MARRIAGE IDEALS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1913, 22 November 1913, Page 10

MARRIAGE IDEALS.

The written papers on "The Christian Weal," "The Churfch's Law," and "The. Christian Standard for the Law of the Land," which were read at tho Church Congress at Southampton last month, states "The Queen," .expressed curiously different views on tiro dtatolftbfl* fty of marriage- The Dean of Burlism doubted Whether there was such a thing as a fixed Christian law of marriage,, and held that sin ended a. 'marriage as completely as death.. . Hut most of tho invited speakers held that persons once having been married, how- ' ever disastrously their marriage might result, could only regain their liberty by the death of tho .unhappy or -wicked husband or wife. Tho uiscusMon, in- • deed, wandered at times curiously away ■from t.h& relations' of'individuai-hu.man beings; to each other iii their' variety and complexity, and tended to settle all i problems with a few firmly-niado. statements about- tho impossibility of csca|>ing from marriage, Ono or two women, desiring to put forward their wishes for the reform of tho present divorce were reminded that they must consider the subject, not from the point of view of whnt the Stato has ruled, but of what the Church gf England bo interpreted (according to tho opinions of the thinker) to have 'ordained. Mrs. Creigbtijn cleared a father foggy atmosphere ' when towards tire end of the day sho iiitprycned in the discussion. Sonjewliat ignoring what Dr. Uensley Henson had said about marriage being terminable by sin, sho declared that tbc members of the congress were agreed that marriage should bo indissoluble. Other good Christians did not share this opinion. But she asked whether tho Church of England, instead 'of Concentrating so i'ri'iio.h attention on divorce, could riot, speak oiit jriore strongly iiiid boldly on the subject of marriage—e.ould licit paint the ideal of a true and happy marriage, could not courageously censuro marriages made for wealth or ambition arid marriages msdo between young girls and dissolute men, and encourage Christians to face poverty?