Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-18
DIVORCE TANGLE
SCORED BY BISHOP
Remarriage Of Parliament
Member Performed in Church
Without His Sanction.
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
LONDON, August 17.-Divorce, re-
marriage and politics scrambled them
selves into situation that called forth
q statement from DR.. Wilmington
Ingram, the Bishop of London, to the
effect that the remarriage OF divorced
member of Parliament was performed
In a church without the knowledge or
sanction of the bishop"
Sir William Dawson, Conservative:
who was reelected to the House OF
Commons from South Kens1ngton IN
spite of an opposition Conservative can
didate, was divorced last october from
a daughter of Sir owen Roberts. The
women of South Kensington, who out
numbered the man voters by nearly
$1,000, waged a serious campaign 10
keep him out of Parliament.
Receives Church Blessing.
He succeeded in winning the election
with a margin of 10000, one OF the
largest in the whole election, and lew
weeks after his success at the polls
married Miss Constance Marriott, the
daughter of a major in the Dragon
Guards.
After, the marriage in the registrars
Office Sir William and his bride went TO
the Church of st. Ethelburga, Bishops
gate. where DR.. W. F. Geikie-Cobb gave
the blessing of the Church of England.
The church frowns upon the remar-
rage of the guilty party In a divorce
action though the ceremony Is approved
in the eyes of the law.
The Bishop of London said that DR..
Geikie-Cobb did not consult him and
performed the ceremony entirely upon
his own responsibility.
-COhh have doubt
said Bishop Ingram, acted quite con-
scientiously, within the limits OF his
view. of the position, but that view does
not coincide with the general sentiment
and feeling of the church or with my
. own. He was within his rights to give
a blessing to Sir William pavlsons
marriage, and no action can be taken
about it.
Sir William Davison'S divorce know
little about, but understand that he
was, in the eyes of the law, the guilty
party, SO that he could not expect to be
married in church. The church cannot
approve of any kind of church cere-
mony connected in any way with the
remarriage of such divorced persons"
Defends His Aaction.
DR.. Geikie-Cobb also issued a public
statement defending his action, saying
that he was under the impression that
WIldb GIlG law odllCD4OAlo NOCo A1OI AC-
Quire the further sanction of a bishop"
MY chief regret, however, is that
the officials of the Church of England
should show no sympathy with the de-
mand for a higher conception of mar
rage, but should yield to the clamor Of
those who think that the current
Catholic view is consistent with the
Christian, whereas it is in fact con-
tradiction of it," said DR.. Geikie-Cobb
In a letter addressed to the bishop.
The officiating minister when inter-
viewed said that he did not regret this
happening knew it had to come
sooner or later. Both parties can by
law be married, and therefore the
bishop is willing to put himself above
the law.
The bishop asked me why had the
service in my church, and said: Be
cause Sir William Dawson was a mem
Der of my division and had personally
supported him and was glad to find him
Overwhelmingly returned"