The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-09-15
Minister WEEDS. Divorced Woman.

Minister WEEDS. Divorced Woman.
Starting with his bride on their we'd
ding journey last Tuesday, Rev. DR..
William 81. Lawrence, pastor of Trinity
Methodist Episcopal church of Richmond
Hill. N. Y, said there had been no object
ions made by members of his church be-
cause his wife was divorced woman. The
bride was Mrs. Francey May Quincy
Edwards, former school teacher, and she
became the wife Of the clergyman Sunday
night, the marriage ceremony having been
performed in tent at Richmond Hill,
after a service conducted by Rev. Theo-
dore F. Clarke.
The couple had planned to be married
in the old John Street Methodist church,
Manhattan, September 2, but the illness
of the woman made it necessary to post
pone the wedding. Sunday night they
entered the tent during the service there
and sat In the rear of the congregation
DR.. Lawrence then sent a note to Rev.
Mr.. Clarke, requesting him to ask the
the members of the church to wait after
the service and witness the wedding cere-
mony.
Though the church members were sur
prised they remained after the benedlction
and saw Dr. Lawrence and Mrs. Edwards
married. After the ceremony they
crowded around the clergyman and his
bride and congratulated them. DR.. and
Mrs. Lawrence then went to the home of
E. T. Hoose, on Waterbury avenue, where
an informal reception was held.
In discussing his marriage with d.
vorced woman the clergyman said the rules
of the Methodist Episcopal church per-
mitted remarriage of the innocent person
In cases such as Mrs. Edwards The woman,
who was the wife of Julius Edwards, OBJ
tanned a decree of divorce from him on
April 9, 1908, but the decree was not
final until August "a. She alleged in her
action that Edwards deserted her ten
wears ago and that he had become a
bigamist, being twice married since leav-
ing her. She had no children.
DR.. Lawrence quoted church law on the
subject of his marriage.
paragraph 66 of the Book of Disci-
pline of Che Methodist Episcopal church, =
he said, sis as follows: No divorce,
except for adultery, shall be regarded by
the church as lawful, and no minister shall
solemnize marriage in any case where
there is divorced wife or husband living
but this rule shall not be applied to the
innocent party to a divorce for the cause
| OF adultery, nor 10 ulVOTCeu pdIIlcS Seck-
| to be reunited In marriage
"a legal adviser, whose opinion is re
garded throughout the denomination
thus wrote me: I understand that Mrs
Edwards has divorce from her husband
granted by the state for violation of tn,
Seventh Commandment. If so, the cas-,
is clear in every way
mo minister or layman of intelligence
within the Methodist Episcopal churcl
would presume to say that l was no
perfectly justified in marrying Mrs. Ed
wards.
Mrs. Lawrence, previous to her marriag
to the clergyman, taught school in Lonl
Island, and after working in the Woman
Home Missionary Society, studied IN tn
Washington Training School for Mission
aries and Deaconesses, intending to tax
lup missionary work In New Mexico.
That her husbands congregation Wi
not object to her as their pastors VIII
was shown when the members OF th
Ladies' Aid society Of the church vote
to attend the wedding in the old job
, Street church before the cermonY ws
postponed. The bride is 40 years old ID
, Lawrence, who is SO, was widower, h
first wife having died several years ag
He is prominent in Ocean Grove CAM
meeting circles and at one time lived
Mount Holly.