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Show o EFFORT TO CURB DIVORCE EVIL. More tfran 500,000 divorces have been granted in the United States in the last twenty eyars, according to Rev. William O'Brien Pardow, S. J., formerly Jesuit provincial of the New York province and president of St. Francis Xavier's college, New York City. He estimates that 1,500,000 American children have seen their homes broken up. The number of persons per-sons divorced would populate the state of Nebraska or the City of Philadelphia. Philadel-phia. They are more than the nonu- lation of each of twenty-five states and territories of the Union. These figures are from statistics and estL mates furnished by Rev. William O'Brien Pardow. An attempt is being made to bring about an understanding between the denominations Catholic, Episcopalian,, Episcopal-ian,, Presbyterian, Methodist and many more to stem the divorce tide in this country. Already a sub-committee has been formed. Protestants Take Action. The Episcopalians, headed by Rev. Dr. David H. Greer, rector of St. Bartholomew's, where the Vanderbilts and many others of the fashionable set worship, began the movement. Dr. Greer takes practically the same position posi-tion as the Catholics, for whom Father Pardow, leader of the Jesuits in New York, has taken up the cudgels. Now going with them in the movement are are such men as Bishop James Doane of Albany, the venerable Bishop Clark of Rhode Island, Bishop Paret of Maryland Mary-land and Francis Lynde Stetson, all representing the Episcopalians; Rev. Dr. William Henry Roberts of Philadelphia, Phila-delphia, stated clerk of the general assembly, Rev. Charles A. Dickey and Rev. Drs. Mcllvaine, Nicholls and McCaughan, and John E. Parsons, for the Presbyterian's, and Bishop E. G. Andrews, Dr. Kelley and Judge Reynolds Rey-nolds for the Methodists. Statement by Father, Pardow. Archbishop Farley has been invited to join the movement in behalf of the Catholics. While he is strongly opposed op-posed to divorce, it has been left to Father Pardow to make the chief protest. pro-test. He makes a statement to the world, in the course of which he says: "In these days of modern civilization, civiliza-tion, we glory in the horseless carriage, car-riage, smokeless powder and wireless telegraphy; soon we will be coming to the motherless child and the childless child-less mother. More than 500,000 divorces di-vorces have been granted in the United Unit-ed States during the last twenty years. Think of the homes broken up, the children whose parents are separated, the untold misery that such a state of affairs brings about! "There are today in this land prob, ably as many as 1,500,000 children who have not what we call a real home not the home in which father and mother unite to bring up their children chil-dren as God willed them to do. Long List of Divorces. "In 1889, by authority of congress, the United States commissioner of labor la-bor was ordered to report upon marriage mar-riage and divorce in the United States for the twenty years from 1867 to 1S86, inclusive. He found that in that time ther had been granted 328,716 divorces di-vorces 657,432 people had severed the marriage tie. "All we can say in estimating figures fig-ures for the last twenty years is that the ratio is increasng every year, and that since those figures were compiled more than a round half million of divorces di-vorces have been added to the number. num-ber. This is no mere speculation. The figures, ' 328,716, were upon an estimated esti-mated population of 50,00.0,000. With our present population of 80,000,000, the estimate of 500,000 divorces is little lit-tle enough. "During the same period In Europe, with its poulation of 380,000,000, the number of divorces has been only 214,-841. 214,-841. With a population five times greater than the United tSates there have been less than one-half the number num-ber of divorces. "Considering the loose hold that re-ligon re-ligon seems now to be having upon so many of the people of the United States, it seems as if. the power of coming to the rescue of the country has been transferred from the church to society. "The responsibilities of the rich and the educated upper classes cannot therefore be too much insisted upon. This water runs down hill by its own weight, so the breaking of the divine law among the "four hundred" will soon reach the millions, spreading from the classes to the masses. "The religious penalty seems not to have the power of restraining from divorce. di-vorce. There remains now the question ques-tion of social ostracism. "The worst cases in the world are in Newport. If , people in high life frown upon divorce and make it a social so-cial reproach, those who fear such censure cen-sure would be less liable to kick over the tiaces. Let society men and women wo-men subject the remarried dvorced people to social ostracism, and an almost al-most universal alleviation of this curse will be secured." |