ive Rule, and sat down with that view to re-read the History of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and all the discussions relating to this subject. Not only so, I wrote to men then living, and conversed with such as were accessible, who remembered all these cases and the discussions in the General Conferences, and thus become convinced of the constitutionality and righteousness of the law.

The present law, as adopted in 1880, had some defects. It was capable of being made a cover for the location of men who ought to be excluded for immoral conduct The General Conference of 1884 added a proviso, under which even an insinuation that the preacher whose case is considered has been guilty of immoral conduct would be out of order.

It could still be improved; but the right of the Annual Conference to locate an inefficient, secular, unacceptable member who is no longer useful, without formal trial or right of appeal, I deem vital to the dignity and efficiency of the body; a necessary antidote to human indolence, and a support against worldly temptation. I hold it also to be essential to the protection of worthy men already in the ministry and competent young men applying for admission by removing cumberers of the ground, and thus making places for those who are willing to till it. It is equally valuable for the protection of the churches. And I conceive it to be a necessary check upon possible Episcopal oppression.

J. M. Buckby

ART. III.-DIVORCE: A SYMPOSIUM.

EVILS OF DIVORCE.

WE shall the mere readily understand the evils of divorce if we recall the relation it dissolves, what is included in the relation, and the results of its dissolution.

Marriage, Christian marriage, the union of one man and one woman in holy wedlock for life, is the basis of the family and the indispensable condition of its perpetuity; and the family is primal organization of the race, the unit of society, the foundation of the State, and the necessary conservator of all. A study of the character of the family in any age will reveal the condition of the race at that time in all that is good and pure and elevating. With the rise or descent of the family go all human interests and institutions.

The purposes of the family are to secure the comfort and happiness of the contracting parties through mutual love and helpfulness and through the inestimable blessings of home, the asylum of love, and the safe retreat of its inmates from the storms of life; and the lawful and healthful reproduction of the race, together with the implied care and training of children for the responsibilites of this life and the destinies of that which is to come. Necessarily the relations existing between the members of the family are close and important. Between the husband and wife they are the most tender, delicate, and sacred in the world; between parents and children, affectionate and all-controlling; and between children, strong and lasting. No other relation so binds and controls the heart; and under no other earthly conditions can there be secured so much of genuine heart-development and refinement, the most important education in the world, as in the sacred relations of the family. To sum up in a single sentence: The family is indispensable to the life, in any proper sense, of the individual, of society, and of the State, and marriage is essential to the very existence of the family. Whatever, therefore, strikes at marriage attacks the family, imperiling all it includes, and is a menace which cannot be overestimated and must not be overlooked. And no one will doubt that any thing which prevents marriage, or leads

persons to lightly esteem it, or robs it of its sacredness, or weakens its obligations, or limits its duration, strikes at the very heart of the institution and aids in inducing all the evil results above indicated.

Some of the dangers which beset marriage seem to be inherent in human nature in its present lapsed condition, as the fickleness of human fancy and affection, seeming incompatibility of disposition, selfishness and the power of self-will, irascibility and ungovernableness of temper, the weariness and irritations which come of the necessary struggles of life, errors of judgment, carelessness of action, drunkenness, indifference, neglect, abuse. These things, infirmities of our nature, or ontgrowths of our surroundings, or fruits of our evil hearts, put many and heavy strains on the marriage relation. They test it to the utmost. When we consider them, we see that it is not so strange as might at first be supposed that marriage is not always a success, and that the family is sometimes far less than a paradise. Given beings free from the imperfections to which flesh in its present condition is heir, and the domestic state would reach the ideal, and realize the full measure, of earthly bliss. But, alas! we have not such beings with whom to deal, and a measure of imperfection and failure is inevitable.

The problem which engages the most serious thought of every lover of his race is the reduction of these evils to the lowest possible degree, that marriage may reach the highest possible measure of its strength and permanence. When all has been accomplished that is possible there will still remain too much to weaken and imperil the relation. So serious are the consequences that we dare not in any manner, or in the smallest measure, encourage or increase such evils. On the contrary, we are bound mightily to resist them. All the influence and authority of the Church, of the State, and of the individual should go to strengthen marriage and to counteract the weakness and sins which threaten it. Nothing short of this will meet the requirements of either policy or duty.

Just at this point we meet the evils of our unfortunate divorce system. Instead of resisting the erroneous and sinful inclinations of human nature, the State, through this system, surrenders to them almost without condition. It has adopted laws which, taken as a whole, come perilously near throwing

off all restraint, and giving to human nature in its worst forms almost unlimited license to deal at will with the most important earthly relation. For, view it as we will, or apologize for it as we may, legal divorce is a scheme of government by which it deliberately allies itself with the infirmities, passions, and vices of human nature for the destruction of the divine institution of the family. It is the government abdicating its high function of resisting evil and putting itself in league with evil-doers for its own overthrow; for to destroy marriage is to sweep away the foundations of the State.

Of course we must except from this broad statement divorces granted on sufficient grounds-as for adultery. These are necessary. But even these are ineffectual remedies, though the only ones, for a great wrong. They do not cure the evil nor turn aside its consequences. They only release the party sinned against from the shame of the association and from a relation which has become galling and hateful because cruelly broken by a guilty partner. But the awful consequences still remain -the wounded hearts, blighted hopes, ruined homes, and the disgrace and possible neglect of children. No law, no power, can wipe these out. In such cases, however, the evils are not chargeable to the State, but to the sin which was back of them and which induced them. The sin of adultery, according to the Scriptures, in its very nature dissolves the marriage bond, and the State merely recognizes the fact in the divorce and gives it legal effect.

But when the State assumes to dissolve this bond on other and insufficient grounds it takes upon itself the responsibility for the divorce and all its consequent evils. And that some of the States of our Union have assumed this fearful responsibility, to the disgrace and peril of the country, is the regret of all good people. The causes of divorce have been so greatly multiplied, and the methods of securing it so far simplified and made easy, that no one is really bound beyond his pleasure, provided he has the money and the courage to seek release. If the laws of his own State do not suit his purposes he can easily find one where they will, and by removal to it he may elude his partner, gain a residence in a few months, and secure a divorce on the ground of desertion (!) or something else equally false. The divorce laws of the States differ widely, that constituting a

valid cause in one State which is not recognized at all in another; but a divorce granted in the State with loosest laws must be recognized in all. As a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, so the divorce system of the country is no better than its loosest law. And there is no relief to this awful fact except that of poverty. If dissatisfied parties are too poor to meet the expense of temporary removal to a State where divorces are made easy and speedy they may be compelled to remain in the married state, but if they have the money and the disposition they may be released.

Of the almost endless evils flowing from this vicious system I name a few:

1. The State, by setting a low estimate on marriage, influences powerfully the sentiment of the people in the same direction. The influence of the State over the people is always great, but far greater if it move in the wrong direction. It is then of the nature of license, and falls in readily with the inclinations and desires of men's evil hearts. A mere look in the direction of license is more powerful for evil than the most solemn prohibition of wrong-doing. So when the State trifles with marriage by loose legislation the people are prompt to accept the estimate it gives and to act accordingly.

2. Such a system leads to hasty and ill-considered marriages. If marriage is of so small moment that it may be dissolved for trivial causes, and almost at the pleasure of either of the parties, why need it be undertaken "reverently, discreetly, and in the fear of God?" Such is the question naturally asked. As a result it comes to pass that the most solemn and important relation of life-that which in its formation demands the utmost of care and deliberation-is rushed into recklessly under the influence of a whim or of mere passion. Then bondage and misery are unavoidable.

3. It leads to recklessness of marital conduct. If the parties to the bond know that they are bound for life and cannot escape they will feel compelled to settle their differences, curb their tongues and tempers, control their passions, and seek by mutual concessions and forbearance to secure harmony and happiness. Even self-interest would suggest this course. There is no other reasonable one open to them. But if they know they can find release when it becomes desirable, they give