The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-10-19
EVILS OF DIVORCE.
Cardinal Gibbons States the Views OF
the Catholic Church on the Subject.

The church regards marriage rs
the most inyiolable and irrevcc2ole
Of all contracts that were ever formed.
Every human compact may be laWlAily
dissolved but this Nations may be JUS
titled in abrCcating treaties with eaeA
other: merchants may dissolve Paft-
nerships; brothers will eventda'IF
leave the paternal roof. and. IKE J1-
cob and Esau. separate from one an
other; friends, like Abraham and Lot
may be obliged to part company, but
by the law of God the bond unl' ing
husband and wife can be dissolved
only by death. No earthly sword 'ah
sever the nuptial knot which the LoEd
has tied for what God hath joined
together let not man put asunder.
The reckless facility with which di-
vorce is procured in this country is an
evil scarcely less deplorable than Nor
monism-indeed, it is in some respects
more dangerous than the latter, for d.
vOrce has the sanction OF the civil law.
which MOrmoEism has not. Is not the
law OF divorce virtual toleratlon ol
MOrmOnism in a modified form? Nor
mOnism consists III a simultaneous po-
lygamy, while the law of divorce prac-
tically leads to successive poiysamy.
1t is plainly manifest that the can
Ger Of divorce is rapidly spreading over
the community and poisoning the foun-
tains of the nation. Unless the evil IS
heroic
remedy the existence of family life IS
imperilled. How can we call ourselves
a Christian people if we violate fun
damental law of Christianity? And
If the sanctity and indissolubillty or
marriage do not constitute cardinal
principle of the Christian religion
am at loss to know what does.
Picture to yourself the fearful
wrecks daily caused by this rock OF
scandal, and the number OF families
that are cast adrift on the ocean OF
life. Great stress is justly laid by
moralsts on the observance OF the
Sunday. But what a mockery is the
external repose of the Christian Sab
bath to homes from which domestic
peace is banished, where the mothers
heart is broken. and the fathers spirit
crushed, and where the children cannot
cling to one of their parents without
exciting the jealousy or hatred OF the
other, And these melancholy scenes
ara followed by the final act of tba
drama when the family ties are dis
solved and hearts that have vowed
eternal love and union are separated
to met no more. The facility with
with marriage is annulled is most in
furious to the morals of individuals,
of the family, and of society. 1t leads
to ill-assorted and nasty marriages,
because persons are less circumSpect
In making compact which may after
ward be dissolved almost at will. 1t
stimulates a disconnected and unprin-
cipled husband or wife to lawlessneSs,
Quarrels, and even adultery, we'll know
ing that the very crime will afford a
pretext and legal grounds for separa-
ton. 1t engenders between husband and
wife fierce litigatiOns about the GUS
tody of their offspring. 1t deprives the
children of the protecting arm of ia
Their or the gentle care of mother.
and too frequently consigns them to
the cold charity of the world; for the
married couple who are wanting in
conjugal love for one another are too
often destitute also of parental affec-
ton. In word, it brings into the
household a blight and desolation
which neither wealth nor luxury can
repair.
This social plague calls for a radical
cure, and the remedy can be found
only in the abolition of our mischev-
Gus legislation regarding divorce and
in an honest application of the teach
ings of the gospel.-From the Define
ator.