Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-17
COMMISSION ASKS
STUDY OF DIVORCE
House of Bishops Urged to
' Launch TO- Year Survey
of Causes.

A 1o-year study by cooperating social
agencies, adequately financed, to de-
ternine the underlying causes of di-
vorce as basis for future action, was
urged upon the House of Bishops of
the Episcopal Church this morning in
the report of the joint commission
which has been studying this problem
for the past three years.
The joint commission, headed by
Righ Rev. Herman Page, Bishop of
Michigan, also recommends that nor
NAL schools. colleges, universities and
seminaries be asked to offer more in
struction on the subject of human re-
lationships, especially on the subject
Of marriage, and that the clergy of
this church be urged to give training
for marriage a conspicuous place in
their programs
Modification Distant.
There Is no suggestion for the pres
ent that the rigid divorce laws OF the
church, which recognize adultery as
the only around for divorce and re-
fuse to remarry any but the innocent
party, be modified, but rather that fu-
ture action be guided by scientific data
at present unavailable.
The proposed scientific study would
approach the problem of marriage IN
the light of the most advanced phystT
o3og1cal. psychological and sociological
findings. -. 49, -. ~ :, ~.
The commission asked that it be. con.
tinued with the. understanding that 1t
Cooperate. with other agencies to Sc
cure such ar'scientiffc study and that
it, report ito the next convention on the
ecclesiastical and canon law in relation
ito marriage and divorce and on the re-
lation betWeen civil and religious sniar-. :.
rlage,' " e s.Y~t ~ -. -" ~*
| The divorce rate is increasing allover.
1.-THE world. the commission reported,
and it admits itself baffled after It's
three-year study to- find the reason.
Various surface factors of modern. life,
such as the drift of populations from
the country to the city, the prevalence
of apartment house life and the de-
clining birth rate, have frequently
been adduced as the reasons for in
creased divorce, but the commission
finds great difficulty in establishing a
direct relationship between them.
Swell City Figures.
Country people, it found, swell the
city divorce rates; apartment houses
have been common in European cities
for years and have not hitherto affect
ed marital relations, and thousands OF
divorced couples have large families.
I'm fact" says the "feport, 'desertion,
! which often is called the poor mans
divorce, is commonly attributed to the
| fact that there are too many children"
There are others who feel" the re-
port continues, that the increase in dl-
vorce is due TO the fact that our Chris
tian Church does not take the same firm
stand that is taken by the Church of
Rome in regard to the indissolubility of
marriage. Conditions in Roman Catho-
| lie countries, however, are by no means
reaSSuring, and studies of conditions in
this country show that the desertion
rate among so-called Roman Catholi -
| is deplorably high. 1t should be said
| however, that the whole subject OF re-
| ligious affiliation Is one which requires
careful investigation, because many peo-
pie claim a church connection whose
relation to the church is purely nominal
Another cause frequently given Is
| that of financial tension, but there is
no reason TO think that finances are the
cause of more unhappiness in the rela-
| ton of husband and wife than in any
other relations of life. Finances are a
Continued on Page 2. Column ~