The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-11-09
The PEOPLES FORUM.
DESTROYING the Founda ton.


the whole structure of our religious
national and social greatness topples to
the ground. Then will we be ready to
abolish the God given relation of mar
riage or degrade it into a species of the
vilest slavery and make it depend on
whims or lust of the parties. Then,
farewell to the only type of heaven
that this earth possesses-a pure and
lovely home. Farewell to purity and
morals. Goodbye to decent society, to
the family relationship to order and
virtue and to the only safeguard of
home, the community and the nation.
Loose divorce laws and so many strokes
at this foundation so essential to the
perpetuity of decent society and the
Republic.
The increasing number of divorces
seem to indicate that the foundation is
shaking.
The voice of reason, common sense
and revelation join in crying out
against this thing and for the preser-
walton of the home. Were there more
prudence and common sense exercised
in entering this relation and more
patient forbearance exhibited toward
each other, on the part of husband and
wife--in a word if there was more love
and less lust and meIe personal con-
venience governing such unions, there
would be better condition of affairs.
There would be more happiness, fewer
destroyed homes, and more of the
principles and experiences of heaven on
earth.
The divorce laws of some of our
states are trsvesty on decencY and so
lax that a premium is apparently put
upon divorce or infidelity to the mar
riage vows. Interest has been aroused
in many places in behalf of reform.
| The national Divorce Reform League
has done some good work IN this line.
Some of the states are modifying and
changing their laws. Statistics have
been and are being collided. In some
states the advertising of divorces has
beed prohibited. Governors are urging
reform. In most of the states organ
lied work has begun. In one state at
least the Bar Association" are urging
reform. And what class it may be ask
ed better than lawyers know the evils
of divorce of course there are cases
when a divorce should be granted
There may be and sometimes there IS
Just cause for it, but if the granting of
divorce were confined to just and
Biblical causes the evil would be re-
duced to its lowest terms.
Sometime ago, The World Today"
had a statement by a very competent
writer, from which we quote, 'in a
period or "a wears from 1867 to 1901
there were granted in the Dominion of
Canada SO divorces, and in the same
period there were recorded in the United
States 700, 600 divorces. The population
of the United States averaged during
that period y times the average popu-
lation of the Dominion Of Canada and
has granted 10000 times as many d.
vorces. If the United States had grant
ed them at this same rate per capita as
they did in Canada there would have
been $50. 600 fewer in the United States.
This enormous difference, appalling in
the suggestion of national laxlty, and,
in some sense of national depravity, has
probably never been seriously consider
ed by the American people Our coun-
try is in very depraved state. The
| New Testament Standard should regu-
late this matter. But what can be done
when churches are indorsing divorce for
various causes. A fearful catastrophe
is certainly ahead of the nation Funless
it turns about and Institutes reform in
this thing. But this, she is not going
to do.
Americans have abundant reason for
humiliation for the ease with which
divorces are obtained in different states
of our Union. There are 46 divorce
laws in as many states. They recog-
nze forty-two grounds for absolute di-
vorce. The effect of these laws is seen
in the increasing number of divorces in
the IT, S.
In twenty years Illinois granted So,
367, and Indiana 25, 1872 During those
20 years the population increased 6 per
cent. while the number Of divorces in
creased 1877 per cent. The evil incased
more than twice as fast as the popula-
ton of the country. During that same
period divorces were more than thirty
times as frequent in the u. S. as in
Great Britain. This was years ago.
Have we improved? Far from it. The
number has Increased. The evil is
growing to that extent that many who
were hitherto Indifferent TO it are now
awakening to the enormity of the evil
which threatens the destruction of our
social, political and national structure.
1t is time for good citizens and all
Christians to rouse themselves.
JoANNEs.