-The inter.
church conference on marriage and di.
vorce, a body representing officially
IA leading denominations, has issued
through its secretary. Rev. VIM. II.
Roberts, d. d., an appeal TO the pub.
lie, calling attention to several as.
poets OF the divorce question. The
paper is the beginning of a national
campaign of education on the subject.
to be followed by efforts to secure
the enactment of laws in the state
legislatures, and ultimately. II is
thought. OF an amendment to the con.
stitution of the United States.
Already action has been taken by
the conference looking toward the
prevention OF the re-marriage, by
ministers of other communions. of di.
vorcees OF clergymen of their own
faith have refused to marry. This
movement is the first occasion of any
sort upon which the representative
Of the great denominations have Off.
cially come together. The members
OF the conference include many of the
most eminent ecclesiastics laymen In
the churches. DR.. Roberts said I'm
part:
Before any civil legislation can be
enacted which will be operative and
quite apart from the accord which we
are seeking to see in the marriage re.
lations of the Christian churches.
must come the leavening of the minds
of men and women which shall lift
them toward recognition of the mob.
lest dignities of life.
I'VE plead for a recognition of the
sanctity OF marriage. We are facing
condition In our country today
which threatens danger to the most
sacred things. The very sanctuary of
human life and of human love is as.
saulted and profaned. Manhood,
womanhood and childhood, the home
and the family are involved, and
neither civil legislation nor ecclesias.
tic discipline can save them, until add
unless the conscience of Christian hu.
manity Is reached. Behind the mon.
ster OF polygamy. behind the spectacle
OF the lax divorce court, with its col.
lusions. its corruptions and its con.
tagion, stands the sad fact OF the low
ideal of marriage.
Marriage is a holy thing. Marriage
Is the institution OF God himself and
Is sanctifed under the solemnities OF
the old sanction by our blessed Lord.
This Is the root of the matter. Re.
formation must begin here. Children
must be taught II. Young men and
young women must be made to feel
1t. Protected In purity, boy and girl,
man and woman, alike, must be train.
ed to look with reverence upon the
holiness of this state; upon its mys.
teriousness as something higher and
deeper and larger than can be meas.
ured or reached by the low ideas of
convenience Of worldly advantage OF
the qualification of passion, or by the
light and easy estimate OF the con-
sent Of the passing personal fancy
and the mutual recognition of the civ
ii contract which IL involves.
What words can we find TO ex-
press the abhorrence which ought to
result in righteous indignation against
the present possibilities and the ex-
listing facts OF the divorce habit in
America. Just now polygamous Utah
looms up large and ugly In our minds.
But We must look nearer home to
realize the true condition OF things.
The proportion OF divorce to mar
riages in 1902 In eight states report.
ing statistics is as follows:
In Maine. to g.; in New Hamp-
shire, | to s.; In Vermont, to 10;
in Massachusetts,, TO l6: in Rhode
Island, TO s; In Ohio, to S.S; In
Indiana, to &c; in Michigan, / to
IL; in these states there has been a
steady and rapid increase In the d.
vorces during the decade and this in
crease is believed to be true OF the
country at large.
The fear OF legalizing polygamy
in one state Is announced by the fact
OF unholy divorce In many states. The
voices Of Christian people must be
lifted against this. not only TO secure
civil legislation, not only to enforce
church discipline. but TO correct the
tendency, 10 control the inclination
and to condemn the fact. We are
pledging for the home, for the family,
for the children born and TO be born.
for the protection of society and for
the preservation OF the state. We ask
you TO unite with us in earnest effort
so that more and more the manhood,
the womanhood and the childhood Of
America may make itself heard and
felt, in the determined purpose TO
stem the currents which are sapping
the foundations OF all that is best and
holiest and dearest in human life"
The following churches are repre-
scented in the conference: Protestant
Episcopal church Ia the United
States; Presbyterian church in the
United States Of America; Methodist
Episcopal church; Methodist Episco'
pal church. south; Reformed church
in America; United Presbyterian;
Evangelist Lutheran church: the Bap
tist church; the Congregational
church. the Uniyersalist church; the
Unitarian church, the Reformed Pres
byterian church; the Cumberland
Presbyterian church; the Alliance oi
the Reformed churches holding the
Presbyterian system.