The News Democrat

GRETNA GREEN REPUTATION OF CITY DEPLORED

The fact that Providence has become New England's Gretna Green was discussed and deplored at the annual meeting of the State Federation of Churches yesterday and several clergymen expressed the view that the marriage laws of the state should be more severe.

The business of the meeting, which was held at the Stewart Street Baptist church, consisted of the election of officers and the presentation of reports from different committees, together with that of the field secretary of the federation, Rev. E. Tallmadge Root. The election resulted in the choice of most of the old officers, as follows: President, Rev. H. D. Fowler; vice president, Rev. L. L. Henson; secretary, Rev. J. E. Morton; treasurer, E. A. Stockwell. Revs. C. A. Stenhouse and M. S. Ray were added to the executive board.

The treasurer's report showed that the work of the past 15 months had been done without increasing the debt of the federation. Mr. Root's salary has been paid in full for the past year, and a small amount remains in the treasury.

Mr. Root's report dealt in detail with the work of the year and the prospects for the future, besides mentioning things which it is desirable should be done. There are 17 denominations at present represented in the federation, but it is desirable, according to the field secretary, that an even heartier co-operation be shown, and that the interests of the one be more deeply merged in those of the many.

Following this report others were received from the committees on religious education, charities indorsement, city missions and others. Mr. Minnick spoke for the charities indorsement committee, explaining the situation from the viewpoint of the charitable organizations. Much money now given for charity in this city, in fact, one-half, he said, is wasted, because injudiciously given. A great deal of the remainder is improperly used.

A report of the committee on divorce occasioned some discussion, in the course of which views were expressed by several clergymen that the marriage laws of this state ought to be more severe, and that the "Gretna Green" business had gone altogether too far.

Rev. Nathan Bailey, pastor of the Jefferson Street Baptist church, who has but recently come to this city, asked if it were not necessary for clergymen here to accede to the wishes of parties desiring to be married, providing those parties were properly equipped as to licenses, etc.

Rev. J. F. Cooper said he had refused many times to marry out-of-town couples and he had not got into jail yet.

Mr. Bailey then said the most serious phase of the 'Gretna Green' situation was that it had not infrequently occurred to his knowledge that couples had come here from Boston, or other Massachusetts cities, and gone back home with the assertion that they "had been married in Rhode Island," when no ceremony of any sort had taken place at all. This was something that struck at the very morality of the home, he said, and was a very serious thing.