THE campaign against the Christian law of marriage . . . is being prosecuted with vigour. Among those who have been most outspoken on the subject of extending divorce facilities are Professor Gilbert Murray and Sir A. Conan Doyle. The former appears to regard the Christian view as mere superstition, and the latter to estimate the regulation of marriages as on a level with any other matter of public convenience. In a word, they both deny the Divine authority which ordained that a marriage is dissoluble only by death. It is contended that the enormous number of separation orders granted has created an intolerable state of things for which the only remedy is divorce. But this by no means follows. Separation orders are granted very often in a casual way, without full inquiry into the circumstances of the case. Many applicants for them would have been happier if they had failed in their application, and family quarrels might otherwise have been healed. It behoves the Church authorities to take a firmer stand than ever on the divine institution of marriage, and to protest against the charge of superstition. If we desired to learn all that can be learnt about Euripides or Hellenic religion, we should listen with respect to Professor Gilbert Murray. The unreasoning public will no doubt take him at his own valuation as an authority on any other subject on which he chooses to write or speak. We do not.
The full Church Times archive is available online for free to subscribers here