The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-07-27
DIVORCE AS EVIL
WORSE THAN GRAFT
Cardinal Gibbons Fears Much
Money Is Tainted, but Sees :.
Greater Wrongs. i
New York Sun Special Service.

Long Island, has declared his fear that
there are large accommodations of
money in the country which are very
much tainted. He freely outlined his
fears for the moral and financial con-
ditions of the country. He said:
Corporation corruption is fixed evil
that we must reckon with just as long as
present conditions of society exist in this
country. Whenever there is amalga-
nation of great capital or large collec-
ton of men interested in Incorporating
concerns, there Is sure to be corruption.
1t is a story as old as worlds history.
The bright spot in the whole swamp OF
present moral degradation is the fact that
the degradation is made known. Corrup-
ton. cannot exist nowadays without be-
ing discovered a1-+ .'" S.'.
Dread of exposure Is the counterbal-
ancing element, and that fear. that horror
of having a name one respected dragged
down, is due to the efforts of the press.
"a collection of men, sa i'd Mr.. Blaine,
. will permit a wrong which of
those men individually would ever think
of doing" 1;.2 t>-
That is undoubtedly true of the condi-
ton that has been exposed in this recent
insurance scandal. -'
In this scandal and various other un-
fortunate business wrongs that have been
exposed lately it is, very much to be
doubted If any one particular man would
do of his own accord what he did as di-
rector or stakeholder.
| The great le-maker to this coun-
! try is money. The great Offset to that
| evil is the American inclination to spend
it rapidly. -'.r
| Extravaganza Blessing.
"You consider, then, that American
| extravaganza is something of a bless
| lng?' was asked.
| 81 do, indeed. Americans are not
misers, thank God. Otherwise we would
be in a most deplorable condition.
"Do you believe there is such a
thing as tainted money?''A
"1ndeed I do. There is no doubt
whatever that there are large accu-
mutations of money in this country that
are very much tainted. However, [
have never had an opportunity yet Of
personally deciding whether money was
tainted or not. No money has ever
been offered me that even: had the
shadow of suspicion connected with it
in that respect, but that money has
been obtained in way which church
men could not sanction in this country
is matter of common knowledge
What do you consider to be the
4 States at the present time9n was
I asked, and the cardinal replied
4 Lax Regard for Marriage.
i That is rather difficult question.
4 But in a general way it is my opinion
that the great evil of the day is the lax
regard given to the marriage tie.
The increasing and prevalent misfor-
tune and evil of divorce is a horrible
thing to contemplate. 1t is such an awful
! upsetting of family ties that if it is al
lowed to continue, society will be in
| condition that should never exist in
Il civilized nation. The evil is one Of her
i itage.
| It's confusing and embarrassing condi.
| tons and it's degradations fall upon chill
! dren rather than upon the parents. If
/ the Parents have sinned, the children
q must perforce bear the bruht of the
1 oSloquy. That means the disruption of
n the home and the disintegration Of the
family. Now every great society, every
! fine social condition depends absolutely
on the moral integrity of the parents and
, the home. When that is brought to a
low standard, society itself must come to
an equally low or lower end.
The Evil of Divorce.
"'You think the evil of divorce, then,
= is a greater evil than the evil of cor
4 porate corruption2''
II eyes, because corporate corruption
}, rights itself by its own wrong"
II "Would a uniform divorce law thru.
: out the country help matters2''
4 :; ENTHUSIASTICALLY. South Dakota, in
II its divorce laws, is now blot upon
Il the union. If ali the states could have
E stringent divorce laws. undoubtedly the
; evil would be minimized. Of course
t do not believe in divorce laws. But !
: believe in anything that will lessen a
| great evil. The church sanctions sep
aration from bed and board, but it does
4 not DIVORCE
: Ostracism of, Divorces.
3 "Do you approve of the agitation by
e women of the Catholic church in New
: York who propose to ostracize all di.
: vorcees from good society,"
t To this the cardinal replied:
think the idea and the spirit of the
J. movement is all right, but how far it can
s be carried out in practical way is a
Q question Suppose. for insance. that Mrs.
A Eivessa reception and invites Mrs y.
!. Among the other guests at the reception
!, Is Mrs. c., and Mrs. c. is a divorce.
|. Now Mrs. B. could hardly know that she
s would meet Mrs. c. there. and it vii! be
; quite impossible for her to draw line
y against Divorce under those circum-
l. stances. OF course a woman can refuse
. to accept an invitation from a divorce,
- and can refrain from asking a divorce
to her house. All that is simple enough.
u But when it comes to- so conducting her
~ self in society so as to keep entirely out
~ of touch with a divorce, the situation
e becomes almost impracticable.
IS Great Wealth and Divorce.
>; > "Do you think the accumulation OF
s great fortunes has been an incentive
% to divorceW
20 Undoubtedly; the accumulation OF
~ great wealth has been the incentive OF
70 all kinds of wrongdoing, divorce among
" the rest ~ 81
- nDo you think that rich man ca
yo] be a happy manY''
- "Tt would be a very hard task. Tht
N possession of wealth is an isolation
~ Andrew Carnegie once told me tina
ali the only really happy days of his lif'
10 were when he was earning money by
,s the sweat of his brow, when his weekly
=. income only amounted to dollars ant
y. not to thousands.
AZ "Great wealth brings its privation
GO and its sufferings. The retribution tina
a. trails in the wake of money madness
e is the poverty of richess. | can thinl
- of nothing more lonesome than MAJ
a. with an immense fortune.
6 GIRLS NOT ALARM CLOCKS