River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-05-12
AN EARNEST PLEA
FROM CHURCHMEN
STRONG DOCUMENT AGAINST DI.
VoRCE ISSUED.
GREAT DANGER OF THE EVIL
Inter Church Conference Appeal for
Stricter Recognition of the
Sanctity of the Mar
riage Relation.


Philadelphia, May 9.-Ths inter-
church conference on marriage and di-
vorce, a body representing officially ID
leading denominations, has issued
through its secretary, Rev. William H.
Roberts, d. D., an appeal to the public,
calling attention to several aspects OF
the divorce question The paper is
the beginning of national campaign
OF education upon the subject, to be
followed by efforts to secure the enact
ment of laws in the state legislature.
and ultimately it is thought of an
amendment to the constitution OF the
United States. Already action has been
taken by the conference looking to-
ward the prevention of remarriage, by
ministers of other communions, of di.
vorcees whom clergymen ef their OWL
faith have refused to marry.
Churches Participating.
This movement is the first occasion
of any sort upon which the representa-
tives of the great denominations have
officially come together. The members
of the conference include many of the
most eminent ecclesiastics and laymen
in the churches. The denominations
which subscribe to the appeal are:
Protestant Episcopal church in the
United States; Presbyterian church in
church, Methodist Episcopal church
south; Reformed church of America;
Reformed church in the United States;
United Presbyterian church; Evangeli-
cal Lutheran church; the Baptist
churches; the Congregational churches;
the Universalist churches; the Unita-
rian churches; the Reformed Presby-
terrain church; the Cumberland Pres
byterian church; the Alliance of the
Reformed churches holding the Pres
byterian service
The Appeal.
Following is an abstract of the APP
peal:
First of all we plead for the cultiva-
ton of the grace of purity; for the care
full guarding of children within the at
mosphere OF home by parents, and for
the realization of the dignity of our ply
steal nature lifted to such high honor by
the Incarnation.
A Dangerous Condition.
1--WE plead for a recognition of the
sanctity of marriage. We are facing a
threatens danger to the most sacred
things. The very sanctity of human life
and of human love is assaulted and pro-
famed. Manhood, womanhood and child
hood, the home anG the family, are in
volved; and neither civil legislation nor
eccleastical discipline can save them,
until and unless the conscience OF Chris
tian humanity is reached. Behind the
monster of polygamy, behind the spec
tire of the lax divorce court, with its col
lusions, it's corruptions and its conta-
gion, stands the sad fact of the low ideal
of marriage 1t is true that the element
of mutual consent and the element of
legal contract enter into 1t, but under
meath and behind these, as the sure foun-
dation, stands the revelation of Gods
Holy Word.
The Holiness of Marriage.
Marriage is holy thing. Marriage is
the institution of God Himself, and is
sanctified under the solemnities of the
old sanction by our Blessed Lord. This
is the root of the matter Reformation
must begin here. Children must be
taughtit. Young men and young women
10 10 fnn nd
purity, boy and girl, man and woman
alike. must be trained to look with rev.
erent eyes upon the holiness of this es-
tate; upon it's mysteriousness as some
thing higher and deeper and larger than
can be measured or reached by the low
ideas of convenience, of worldly ad-
vantage, of the qualification of passion,
or by the light and easy estimate of the
consent of the passing personal fancy
ard the mutual recognition of the civil
contract.
Startling Statistics.
what words can we find to express
the adherence which ought to rise in
righteous indignation against the pres
ent possibilities and the existing facts
of the divorce habit in America! Just
now polygamous Utah looms large and
ugly in our minds. But We must look
nearer home to realize the true condition
of things The proportion of divorces
to marriages in 1902 in eight states re-
porting statistics is as follows: In
Maine, 1 to 6; in New Hampshire, l to
8.3; in Vermont, / to 10; in Massachu-
sets. to 16; in Rhode Island, ] to 8; in
Ohio, 1 to 88; in Indiana, 1 to 7.6; in
Michigan, to II. In these states there
has been a steady and rapid increase in
divorces during the decade, and this in
crease is believed to be true of the coun-
try at large.
Seeking Preventive Measures.
eve are setting ourselves earnestly
to study what best methods the churches
can adopt and what wise measures
should be asked in civil legislation to
abate this disgrace. The results of our
study we hope to present in subsequent
staten ents and appeals. But this appeal
is to the conscience of Christian people
to cleanse and purify the atmosphere
of public opinion and social recognition.
The fear of legalized polyamy in one
state is enhanced by the fact of unholy
in, MANY cfafac The faces of