London, June 24.
Bishops mustered in force in the House of Lords this afternoon when the Marriage Bill, which provides! that there shall be no divorce within five years of marriage and extends the present grounds for divorce to include desertion for three years and inevrable insanity for five years, came for ils second reading.
"rhe debate on the measure, which hag already been passed by the House of Commons, where it was introduced "A, P. Herbert, author of "Holy Deadlock; was adjourned.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Cosmo Long, intervened in the debate to, state his position.
The existing divorce law, he declared, had proved to be unsatisfactory in ils operation, and had given rise to grave abuses detrimental not only to marriage itself but to public morality The Marriage Bill contained some valuable remedies against this. and {or those reasons, although he hoped it! might be remodelled in certain respects in the commit ice stage, he thought It was entitled to careful consideration, but he could not, honestly vote for its second reading.
On the other hand, in his judgement as a representative oMfcer of the Church, divorce, and certainly re~ marriage after divorce, was inconsistent with the principles laid down by Christ and accepted in its own laws and formularies by the Church.
For this reason, the Archbishop continued, he could not take the re~ sponsibility of promoting legislation which, In some of its principal proposals, was Inconsistent with those principles and that standard. Dr. Long said he would take no part in the division, and advised others of ike mind to follow the same course.
No one seriously suggested that the law of the State permitting divorce notably in respect of so-called "hotel Dill cases" In affording proof adultery. This grave sin was not the result of passion, but a miserable Cplsode" ina mutual arrangement amply assisted by solicitors for the parties, The Marquess of Reading, K. C. said he would like to give his whole: hearted support to the Bill.
Tt was a tragedy and a scandal, he colored. that people should be driven commit "synthetic adultery to bring themselves within the scope of the existing law and escape a marriage which had become a mockery or a martyrdom." It they could produce some ground other than adultery, it would at least cleanse the conns of some of the filth in which the divorce division abounded.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.