The Washington times., 1936-12-07
7 D. E. CLERICS
ASSAIL KINGS
ROMANCE

Echoes of British clerical oppoSi-
, ton to the marriage of Mrs. Wal
lis Warfield Simpson to King Ed
ward VIII were sounded in Wash
sington yesterday, when two of the
city's religious leaders thundered
sdenunciation of the proposed
union from their pulpitS.
One is the Right Rev. James E.
Freeman, Episcopal bishop of
washington.
But his rebuke to the King, de-
hvered in his p. m. sermon in
towering Washington cathedral on
mount St. AlbanS. was mild COM
spared to the castigation of one of
J the city'S leading Methodist pas
;tors.
: DR.. Frederick Brown Harris,
Minister of the Foundry Methodist
Episcopal Church, made a special
statement to his congregation de-
voted entirely to an outSpoken de-
nunciation of the marriage.
This statement preceded his reg
ular sermon and was made. he
said, to clarity statements previ-
ously attributed to him.
"Barnyard Morals"
In frank, vivid, scathing SEN
tences, he talked of "barnyard
morals" and a "trumped-up di-
vorce case" as no man, either in
America or Europe. has yet pub
licly talked.
Tin England yesterday, pas
tors prayed for the King almost
without exception. but made no
direct attacks upon the pro-
jected marriage.)
Charging that the present situa-
ton shaking the very throne OF
England" is moral rather than a
matrimonial crisis. DR.. Harris
added:
"Many maudlin tears are be-
ing wasted because q stern cab
met and a grim prime minister
are interfering with = love
match.
"SOILED AND SORDID"
"This so-calIed romance, re-
Ouiring for its legaliZatiOn an
openly alleged, trumped-up di-
vOrce case, makes the whole
thing sOiIed and SOrdid. Even
for a King the Ten Command.
mentS still stand, and one OF
them says, Thou shalt not cOvet
thy neighbOr's wife,
"There are moral prOdigalS
who would not want to see
barnyard morals lifted to the
life Of the court.
"TO allow the King to have
his way in this matter would
be simply to cOuntenance pro-
greSsive free love-"
"MORAL MORONS" HIT
Such a course, said DR.. Harris,
would weaken the moral founda-
tions of the EngliShSpeaklng
world, were it to have the consent
of the state and the blessing OF
the church" Continuing his ser
mon, he said:
"MOraI mOrOnS talk only Of
the infringement of Edwards
personal life. AS a matter of
fact, it is quite generally known
that he has had plenty Of private
life in the last 20 years not lived
in the transparency Of a royal
goldfish bowl.
"FOr 40 years he has been
trained by the Empire to play
his role when the hour struck.
Now, at last on the throne, he
seems to have. conceived life as
a merry-gO-rOund from which he
is to grab the brass ring Of his
own SatiSfactiOnS, instead Of
mounting his white charger Of
duty and riding forth in a kingly
crusade for a better world"
HEARERS SPELLBOUND
AS DR.. Harris spoke, his big con-
gregation seemed Spellbound. He
continued:
"AlI the world loves a lover,
and all the world hates quit
ter. The English cabinet knows,
even if Edward does not, that
you cannot dye a piece Of cloth
red, white and blue and then
use it as both flag and dust
rag.
"The English cabinet and the
Church of England could take
no other attitude than that
which they have taken.
"That the woman involved
happens to be an American does
not enter into the question at
all. AS American churchmen we,
of course, take our stand with
the Church of England and the
Archbishop Of Canterbury"
BALDWIN DEFENDED
Then he turned to a defense of
Prime Minister Baldwin, saying:
eff what Prime Minister
Stanley Baldwin stands for is
what some are ScOrnfully de-
riding as 'OutmOded Victorian
ism,' it looks to most of us as
synonymous with morality,
duty, decency, and a sense of
responsibility. More strength to
his arm, which is the arm Of
English democracy"
DR.. Harris concluded with:
"All over England today and
in the DOminiOnS, for those who
have eyes to see and ears to