The New York herald., 1921-05-18
SPREAD OF DIVORCE
UNDERMINES NATION,
CHURCHMAN WARNS
Bishop Burgess Tells Epis-
copal Clergymen Not to
Marry Those Divorced.
CHILDREN SUFFERERS
Sees Growth of Conditions
That Led to Decay Of
Roman Empire.
SLAPS AT SOME LAWYERS
Would Fight Trading in Di-
yorces as Ancient Makers
of Idols Fought.
sLAPS AT SOME LAWYERS

Urging the clergy to be more cir
cumspect about marrying persons who
had been divorced, Bishop Frederick
+. Burgess of the Long Island Epis-
copal Diocese said yesterday h OPEN
ing the annual convention Of the do
cese at the Cathedral of the In
carnation, Mineola, that marriage in
| America and the views on family life
are fast approaching the low standard
| that caused the fall of the Roman
! Empire. The Bishop scored also the
modern novel and said that the mode
women lacks both dignity and pro-
| priety.
The Bishop told the g " that they
must inform themselye. carefully In
regard both to the State and the
church law on marriage" and added
that ION no account can the clergy
marry any divorced person unless the
| case has first been pronounced upon
by the Bishop. Ignorance of the law
| will excuse no one"
(, Canon AZ on the solemnization of natri-
mony, which. he said, has of recent
years been so often appealed to in this
diocese that believe few words as to
the rights and duties both of the clergy
and the laity under this canon cannot be
out of place or unwelcome."
Let us preface this consideration OF
the canon by glance at the marriage
situation as it confronts the nation to-
day" he continued. The fall OF the
Roman Empire was produced by the lax
ity and rottenness Of the laws Of mar
riage.
slaves Forbidden 10 Marry.
"The slaves. perhaps numerically one
quarter OF the population, were not al
lowed to marry at all. Divorce was alb
solutely free to the men, and, in the time
of our Lord we arc told that there was
scarcely society woman in Rome who
had not been divorced at least two or
three times
THE consequence was that the family
life became debauched and destroyed
II IS sad thing for little child to lose
its mother by death. yet know one other
thing that Is sadder, and that is to have
the child lose father or mother by
divorce. Family vitality was weakened
in the Roman world and the nation suf-
fered an insidious decay in it's morals
and ideals.
This low standard Of sexual moral
ity in Roman society VIC seem TO be fast
approaching here In America ] havc
no statistics with which to startle you.
IrA Az a ny Divorce
all around us. Our newspapers tell the
sickening story so far as society is con-
cerned, but the divorce mills are for all.
and, unlike the mills OF rne gods, they
do not grind slowly. The divorce busi-
ness has become the most lucrative OF
the law, and II now the Church were TO
arise to it's Apostolic strength and ef-
feet the trading in divorces, just as the
Church in st. Paul's time. by preaching
against idolatry, diminished the demand
for the little silver statues Of Diana,
there are some lawyers who would say.
as the representatives OF the silversmith
union said at the mass meeting in
Ephesus, 'Sirs. we know that by this
craft we have our wealth.
Two Theories on Marriage.
Looking at the history OF manlsind
we can see that two theories in regard
TO marriage have been contending With
one another all down the centuries. The
one is that II is simply sensuous physi-
cal relationship. In accordance with
| this in civilized countries II Is given
| authorization by the law through con-
:, trasts which would be on the basis Of
all other contrasts II the State were
not interested ir the integrity of the
I family and the welfare OF the children.
"Of course am not thinking OF such
1 paaiido states as Bolshevism and ex-
! treme Socialism wound produce, with
their contempt for marriage and with
their State nurture of children; for such
4 principles. II carried out, would produce
not merely the end of civilization but
the suicide or the world. This physical
and contractual idea of marriage has
been the controlling thought in The
minds OF most people assuming matri-
inonial ties.
But the other ideal OF marriage is The
so era mcntal-tnnt. from the beginning
OF creation, God made them male and
female. and that for this cause a man
shall leave his father and mother and
cleavs TO his wife. and they twain shall
20 one fash. What. therefore. God
hath joined together let no man put
asunder. That rs the sacramento idea.
and IL is our Lords own idea OF mar
riage.
Duties OF Parents Described.
Tic Bishop described the duties ar
parents as follows:
Parents have also solemn duty
which. II Il IS not stated Is implied n
the canon The mother who loses touch
With her daughter and is no longer her
con5dant has failed IN her duty. The
father who let's his boys 40 out into life
n nf n tan 90 t1e
which await them Is grossly nj fault.
II believe in human nature and that
the modern conditions are not so bad
rs some mcrallsts assert. But there can
DO no denying the fact that our modern
novels are. many OF them pruricnt and
immoral. our modern dances verge on
the dangerous. and many OF our plays
Continued on Fifth Page.
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