Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-01-26
RE:SIARICk HITS
.DIYORCEEI|L~
IN TERRITORY

! the canon CT the church on the sub
iect, he crlticizes some other minis
tiers for marrying under improper
circumstance and points out that this
practice has resulted in considerable
opposition TO the Church Federation
movement in Honolulu.
In part he says:
Quite frequently the bishop of Ho-
nolulu is importuned to allow the
clergy to marry divorced people. II
will readily be seen on reading the
canon. that he must act according
to law, and thea only in judicial
capacity, and with the advice of some
lawyer. If he permits any marriage
to take place under the canons.
Canon So of the solemnization of
matrimony.
Il. Ministers of this church shall
be careful to secure the observance of
the law of the state governing the
civil contract of marriage in the
lplace where the service shall be
performed
| I'll. % No minister shall SOL
emnize a marriage except in the
presence of at least two witnesses.
| "t2) Every minister shall without
delay formally record in the proper
register, the name, age and residence
of each party. Such record shall be
signed by the minister who solemn
ICES the marriage, and, if practicable,
by the married parties, and by at
least two witnesses of the marriages.
iii. No minister, knowingly after
due inquiry, shall solemnize the mar
riage of any person who has been or
is the husband" or the wife of any
other person then living, from whom
he or she has been divorced for any
cause arising after marriage. But
this canon shall not be held to apply
4 to the innocent party in a divorce for
adultery; Provided, that before the
application for such remarriage a
period of not less than one year shall
have elapsed, after the granting of
such divorce; and that satisfactory
evidence touching the facts In the
case, including a copy of the courts
decree, and record, if practicable, with
proof that the defendant was person
ally served or appeared in the action,
be laid before the ecclesiastical au-
Ethority, and such ecclesiastical au-
thority,- having taken legal advice
thereon, shall have declared in writ
ing that in his Judgment the case of
the applicant conforms to the require
ments of this canon; and provided,
further, that it shall be within the
discretion of any minister to decline
to soiemnize any. marriage. -.,t:-. = p
b. EtINy ss,l o1;,,;c &c L,
shall have reasonable cause to doubt
whether person DESTROYS of being
admitted to holy baptism, or to- con-
firmation, or to the holy communion,
has been married otherwise than as
the word of God and discipline of this
church allow, such minister, before
receiving such person to. these ordi-
snances, shall refer the case to the
bishop for his godly Judgment there
upon; provided, however, that no
minister shall in any case refuse these
ordinances to a penitent person in
Imminent danger of death.
In connection with the above canon
we are sorry to say that in every in
stance Of a refusal on the part of our
clergy to marry a couple because the
canon forbids it, and no matter how
glaring the case, they have always
found some minister to marry them,
and this has been done in some in
stances after tue ministers haNsbeen
told by our clergy of the circum-
stances of the case. These facts have
often been told to the bishop with in
dignation, especially when the rule of
the denomination to which the minis
ter has belonged forbids him to per-
form such marriages, and it has led,
on the part of some clergy, to de-
cided opposition to have anything to
do with the Church Federation move
ment some ministers connected with
which perform the marriage ceremony
in such cases as We have refused for
just cause
I'VE admit frankly. that in many
instances where we have to decline to
marry people. our sympathies are en-
tirely with them, and we say plainly
that it seems in many cases unjust to
refuse. But every law must work
hardship in individual instances, but
those who know. as the writer does,
how cases are brought to him where
men have deliberately gotten rid of
one wife in order to marry another,
and have caused great suffering and
deprived children of parental care by
their conduct We see plainly that the
law is necessary for the preservation
of society. The present way in which
people are divorced and remarked
creates a consecutive polygamy which
i'll cur minds is a greater evil, even,
than the usual kind OF pOlygamy.
Where we find, as we do in some cit
les and counties that there is one d.
vOrCe TO every three marriages. people
should stop and think. and, above all,
ministers of the Gospel should be very
careful that they lend no cOuntenance
to the evil. 1t does seem strange to
the clergy of this church that those
who profess to believe the Bible as
the rule of their faith. SOuld perform
marriage ceremonies in many cases
the circumstances connected with
which could readily be known to