The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-06-12
THE GREAT WAVE
BOOMS AGAIN
Its End This Time is to Swamp the Divorce Evil
in North Carolina.

while took up the subject with great
good sense. This general interest in
the subject was the most promising
sign. The Episcopal church had been
the nrst OF the Protestant denomina-
tons to agitate reform on this SUBJ
ject. 1t was fitting that such a man
as the great Bishop Doane, of Albany.
should be at the head of this great
movement of the Episcopal church.
Dr. Moment 'dwelt with great pow
err upon the terrible disgrace that was
upon us, and the great hidden power
that is in the people to purify the at
mosphere and wipe out this disgrace.
DR.. Tyree.
Rev. DR.. w. C. Tyree, pastor of the
First Baptist church of this city, was
next introduced. He rejoiced that the
conscience of the people of North
Carolina was being so rapidly awak-
ened on the matter of intemperance.
But the evil Of divorce was equally
as far-reaching and dangerous. Di-
yorce affects humanity in two of its
most important relations, that of hus-
band and wife and parent and child
and moreover, it breaks up the most
| sacred of our institutions, the home
life. Who can estimate the awful
blight the terrible misfortune of chill
dren whose parents are divorced? The
consequences of any legislation that
affected the home and the sacred re-
lation of husband and wife were too
terrible to contemplate. DR.. Tyree
| dwelt upon this phase of the question
with great force.
! He said that it had been published
that in Canada in thirty-five years
there had been sixty-nine divorces,
while during that same period in the
| United States there had been 700, 900
| divorces
Turning to DIR. Moment, DR. Tyree
said: Il regret sir, that you have
! left such a good country as Canada
! and come to this benighted country.
but l rejoice that you are here to lend
| your voice to this great uprising of
| the people to stamp out this evil"
The plain declaration of God and
of Christ was that there was only one
| cause for divorce, and when the Leg
| islature passes any such laws as it
has done it directly violates Gods
law. Men rise up and defy Gods au-
| thority. Moreover the Legislature
| legalizes sin. when it passes a law
authorizing men and women to marry
| again, a thing which God has said is
a great and a heinous sin. If there
is suffering, we all know that the exc
cution of all law requires vicarious
suffering. How many a mother
| law upon an erring son.
Judge Common.
| Associate Justice H. G.. Conner, of
the Supreme court, was the next
speaker. He said that a wise states
man, a great speaker and no mean
poet had said that the law was the
peoples collected will. Theoretically
the law was always what the people
wanted it to be. and so if at any time
the law was not what the best senti-
vent of the people desired it, then it
s because the people had grown
ferent to their duty in telling
lawmakers what their will is.
here is a divergence between
and the sentiment of the
people on this question of
-nown of all men.
II the statutes of North
The Supreme court re-
only two acts had
is subject and these
submitted to the
rene court, the
equity. For at
emed wise for
witnesses and
>paration of
'ese chan
1Osed to
'ght or
Nefore
1895
I ger
o. cases
He 1t not a
sing, ID on this
subje1 relieve some
particuA
THAT che last law, too"
said Senat. anderson. who stood
like a bulws in the last legislature
for the people against this new law.
Hard cases, it had been said, were
the quick-sands of legislation. In
1895 was passed the first law allow
ing divorce for abandonment for two
years. In 1899 the speaker had seen
a law passed that was well understood
to meet special hardships. 1t con-
tanned the insidious device of apply
ing only to a limited period of time.
In 1901 the period of abandonment
was shortened to one year. Last SEES
sion law was passed that has the APP
pearance of permanency, and it makes
the securing of a divorce as easy in
North Carolina if not easier than in
any State of the Union. 1t is Il shame
and a disgrace to our civilization.
There is no difference of opinion
practically on this subject. The
speaker said he knew there was an
element that professed to disregard
the Christian sentiment of the State.
But whenever the best Christian peo-
pie unitedly demanded certain legis-
lation, they always got it. Let all
the people of North Carolina positive
ly instruct their representatives on
this question, and the law will be as
they want it.
The Supreme court of the United
States few years ago stepped in and
stopped the practice of going to anoth-
er State, establishing a residence, get
ting divorce, returning to the home
State and marrying again. This only
showed again that the law was to be
found in the sentiment of the people,
and not in the statute books.
DIR. L. N. -Ivey.
Rev. DR.. T. N. Ivey, editor of the
Raleigh Christian Advocate, followed
Judge Connor in brief speech. He
said that he came as a representa-
tive of the Methodist church to assure
the people that that great church
body was in hearty accord with them.
1t was extremely fitting that this
movement should be started by that
great Episcopal church that
had ALWAYS stood over the