The Irish standard., 1905-05-13

ruinous in its effects upon society.
With a record of 10000 divorces grant
ed in the United States last year, the
problem has become for us most
serious problem. The thinking and
conservative people of the country
have become justly alarmed
Many see in our divorce system the
certain indication of social and politi-
cal ruin. The history of Greece and
Rome and other great nations of pa
gan antiquity foreshadows but too
plainly what our fate must be unless
the divorce evil be checked. The
Roman poet wrote of his country in
the days Of it's degeneracy:
Our times, in sin prolific, first
The marriage bed with taint have
cursed,
And family and home;
This is the fountain mead of all
The sorrows and ills that fall
On Romans and on Rome"
May we not apply these same words
with but little restriction to divorce
ridden America? The people are be-
ginning to realize that unless the di-
vorce evil be suppressed it will dis
integrate the social fabric and i'm
peril the very life of the nation. And
the reason is obvious. The founda-
ton of society is the home, and the
basis of the home is the indissolubility
Of marriage. If we undermine the
foundation the social structure must
in due time crumble. For do we not
find that where the family tie is Sc
cure, where family life is pure and
safely guarded, where the rights and
relations of the different members of
the family circle are duly observed,
and especially where the solemn en-
gagement entered into by husband and
wife is religiously maintained-there
one may reasonably look to find peace,
harmony and happiness in the social
body.
But on the other hand, wherever
laxity prevails; wherever marriage is
regarded merely as civil contract,
to be broken at the will or caprice of
one or other of the parties; wherever
the modern institution of practically
unlimited divorce finds acceptance
and is generally practiced- there
society is sure to be in disturbed
and sickly condition. Every blow
aimed at the family by destroying the
divine institution of matrimony is a
blow directed against the peace and
well-being of society and government.
If the family be destroyed society is
left without a sure foundation to rest
on.
Now let me give you some stats.
tics. In the United States from 1867
to 1887, period of twenty years,
there were granted 32s,716 divorces.
This gives us yearly average of 16..
435. However, as the population is in.
| creasing very fast, and divorces are
increasing faster still, this is only a
| fraction of the present annual number
If we compare year with year we find
| that divorces are increasing more
| than twice as fast as the population
From the 9,937 divorces which were
| granted in 1867 the number for each
successive year has steadily grown
until in 1886 it was 25,535, presenting
an increase of 157 per cent in twenty
| years. AS the population increased
during. that same period about 60 pei
cent, it follows that divorces increas
ed fully two and half times as fast
as the population.
! These statistics reach a magnitude
that is alarming. They represent q
ghastly array of matrimonial failures
There is not civilized country in the
whole world that can show anything
like it. Canada, our next door neigh
Dor, had in 1900 only eleven divorces
| and in 1901, nineteen. European
countries have of late made progress
in this home-wrecking business, YET
they all fall far behind the United
States. England had only III cases o1
absolute divorce in 1901, while in the
following year the number had risen
to 284. Germany, in 1900, granted 10,
900 divorces, while France falls be
hind that number by only few hun
dred. Two years later, in 1902, the fig
ures in France were doubled, the mum
ber of divorces granted being 1889
At present the Japanese alone out
strip us in the race, rolling up a
! grand total of over 100000 a year
but as they are only pagan people
we need not take much account OF
their reckless pace. We, of all civil
lied professedly Christian nations, en-
| joy shameful precedence.
And we of Altoona and Blair county
are keeping pace with the rest of the
country in this shameful prece
dence." In this state there are eleven
legal causes or grounds for divorce
Fifty per cent of the divorces granted
in Blair county are for desertion
Ninety-eight per cent of the divorces