The Irish standard., 1908-10-17

A little old gentleman with almost
ascetic features and clear, penetrat-
ing eye came downstairs yesterday in
the modest brownstone house, No 219
Clermont avenue, Brooklyn, and held
out his hand, says the New Work
World of Oct. II.
1t was warm, attenuated, nervous
hand-a human hand. The flesh was
pink and firm, yet it belonged to All
old man, who wore long black frocls
coat and trousers, black spats, hig',
cut waistcoat from which peeped q
brilliant scarlet cravat and little
skull cap Of the same hued silk.
It was Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop
of Baltimore, Primate of the Ro1na1
Catholic Church i'll the United States.
just back from Europe. He has had
audience with His Holiness, the Pope.
and has represented America at the
Eucharistic Congress, that great con-
vention of the princes, priests and lay
men of the Church from the. world
over.
"What can / do for the Sunday
World?" answered the Cardinal in re-
.sponse-to- a request for an interview.
Il am very busy. I return to Balti-
more within a few hours and every
moment of my time is engaged. !
am expecting several gentlemen in an
automobile even now who wish to take
me with them.''
The mission was briefly explained.
my trip abroad?" he laughed. "Di-
vorce, capital and labor, education,
the congress, prohibition, the condition
of the working classes? Why, man
alive, it would take hours to talk at
length and I haven't the time. But If
the readers of the Sunday World
would like to hear me briefly, l will
be only too glad.
Divorce is one Of the crying evils of
the day, in which the Church is vital.
ly interested. Our stand is unassail-
able. There should be no divorce at
all; it pleases me immensely to hear
that Bishop Greer and other proroi-
nent members of other churches feel
as we do in. the Catholic Church.
, Divorce today, and say it without
reserve, is the one great black spot up.
on American civilization. 1t is terrible,
rpspeakable, outrageous. The num-
ber of divorces in the United States
III proportion to the population is the
greatest in the world. Think of that
stain on our escutcheon!
"The salvation of society depends
upon the family. The salvation of the
family depends upon the preservation
CT the marriage bond for all tir.e
Dissolve the marriage bond and you
: virtually dissolve society. Only when
the sanctity of the marriage tie and
the obligations of the family relation
ole more fully realized, and religious
training in the family becomes m :,
general, may we look for better cor
ditions in society at large, and not
until then.
1.-THE great crimes and scandals
which are exciting so much comment
nowadays can be traced directly to a
lack of sanctity in the family rela-
tions. It is not so much marriage
but the sacredness Of marriage, which
must be recognized. Until then So
ciety can hardly hope to improve.
1.-THE Church takes All unaltrr. Z
position with regard to divorce
there can be none for any cause wha.-
soever. II people contemplating mat
rfmony realized this and found out be-
forehand whether they were suited to
one another, there wouldn't be 81
much work for the divorce courts to
do.
Marriage is woman's destiny. 1t
is the aim of her life. Her work
!, should be for her husband and her
children and her home. Anything that
i1terferes with her ir this her true
sphere. is wrong. and divorce does
that. Family purity is the one ard
great cure for social Ills
His Eminence was serious as he
.spokA Ind % emphasize his words ne
= l 5.