Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-11-09

IloI even luloCu NY dul III thIo SOIhSS
ton. 1t may be properly said, then,
that Paul did not advocate divorce for
| anything save adultery, though he does
not even indicate this exception save by
implication.
This divine law is set forth in no un-
certain sound on the pages of Gods
Word; and the disobedience Of 1t must
entail sorrowful results to the indl-
vidual, the family, and the community.
Second-A social disease. Divorces
are more numerous in the United
States in proportion to marriages than
in any other country of which we have
any record. This social disease is con-
| tagious and spreading. In 1870, 80
per cent. of marriages ended IN divorce.
In 1880, AS per cent. In 1870, 6'2 per
cent. In 1900, 81 per cent. In 1870
the percentage of the divorced to the
married was O.5. In 1900 it was OF.
According to the census of 1900 there
were 2457 divorced women in the
| United States under the age OF twenty,
and 1915 divorced women between
twenty and twenty-five years of age.
South Carolina Is the only State In
the Union which grants no divorce,
New York is the only State in the
Union which proposes to grant divorces
only on Scriptural grounds; yet New
York grants, annually, more thah Il
thousand divorces.
Illinois gives fair Illustration or
the laws of almost all the States. Al
ter recitlng a long list Of grounds upon
which a divorce may be granted, the
law concludes by empowering the court
to grant divorce upon any plea whlch
it thinks justiliable.
The Western States, in order to In
crease their population, are making
open and shameless bids for those dis
satisfied with the married state to come
to them and have it dissolved.
Statistics given by the Chicago Daily
News Almanac, 1903, show the follow
ing number of divorces granted in lead
ing cities Of our country in 1901:
Providence 327; Cincinnati, 4O5; Bos-
ton. 4O6; Cleveland, 454; Philadelphia,
492; st. Louis, 573; New York. SIT; san
Francisco, SIG; Chicago. 1908.
The statistics Of Carroll ID. Wright,
Commissioner of Labor, for twenty
wears. from 1867 to 1886, show 32S,712
divorces granted in the United States
in those years. In 1867, 993I divorces
were granted, while in 1856 2o,53o dl-
vorces We're granted, making an in,
crease of 157 per cent. The increase OF
population was sixty per cent. during
the same period.
In 1867 Ohio granted 901 divorces,
and in 1000 the State granted 32l1
divorces-one to every eleven marriages
solemnized in the State. Indiana
granted, in 1867, 1906 divorces, and in
1900, 4599-one divorce to every six
marriages solemniZed in the State
Only a short time ago the papers were
telling of woman in Indiana VINO
had eight living husbands, from whom
she had been divorced, and this same
woman was then preparing to be mar
ried to tho ninth victim. Michigan in
1867 granted 449 divorces, and In 1900
granted 24lS divorces-oIe divorce TO
every eleven marriages solemnized In
the State.
4 table Of divorces in the Christian
world in 1885,. as given in "Studies In
History, Economies and Public Law
issued by Columbia University. gives
the following interesting fact: Canada,
Great Britain and Ireland, France,
Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland,
| Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria,
| Roumania, Russia and Australia grant
cd a total of 2O,111 divorces. while in
the same year the United States grant
ed 234I2 divorces-an excess over hll
other countries in the Christian Worla
Of 1861.
Forty-fve States and several Terri
tories have various and contllctlnS
laws. and more than 5000 courts lave
jurisdiction of divorce cases. A
learned cssayist says of our legislation
that it presents the largest and strang-
cst.and perhaps the saddest experiment
in the sphere of family laws which
free, self governing countries have ever
tried" 1t was published i'll recent
journal that divorces were granted IN
Chicago for the following causes: Snor-
ing, cold feet, eating with a knife, IN
sisting upon going TO bed in his over
coat and boots, smoking cigarettes,
failure as cook.
During recent years divorce has de-
velopcd into an industry in the United
States, the legal profession and the
Dencn nave uOne llluCli W thNoui"S>
this terrible traffic.
For CPL divorces in France In
given period, the United States offers
$4,000, the United Kingdom showing
475 and the German Empire COTS for
the same time. For period of twenty
years in Maryland the rate of marriage
to divorce was 61.94. Massachusetts
averaged 31.2S to every divorce.
Some of the popular theories are that
divorce is due to the conflicting and in
harmonious statutes of various States.
Thus as Colonel Wright, in his report,
informs us, it is the belief that persons
residing in the State of New York,
where the law is strict, are in the habit
of seeking divorces in Rhode Island.
But the statistics show that of 4462
divorces granted in Rhode Island only
ninety seven were to parties married
in New York, and Of 602O granted In
Pennsylvania, only 765 were to parties
married in New York, while of the
2S9,546 couples whose place of mar
riage was ascertained, 231 1867 were di-
vorced in the same State in which they
had been married.
Third-A fatal danger. The attack
upon the integrity of the family is an
unmitigated evil and a crime against
social order, which can only result In
the destruction Of all that is purest,
noblest and best in the world. Here
we find the secret cause of the decline
and fall of the Roman Empire. The
laws as to family life were loose; di-
vorce became epidemic, and the empire
went down in ruin and disgrace. The
Reign of Terror in France followed the
esta blishment of law that marriage
could be dissolved merely by applica.
cation: 10000 divorces were granted in
Paris in one year, and during the same
period $4,000 outcast children were car
ried into founding hospitals and near
ly 10000 newborn babies were taken
out of the sewers Of the city and from
the secret Dlaces by the police. The