The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-08-11
CLERGY WOULD
STOP ASTOR'S 5
REMARR|AGE
New York Ministers Declare
They Woula Not Perform
Ceremony

New York. Aug. li.-srne ruror
roused BY The attack on the proposed
marriage of Col John Jacob Astor and
Miss Madeline Talmage Force, by Rey,
! George Chalmers Richmond, in Ep:s-
copal minister IN Philadelphia, has
1 found 4 strong echo here a canvass
among ministers OF several denomi,
nations here today failed To find one
who would express q Willingness to
| perform the ceremony, and some ol
| the comments were very bitter.
While he considered the aftack bv
Rev. George Chalmers Richnonl upon
| the coming Astor-F0rce wedding In.
temperate, II WAS admitted by Bishop
Suffragan Charles S. Burch of the
| Episcopal diocese Of New York. that
the Philadelphia Clergyman voiced to-
! a great extent the real feelings of his
church lie said the marriage could
not take place in that church until
Col Astor convinced council of
bishops that he was the innocent par
ty In the divorce proceedings tnat
annulled his former marriage
Rev. DR.. Arthur fowndes. WHO is
numbered among the deans nf the
city's Episcopal clergy. expressed per
feet agreement with his Philadelphia
brother.
Shows Need of Uniform Divorce Law.
Considerably more than half the
world would not consider that Col
Astor and Miss Force were married
at ALL he began. "All those in my
church must feel that the match Is In
defiance Of Gods law Cesrainly no
Episcopal clergyman would be allowed
to perform the marriage ceremony.
THE law says that Col. Astor may
not marry in New York, and T. IL Ii 4
great shame the law is not the same
in every state. A uniform divorce
law is what we need 10 stop this |
scandal Of a woman being wife tn 4
one state and an unmarried compan-
ion in another9'
Father Eyers Of ST Andrews Ro-
man Catholic Church went even fur
ther
Such a marriage a ! tnat Of col |
Astor is simply legalized free love.
he declared There is no essential
ethical difference between his coart- |
ship Of Miss Force and the pursuit 6s I
Evelyn Thaw by the late Stanford |
White
lt course, my church recognizes no
such thing as divorce, or the remar- /
riage Of divorced persons Occasion. I
ally the pope annuls a marriage. but \
that Is when something has been done
wrongly and the couple in question
have never been man and wife in the
eyes Of the church. We believe liter I
ally that whom God has joined let I
no man put asunder'
Calls 1t LegaIized Polygamy.
No setrespecting minister OF any !,
denomination would officiate at such
a wedding, said Rev. John S. Allend
pastor Of the Marble Collegiate
Church al Fifth avenue and Twenty 4
ninth street. "The man who has been
married and divorced for cause should
lose his citizenship in the matrimon-
ial state The laws Of the churches
and OF the nation should forbid him
TO rewed
1T is a great pity that this Astor
marriage should take place. because /
1f the harmful example it will set
declared the Rev Arthur ]. Smith 4
superintendent OF the Evangelstic ;
'ommittee Of New York City "There t
will be hundreds Of imtators. par. !
lcularly In the same social circle. I
ould not perform such marriage for J
quite agree with the Catholic church .
n the stand it has taken against
ivorce." q
Col Astors contemplated action D
houd be denounced IN the strongest d.
aims by the press and the public.f +
aid the Rev. o. @ Bernstein of the
irst Adventist church ut is a slap
the face TO society and morality. i,
is nothing in the world but legaliz- II
d polygamy."