The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-30

Democratic position OF 1904"
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Relation Of the Church to Di-
vorce.
Editor OF the T1mes-D Dispatch:
Sir,--There Is no question before the
public mind to-day which is OF greater
Importance than the question Of divorces.
The General Convention Of the Protestant
Episcopal Church has had very extended
and interesting discussion of tho question,
and consequent upon It there has been
much written by both the secular and the
religious press within the last few days
The presenL low Of the Episcopal Church
permits the renlarriage Of the innocent
person in divorce for the cause Of inf
deity The effort has been made to
change the law so az to forbid the re-
marriage Of any person who has been
party to divorce whether guilty or
not guilty Of nfldellty to tho marriage
vow. 1t has been very strongly and prop
erly argued that such law would be
more stringent than the teaching OF the
Master Himself, for Ills teaching,T In tho
view Of most expositors allows divorce
for the cause Of adultery, and the con-
sequent remarriage Of the Innocent party
It Is very forcibly said by those who
would allow neither the guilty nor the
innocent party to a divorce to be re-
married by clergyman, that clergy
man cannot presume to pass the question
of the innocence or guilt Of the party in
question. having no power to call wit
|,nesses, or to take testimony in any case
A compromise measure has been proposed,
therefore, which would permit the re-
marriage of the innocent person in q
divorce for the cause Of infidelity, but
further provides that no remarrage
shoeld be allowed within one year after
a decree has been issued by a civil court
Satisfactory proof of the Innocence OF
tho applicant for remarrage must be
furnished in the shape Of court records,
and even after the consent of the Bishop
is obtained, any clergyman can refuse to
perform such ceremony without Sub
jecting himself to censure or discipline.
The vote on the passage Of this compro-
mise stood: clerical, So dioceses for, {
| against, 2 divided. Lay vote, 46 dloccses
for against, and divided This regu-
lation, If enacted into law by the agree
ment OF the House of Bishops. would
! give to the Protestant Episcopal Church.
perhaps. the best possible legislation on
this difficult question.
| After the above was written, the canon
rs above outlined was adopted by the
Episcopal General Convention.-Ed. Y. D.
The law OF the Methodist Episcopal
| Church, and Of the Methodist Episcopal
4 Church, South, while differing somewhat
In language, Is the same in meaning.
The law OF the Methodist Episcopal
| Church is:
mo divorce except for adultery, shall
!, be regarded by the church as lawful; and
no minister shall solennize marriage in
any case where there IS a divorced wife
or husband living; but this rule shall not
be applied to the innocent party to a d.
vorce for tho cause Of adultery, nor TO
4 divorced parties seeking TO be reunited in
! marriage"
The law Of the Methodist Episcopal
! Church, South, is:
/ 1.-THE ministers Of our church shall be
prohibited from soemnizing the rites OF
4 matrmony between divorced persons. ex-
! cept In cose OF Innocent parties who have
been divorced for the one scriptural
| cause"
The proposed law OF the Protestant
i Episcopal Church would be the same as
1 the law OF both the great Methodist
4 Churches, but would require persons to
wait one year after the divorce Is granted
and to present legal proofs Of their inno-
cence. The divorce evil threatens SO
seriously the foundations of the State
rs we'll as the church that all possible
precautions should be taken to prevent
the remarriage Of guilty parties.
4 Should adulterers be church members?
| But does the church bear no relation
to the question Of divorce excent as II
| furnishes a minister to give the blessing
OF the church upon marriage? Can
It not have more far reaching Influence
than Is given 1t by It's simple refusal to
perform the marriage ceremony between
| persons divorced for other than the
| scrIptural ground? AS a matter OF fact
In nearly every State In the union, mar
riage is treated as a civil contract. and the
license system is now found in nearly
every State, and magistrates and persons
| appointed by the State for that specisl
purpose are authorized to perform the
marriage ceremony. Should tho ministers
in all of the churches refuse to marry
persons divorced for other than the
scriptural ground, they could still be
legally married and, be under no condem.
nation BY the laws OF the State. The
church owes 1t to herself and to society
to do far more than to refuse to allow
her ministers to perform the marriage
ceremony In such cases. If 1t is wrong
1 fowler ministers to perform the ceremony
for guilty divorced persons. It is wrong
for such persons to be married by the
law Of the State, and II the church does
not agree that such ceremonies are lawful
by the law of God persons who live TO-
gether contrary TO the law Of God, wheth-