The San Francisco call., 1910-07-24
Prince of the Church Cries
Against Attacks on Sane
tity of Family
MESSAGE GIVEN TO
YOUTH OF NATION
Young Men of Honor and Edu=
cation Advised TO Enter
Public Service
VOTING A SACRED TRUST.
SAYS HIS EMINENCE
Especial Dispatch 10 The Call

Nv IE.o MINIS 4 Elk, Mo, july %
w His Eminenoe James Cardinal
" Gibbons, archbishop of Balti-
more, spent his .seventy-sixth birth
day today at the home of a friend, B.
I. Shriver. in the upland country of
his native Maryland In the course
of a conversation today the subject
Of divorce came up naturally, and the
cardinal at once opened upon it with
all his batteries.
The evils Of divorce are ever upper
most in his thoughts. He has fought
against divorce and the separation of
married persons these last 80 years as
no other American has To him there
is nothing more vital, and he is carry
ing on the battle today with all the in
huence of his exalted position as
eagerly as he began it when he put on
the garb of priest half a century ago.
Nation Threatened
Divorce" 4" he declared, "is a canker
which is eating into the very vitals of
our life. Society-our whole civiliza-
tiOn-uprears itself upon the sanctity
of the home and the unity of the fam
lily. When you attack the family you
attack government itself. And govern
ment, to protect and perpetuate itself,
must expunge from its statutes the
criminal divorce law which the best of
our life abhors
Il pray for the time when men and
women may be persuaded to under
stand the seriousness of marriage
Regardless Of religious convictions,
they should understand when they
marry that they are entering upon
contract which is not for day or a
month, but OF a lifetime. They aaould
know that tae, must bear and for
bear. Tho I'D can not pull one
way and another They must
pull IN the together.
Helpless Children
Ponder on the helpless little chill
dren OF these homes destroyed bv di /!
vorces. Instead Of love ruling their
homes and lives, hatred is sown there 1
The father goes one way and the
mother the other, never to meet again.
The children are left without an an
chorage- They know not to whom to /
appeal for affection They turn to the
father. to learn tha- he hates their
mother.
They turn to the mother to learn and
have it scared in their minds and
hearts that she hates their father.
Their lives are blighted in the bud.
How can we expect them to become
true and tender men and women? How
can we expect them to do anything else
Nwith their lives than that which their
parents have done2
"Ah, these children of divorced
parents, They are the bitter sorrows
of my life. They are given no chance,
and I say woe unto them who are re-
sponsible.
The ease with which divorce may be
obtained in some of our states is moth
ing less than criminal one of the fav-
orite grounds Of these days is what is
called TncompatibiIity of temper A
wife may burn pan of biscuits. The
husband chides her Miserable little
biting words fly from their tongues
There is never a thought of forbearance
on the part 4 either. There is never a
thought Of he children. Only the self
ish pride Of NRe parents is considered,
and presently there is an action
brought for divorce. IncompatibiIity of
temper. BAH I say TO the laws which
permit such things. They afront God
and every one who fears him"
Message to Youth
Your eminence. do you not think
that this would be an appropriate oe-
casion TO send a message to the young
men OF the nation7"
The cardinals gaze wandered off to
the far flung, green clad Maryland hills
and there was a moment OF silence
Perhaps il is" said the cardinal Il
would tell the young men Of these
United States to love their country and
Continued on Page 30. Column