THE MARRIAGE "OBEY"

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 90, 18 April 1914, Page 2

THE MARRIAGE "OBEY"

DISCUSSION IN CONVOCATION. THE PRIMATES OPINION. LONDON, Feb. 27. lhe Bishops assembled in the Upper House of Convocation of the province of Canterbury at the-Church Mouse, Westminster, resolved to keep an. open mind ais to the necessity for the retention of the word "obey" in t£« -marriage service. A full house ot Bishops had assembled for tihe discussion, and there was considerable surprise when the Bishop of Lincoln, ■ instead of proceeding with the resolution, asked leave to withdraw it. The Bishop's proposal was to assimilate fhe question put to the the woman to the question put to the man, namely, for "Wilt thou obey him and serve him, love, honor, keep him," to substitute "Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honor and keep tarn ; I and to assimilate^ the pledge made by the woman to that made by the man, namely, for "I n sickness and in health to love, cberisby and obey/ to substitute 'fin sickness and m health to love and to cherish." The Bishop, said he .withdrew his amendment not because he had in any wise altered his opinion on the matter, i nor his opinion of the importance;.-6f / the amendment, because he did not think any part of their revision would appeal to a wider and more anxious public than the alteration in that particular part of the marriage service. He thought he was not likely to carry a large majority of the House with him in making the proposed alteration, and he did not wish to repeat the arguments which he had laid before the House in committee. The House was apparently reluctant> to drop the question. The Bishop of Winchester rose from his seat next to the Primate and expressed surprise that this amendment should be withj drawn, although he -was aware that so intrepid a champion of any caxisa I which he took up as the Bishop of i I Lincoln was hot likely to do what he i | had done without good reason. "Like j him," pursued the Bishop of Win- | Chester, "I feel that it is a matter | which interests a very large and in-j | creasing number of the public, mostly, ! I no doubt, female, but*not exclusively i ■ so. I cannot help thinking, after we j j have heard about the traditional posi- i : tion and authority of that word— | 1 which shows that it has not a position i )of antiquity or universality—that it ; i's a regrettable thing that it should ! j continue to be used. I cannot say i | but that I would desire to see in an j ' ideal marriage service some reference i |te that leadership- of the man. It ] seems a part of -the natural ideal and i s the Christian ideal of marriage, and ' | perfectly compatible with the full and \ I spiritual equality of the partners. If] j this revision should come to pass, I I I suppose it will stand as a historical ' j | mark of the Church of England for \ . some time to come. If the Bishop of ' .) Lincoln can see any way by which the | subject can be brought up ao-ain I - j shall be gi-atifiecl." - j X T^. Archbishop of Canterbury said ! he yielded to no one in his sense'of the r< i immense importance of the questions ' ! which were raised by the proposed ' I change, and the greater importance of ' 1 questions which might be' raised by «! } .such a change. Although he knew « ) nothing beforehand of the P»i^]mp of '; i Lincoln's intention to withdraw his i | amendment, he tfiought he had acted '. | wisely in regarding it as more desir- ■ « able to raise the-questions involved' •on another occasion and in another': | way,_ than upon the .revision of ;• rubrics which were not' T>rim;irily con- ' i cerned with the handling of'gwat' I social problems. They were undoubt- ! edly face t-o face with a cH.scussj'rw of j the whole subiect, of v-liicli thnt was • t part, at no distent date, find he be\- } lieyed there would be other p.nd more j suitable opportunities of handling i questions of that far-re-achin"' eharac- • ! ter. | The' Bishop of H-f.reford sa-'ci ho vra* j tpit conscious of the groat dffF.culties ; | which might ari.se if the'won] "obey" * were omitted. It was olivioi?1?; "'to | everyone that it would he inennI venient to have two heads to a family | On the other hand, they had to" remember that cur marriage service

i was drawn up in accordance- with a: i state of things which was admittedly | very different from that which exist. |Ed afc present. The relation of wif* • to husband had very largely changed! | and it seemed to him that the time j was not far off when it would becom«r their duty to discuss such a question I as the Bishop of Lincoln had put before them. Leave was given for the amend* ment to be withdrawn. Gaol as a place for quiet studw would not appeal to most people, but a busy Gisborne farmer, who finds but little time for the studious life, is. seriously thinking of spending a fe^ days' holiday in the local penitentiary. He was recently ordered by; the Magistrate to pay a fine for neglecting to spray his orchard, and is more than half-inclined to "take it out." He has gone the length of making inquiries, and finds that he would be treated as a first-class misdemeanant, would be permitted to have a daily-bath, could have his meals sent in, and "could pass the swirfc-fleeting hours with a long-neg-lected correspondence or browsing in1 the pages of a- favorite book. There may yet be a fasliion in prison holidays—who knows? . "I tell you there is no hope!"! affirmed the Lord Mayor of SyHneji - recently amid laughter, when his era j caught the announcement, "Educa- | ting the Ratepayer," as the title of , one or the papers to be read af the Roads Congress. "I have had 35 years experience in the endeavor to ■ educate the -ratepayer, and my view is that there is only one thing you! can do with him—namely, give him what he wants; if you can't give him what he wants, make himthink you are giving it. to him—(laughter)— and let him thmk, moreover, that he hag j shown you a- point. You may please" j a ratepayer 999 times, but if you miss 1 him on the thousandth trip, he is j done with you forever." (Laughter and applause.)