Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-06-17

Sold ly the Cross Street Pharmacy.
and end in the Hasil valley not far
from Brienz. II Is also proposed In
connection with the tunnel 10 construct
a mountain railway to the Upper Hasil
valley. via Imhof and Guttannen, so
that Zermatt and the Upper RhOne val
ley could be reached more rapidly.
rhe Dlysrce Question Again.
The discussion OF the problem OF d.
vorce is assuming an intensity In
church circles, and through these in the
secular world, such as has attended no
previous phase OF its consideration.
The most notable recent contribution TO
the subject came from the Presbyterian
general assembly. DR.. Coyle, the re-
firing moderator. said:
II this social scourge Of easy divorce
continues It will call down upon US as
people the curse OF Almighty God. Wives
are taking the place Of mothers. Chiidless
hresides are being substituted for family
circles The fiat and the apartment house
and the club. together with certain social
and prudential consid erations, are robbing
our married women of maternal Instincts
and ambitions II is the ring Of the tele-
phone and not the cry of the baby that
we hear nowadays. One Of the greatest
needs OF our modern life is mothers
restoration Of ethical ideals is Imperative
ly needed.
For this condition the Buffalo Ex-
press does not hold the church itself
entirely blameless. 1t says:
Heal thyself before going out TO assail
Society or to appeal to the state
DR.. Charles A. Dickey was right in tell
ing the general assembly that these are
words which both the state and society
may well direct toward the clergy in re-
spect TO the campaign against the divorce
evil. And It was logical TO follow that
statement with the further one that. while
the standards Of the Presbyterian church
are high, the conduct of some church
members and clergymen is not sufficient.
The saddest of all, he said. is the con-
fessed ease with which ministers can be
! found to put the seal of the church on
! these unholy alliances. He believes the
| great mass OF ministers stand by the
standards Of the church, but is afraid
| the marriage fee has sometimes some
| thing to do with the laxity exercised on
! these matters by some ministers
| When the church has healed itself Of
this, grievous fault, it may with good
| grace turn TO the state and demand legis-
lation which shall affect divorce and civil
| marriage
Even more notable than the move
ment of the Presbyterians was that of
| the interchurch conference, which oc-
Cured but few days earlier. OF the
radical action taken by this body on
the divorce evil the Philadelphia Press
says:
! Thanked on the one side by the Roman
Catholic church, which. because OF its
| view OF the sacramental nature Of mar
| rage, is opposed entirely to divorce, and
on the other side by the small but pow
| erful company of earnest students OF So
| cial questions, who are keenly awake to
the national peril involved in lax divorce
! customs. the interchurch conference sup
ported by 100000 Protestant church
members in the United States may hope
to move steadily forward to the success
full attainment OF the goals 1t has set for
| itself.
The st. Louis Republic believes that
our laws are too lax. To prove the con-
tention 1t cites Canada, asserting that
''in thirty-four years, or from 1867 to
1901. there were only 50 divorces in
Canada and approximately 100000 in
the United States" 1t continues:
The Canadian law is strict Divorces
can be granted only by the Dominion par
lament, and there is routine of pro-
cedure to be followed The preliminary
moves must be advertised for six. months
and the applicant must appear before a
senate committee in person and present
his own case. There is no doubt that the
obstacles lessen divorce
The national congress Of mothers in
Chicago considered the question, and
one of the speakers gave statistics that
are little less than startling. She cites
the example Of Ohio, where one di
vorce in every twenty-five marriages
was the ratio in 1870 and one divorce
in eight marriages the ratio in 1902
! Other states might have been cited As
illustrative of the tendency. In 1866
Indiana had 1,096 divorces, the Largest
number for that year in any state
In 1900 the number had increased Il
1859, or one TO every 81 marriages OF
the year. Michigan divorces increased
from 449 in 1867 to 1889 in 1886 anC
2,41S in 1900. The ratio in that stat,
is now one divorce to eleven marriages
Illinois granted 1,011 divorces In 1856
and 2,606 in 1885, Connecticut ant
Vermont appear to be the only state:
in which the divorce evil has beer
checked. The former state had fewe
divorces in 1900 than in 1867 Change,
in the statutes and in the administra
, ton of the various county courts large
" account for improved conditions il
, these states.
3 In the United States during the TWEEN
ty years from 1867 to 1886 there wer,
32s, 116 divorces granted, representa-.
an Increase of 157 per cent while tn,
population increased little more thar
60 per cent.
Surely 1t is time TO move. The Amer
lean republic must be saved from tn,
, evils that undermined Rome.
, 4 scientist announces that microbe