WOMEN AND SMOKE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 66, 19 March 1928, Page 5

WOMEN AND SMOKE

MISS MAUDE ROYDEN BANNED IN CHICAGO 3UKK-lAGE AND DIVORCE (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDOX, 10th January. Miss Maude Royden, who is going out eventually to lecture in Australia and New Zealand, will not deliver her religious message to the Women's Homo Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Chicago, as she had intended, because she has been tried and found guilty of the heinous offence of smoking cigarettes. In a letter on their behalf, Mrs. Bruminitt says:—"Smoking is not a general practice in this country, and it is not done at all by the women of our churches." Miss Royden, who is reputed to smoke cigarettes because she enjoys them and because they seem to rest her nerves, has acquiesced in the decision of the Chicago women, though she regrets it. "I do not," she writes, "care a button whether or not I smoke while in the United States, but I certainly do not concede that it is a. matter of religioiis importance." The Boston branch of the same society has also cancelled an engagement for Misa Royden to lecture, the reason stated by the "World" being because "she advocated companionate marriage." This, however, is not so. The cancelled engagements have been quickly tilled by Mr. Feakins, who lias received numerous applications from various religious organisations throughout the country. A DELUSION. Mr. A. Dawsou, hou. secretary of the Fellowship Guild at the Guildhouse, said in an interview, that last July Miss Royden preached a sermon on the subject of companionate marriages. ".Before she left England on her tour she had a letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury asking her if she believed in companionate marriages, and she replied that she did not," he added. "1 imagine the Archbishop had had a similar inquiry i'lom one of the churches abroad, who wanted to hear Miss Royden, and were anxious iirst to settle that particular question." In her sermon, Miss Royden is reported to have said:— . "Although such a 'trial marriage' is not and it would be wrong to call it, mere promiscuity, yet neither is' it marriage. It is a delusion to think that you can really try an experiment. of . which the very essence is finality without, finality. 3t is not'marriage." • ■ : , ' "It is certainly true that Miss Koydcn smokes," said Mr. Dawson, "but she is not an inveterate smoker; She simply has an occasional cigarette." • MARRIAGE TOO EASY. On. arrival in New York, Miss Royden was interviewed by many reporters, v.Oio described' her as resembling Miss Maude Adams, the actress. They informed her of the reason for the cancellation of the Chicago engagement. . . "If a woman wants to smoke, why not lot her?" said Miss Royden. "I smoke occasionally myself. 'I do not think that cigarette. smoking is a religious question any more than chewing gum is. What does it matter?'.Religion'is seeing things the way'that God would, see them. All this, talk about cigarettes reminds mo of the story in, the Bible about the occasion when Jesus went into a field and gathered some grain on a Sunday. God certainly did not object to that, although some 'religious' people of the day did." The reporters asked Miss Royden to give her opinion of companionate marriage. She replied that she had preached ia London against trial marriages. "I did uot know the term 'companionate marriage/ " she said, "until some one came up to me after the sermon and asked my opinion, but they are both the same. -I am a firm believer in the permanency of marriage. Trial marriage is not marriage at all:" When questioned about divorce, Miss Roydeu answered: "I am not opposed to divorce. I think that marriage is a hopej Jess failure in.some cases, and when this is so, it would be better''to. permit divorce than to keep a couple together." Miss Royden said that she believed that there should he a special Judge to do nothing but hear divorce applications. If he decided that a marriage was hopeless, then a- divorce should bo granted. She added: "Marriage is made too easy. That is one loasou for the rising tide of divorce."