The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-01-17

he state of his former residence did lot recognize the second marriage.
 Time passed on, and this husband tired )f his econd wife. He moved to another state, got divorce and married third wife. The marital disease with him by his time was becoming chronic. But now neither the first nor the second state where he used to live recognized his third marriage as legal. Time passed and this husband of many wivesdied. What was the result? Each of his for mer marital companions inherited the property of the dead man which then ex- isted in her own state. By law that man in three different states left three different wives. each a legal wife in her own state, but illegal in the other two states. Such is an instance of the ridic- ulous and infinite absurdities existing between the conflicting divorce courts of our land. But there must be legal change. The divorce question will never be dealt with as 1t should be so long as married woman living in New York city can go and spend few weeks in west ern state and then take train and go back to her old home another mans wife Concerted legal action must be establish ed between the states. It Is you, Chris tian people, to whom God assigns the duty of arousing public sentiment against this evil and compelling our na- tional and state legislators to take such | action as will result in making the mar | riage altar something more than mere mockery.
 Flood of National Infamy.
 l second breakwater to dam back this l submerging flood of national infamy: | It is for the gospel ministers to protest against it by practice as well as by | preaching. The pulpit cannot speak l loudly and with the voice of a true
 leader unless at the same time 1t refuses | to become party to the national crime l of easy divorce What do I mean by l this statement? That the minister him
 self shall not be blatant and brutal
 dvorcee? Oh, no. No self respecting Christian church would allow her minis l ter to continue preaching in her pulpit | after a divorce escapade. Paul writes. | "A bishop must be blameless, the hus- l band of one wife" No minister's life | can be blameless when he turns his back upon his first wife for an unjust cause. ! But do mean this: A minister should | not officiate at the second marriage of a | divorcee unless he himself knows posi- | lively that the divorced man was not cul-
 pablo in thesnappng of the marital pablo in the snapping of the marital
 public sentiment would be aroused | against this national evil, and aroused
 quickly and permanently.
 | have taken only lately this stand in
 reference to the clergyman's responsibil- ity. Like hundreds and thousands of
 other ministers have heretofore said to | myself: T am not in airy way compell- | ed to look into the personal characters of those whom I unite in marriage. When used to live in New York state I had
 to ask the contracting parties long list | of questions and make report to the
 county officials in reference to the same. | But in the state of Illinois the clerk of the county court does that He asks the ques- tions. He gives the license. He Is re- sponsbIe for the marriage. and not I.' | But short time ago when talking to a brother minister upon the subject he | said: You are wrong. You cannot shirk your responsibility in that way" Then I commenced to look at this re- sponsibility in another way. I said to myself: "Yes, I am wrong. That county
 clerk cannot tell me what I ought to do.
 The paper he sends to me is only a H.
 cense, a governmental privilege. permit
 ting me to marry the parties if I wish.
 am not compelled so to do For in | stance The saloon keeper gets a city
 license and has the privilege of selling me
 a glass of whiskey. But because 1t is
 lawful for me to buy whiskey from him l is no reason why I should drink it. Be-
 cause the sporting element of San Fran
 cisco gets city license for holding a
 prize fight that Is no reason why I am | compelled to go and witness two pugi- l lists batter each others face into pulp.
 Because Chicago gives license to gam
 blers to open race track that is no req
 son why I should go and patronize the