The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-15
On Divorce
Sermon by scud5er, D.,
Sunday, January H. 1912.


saith unto them, Whosoever shall
put away his wife, and marry another
commtteth adultery against her: and
if she herself shall put away her hus-
band, and marry another, she COM
mitteth adultery.
There is now only one country on
the globe where carefully kept statis-
tics show more divorces in proportion
to the population than in the United
States. That one is Japan which re-
ports 215 divorces per 100000 popula-
ton. Our country's record is seventy
three per 100000 or a yearly total of
$4,000; more divorces per annum than
all the other so-called Christian ma
tons put together. In 1870 the Unit
ed States had one divorce to every
thirty-four marriages, in 1907 one to
every twelve, in 1909 Prof Wilcox es-
timated one to every ten. If this ratio
of increase is maintained, in twenty
five years every other marriage will end
in divorce. One of the soberest New
York Christian papers states that in
that city There are women, who
when they meet one of their husbands
can not always tell, without thinking,
if it is the one she is now living with.
At some tables it is unsafe to address
a woman by the name you have known
her by, unless you have met her with
in half year, for she may have
changed it." A recent paper gave a
picture of the Divorce ring-an ad-
vertisement doubtless that the wearer
is ready for another experiment. In
general the farther west one goes the
worse the condition gets. The state
of Washington holds the record with
one divorce suit to every seven mar
riages, while among cities, Kansas
City heads the list with one divorce
suit to every four marriage licenses
issued.
1t has always been an axiom in po-
litical science that the family is the
foundation stone of the state. Where
the family totters the state falls. If
the family fails to perform it's func-
lions properly, society disrupts. Dur
ing the past year France has been
startled with menacing increase OF
juvenile crime. NJ de. Casabrianca,
one of Paris most eminent judges,
ascribes this to five causes. First, al
coholism; second, bad books; third,
disintegration of the family; fourth,
neglect of parental discipline; fifth,
lack of religious ana moral ins;ruc-
ton. Every one of these causes for
juvenile crime roots ultimately in the
family. 1t is significant that this tes-
timony come from Paris where lax
views of family relations have been so
prevalent. The twentieth century
thus far has discovered no flaw in the
teaching of history that the disinte-
grafton of the family means the disin-
tegration of society.
Now divorce disrupts the family.
Hence divorce is a grave menace to
society," What then shall the state
do about it? Varied answers are Civ
en- by the legislatures Of our American
commonwealth. South Carolina re.
fuses divorce on any ground. New
York grants it for adultery alone
Other states are so lax that the ideal
of the advocates of free marriage and
divorce has almost been incorporated
into legal practise.
Two facts stand out with startling
distinctness in this entire question
One is that there are marriages
wherein the interests OF present-day
society demand that husband ant
wife, separate. There is no need t.
discuss these cases. 1t is the bust
ness of the state to find out by expert
ment what they are 1t is also cleal
that the interests of society are some
times promoted by allowing thos'
whom it has divorced to contract 9th
er unions. When this permission
should be granted and when withheld,
is purely scientific question ant
must be determined after painstakinl
investigations and experiment. Tn
entire problem of whom the stat
should allow to marry and whom t
forbid, who should be supposed t
propagate children and who not,
for social science to solve and 70
statecraft to enact into law.
1t is not the business of the Chris
tian church to determine who may d
vorce and who remarry. Its Mastel
Jesus, by his example showed that tn
church exists in order to exalt tn
ideal and so to convince reason, trai
conscience and strengthen will tht
the individU.i shall embody the idei
- in his cCnduct. It may require Gel
turtles 'or the church so fully to co
vince society of the practical value
apr idaaI nc IN In Huanpa tho efata