Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-27
ION COMMON GROUND
Churches Take Action on the
Divorce Question.
THE PRESIDENT. HEARD
HIS ADDRESS TO INTERDENol6I-
NATIONAL CoNFEREEs. .
One of the Most Notable Gatherings, of
Churchmen Ever Held id
Washington.

| vorce has become operative.
| Another feature of the meeting, which is
regarded of equal Importance was the
| indorsing of the position taken recently by
| the American Bar ssociation in favor of
| unifying the practice of the courts in re-
gard to divorces. The only portion of the
bar associations resolutions not Endorsed
by the conference was section g, which
permits divorced persons to marry again
| without exception This general movement
! OF the lawyers. which has now been taken
up by the Protestant churches, is intended
| to prevent persons of one state from gong
into another state and securing divorces in
| violation of the laws existing in their ma
! tive state; also to make it necessary that
| the second party to a divorce SUIT snail
| always be notified of the action of the
plaintiff and every possible effort made to
| secure evidence; that suit shall not be
granted by default and that strong meas
| ures be taken to prevent collision in d.
| Vorcc suits.
| Call at the White House.
| Ri Rev. William C. Doane, bishop of
! Albany and a committee of the conference,
called On the President in the afternoon to
! confer with him as to some of the results
| of their deliberations. Bishop Doane
| speaking for the committee, delivered a
| brief address to President Roosevelt, to
/ which the President replied as follows:
Bishop Doane and Gentlemen 1t is
very great pleasure to meet you here. There
| is Il certain tendency to exalt the unessen-
tial in dealing with our public questions,
J ami public men especially are apt to get
! their attention concentrated on questions
| that have an Importance, but a wholly
| Ell hemeral Importance, compared with the
| questions that so straight to the root of
| thin gs. Questions like the tariff and the
| currency are of literally no consequence
| whatsoever compared with the vital ques-
| ton of having the unit of our social life,
| the home, preserved 1t is impossible to
I CNprState the importance of the cause YOU
| represent. If the average husband and wife
! fulfilled their duties toward one another
and toward their children as Christianity
| teaches them, then we may rest absolutely
assured that the other problems will solve
! themselves. But if we have solved every
| other problem in the wisest possible way it
| shall profit us nothing if we have lost our
| OWE national soul: and we will have lost 1t
| if we do not lave the question of the rela-
! tions of the family put upon the proper
basis.
while I do not know exactly what it is
| that you wish me to do 1 can say In ad-
| vance that so far DIS is in me all will be
| done to cooperate with you toward the
| end that you have in view. One OF tho
most unpleasant and dangerous features OF
| our American life is the diminishing birth
| rate and the loosening of the marital tie
| among the old native American families
| 1t goes without saying that, for the race
| as for the individual, no material prosperi-
| ty no business growth. no artistic or scien-
tific development will count. If the race
| commits SUICIDE therefore,, DtSUOp,
count myself fortunate in having the
! chance to work with you in this matter OF
| vital Importance to the national welfare.
| The INSTRUMENTATION divorce confer
| ence has held two meetings previous to that
| of yesterday. They have been held In New
| York city in the past two Years, and each
| of the Protestant denominations mas peen
| represented. The conference was organized
at the suggestion of the Episcopal Church
III general convention in San Francisco
three years ago. The body adjourned sine
| die yesterday. to meet at the call OF the
president. Bishop Doane of Albany, N Y.
--i A Representative Body.
No more representative body of church
men has ever gathered in this country, it is
said. than the one which went on record
| by the passing of these resolutions here
| yesterday. The action of the conference
| will be made known to the at -lor-
tiles of the various denominations and
| the governing bodies of these denomi-
| nations will be called upon to ratify the
| proposition and proceed to make it binding.
| Rev DR.. Randolph H. Mckim. pastor OF
the Church of the Epiphany, this city, and
! president of the Episcopal house of depu-
| ties was a member of the conference ana
| offered the portion of the resolution relat-
| ing to the remarriage of only innocent
| parties to a Scriptura1 divorce IN the form
| of an amendment to motion made by Rev.
| Dr. Charles A. Dickey. embodying the re-
| mainder of the question.
Amendment Adopted.
The amendment was adopted after a full
| discussion in which the members of every
denomination present took part. 1t received
the unanimous approval of the conference.
as did the amended measure.
The action of the conference Is regarded
| as a great step forward.
'It MEANS" said Rev. DR.. McKim this
| morning. that eminent representatives or
| orc churches the
| principle that no divorced person, having a
| husband or wife living, should be married
| by the clergy, except the innocent party IN
| a divorce granted upon scriptural grounds
| and even in that case not until one year has
| elapsed after the decree or divorce mas
| been granted.
1T will be Observed continued DR.. NC
| Kim, that this action follows substantially
| the line of the canon adopted by the Epis-
copaI church in the recent general conven-
| ton at Boston.
John W. Foster of this city, former Sec
| rotary of State, who attended the CONFER
ence a representative of the Presbyte-
rian Church. said to Star reporter today
that his denomination had already taken
| steps covering practically the action of the
conference, which. of course. would be
heartily Endorsed. He said yesterdays ac-
ton was the elimination of several years
of discussion of the divorce question by the
| denominations. severaily and in conference.
Officers Of Conference.
The officers of the conference were all
present They are as follows: Right Rev.
William c. Doane. d. D., bishop of Albany,
at Albany. N. Y. chairman; Rev DR.. Will
| lam II. Roberts, d. D., of Philadelphia,
Pa. secretary, and Francis Lynde Stetson,
esq. of New York city, treasurer. Among
those forming the executive committee
! were: Bishop Doane Bishop Edward G.
Andrews, Rev. DIR. Charles A. Dickey, John
f. Parsons, esq.,, Judge George 6. Reynolds,
Rev DIR. Il. p. Johnson Rev. DIR. w. H.
Roberts and Bishop A W. Wilson.
The representatives present by denomi-
| nations were:
Commission of the general convention OF
the Protestant Episcopal Church of the
United States-Right Rev. w. c. Doane.
ID. D.. bishop of Albany. N. Y; Right Rev.
| William v. McVicar. bishop of Rhode Is
land; Rev. DIR. Randolph H. McKim of this
city. president of the house OF deputies:
/ Rev. DIR. J. II. Eceieston of Baltimore, and
| Rev Edwin b. Eiver of Baltimore.
l. Committee OF the general assembly of the
Presbyterian Church In the United States
Rev. DIR. ]. W. McIlyain. Baltimore. Nd;
kRey. DIR. s. J. Nicols ST. Louis, Mo-:
Nv. DIR. w. J. McCaughan. Chicago. III.