Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 8.djvu/678

 KANSAS

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KANSAS

Pittsburg. The Industrial and Educational Institute at Topeka, and the Western University at Quindaro for coloured youth, receive support from state funds. To these shijuld be added the Kansas State School for the Deaf at Olathe, with 250 pupils, and the School for the Blind at Kansas City. The Orphans' Home at Atchison, the Girls' Industrial School at Beloit, and the Boys' Industrial School at Topeka are also educational institutes. The following non-Cath- olic denominational colleges are accredited by the State Board of Education: Baker University, Bald- win; Bethany College, Holton; College of Emporia, Emporia; Cooper College, Sterling; Fairmount Col- lege, and Friends' University, Wichita; Kansas City University, Kansas City; Wesleyan, Salina; Ottawa University, Ottawa; South-western College, Winfield; Washburn College, Topeka. These institutions have invested in equipment and endowment about $3,000,- 000. They represent faculties of 500 persons, in- structing 8000 students at an annual expense of $300,000. Some denominations beside the Catholics, particularly the Lutherans, have a goodly number of primary schools in the state. In 1908 there were more than 300 private and denominational schools in Kansas. The Board of Control of State Charitable Institutions consists of three electors of the state who are appointed by the governor, and thus become the trustees for the following institutions: Industrial School for Girls; the Kansas School for Feeble-Minded Youth; the Osawatomie State Hospital; the Parsons State Hospital; the Topeka State Hospital; the State Industrial School for Boys; the School for the BHnd; the School for the Deaf; the Soldiers' Orphans Home, and all other state charitable institutions. It is the duty of the board to visit and inspect, without notice, once in every three months, the institutions named. All private institutions of a charitable nature receiving state aid are suljject to the same \'isitation by the Board of Control. In 1907 the Legislature made ap- propriations to seventeen private hospitals, nine of which are Cathohc, and to ten private children's insti- tutions, including the Catholic orphanages, though the sums granted were small compared with the benevo- lent work done by these institutions.

The state penitentiary is governed by a warden and a board of three directors appointed by the governor of the state. Prisoners who have received an indeter- minate sentence may be recommended for parole on the expiration of their minimum sentence. Prisoners under twenty-five years of age may be sentenced to the State Reformatory at Hutchinson. The juvenile court has juri.sdiction over dependent, neglected, or delinquent children under sixteen years of age. Ac- cording to the U. S. Census of 1900 all the church property in the state was valued at $8,000,000. The Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, Baptist, Chris- tian (Campbellite), Congregational, and Episcopal are the leading Protestant denominations. The Meth- odists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Friends were es- tablished among the Indians before the Territory was opened to white settlers in 1854. In 1880, the ten principal Protestant denominations had an aggregate membership of 80,415; there was then about an equal number of Catholics. The latter have in thirty years increased thirty per cent. At Haskell Institute, a Federal school for Indians, Catholic pupils receive religious instruction regularly from the priest. The state prison has a Protestant chaplain, but a priest ministers to the Catholic convicts. At the W. B. Military Home in Leavenworth County and at the Federal and Military prisons at Fort Leavenworth, there are also Catholic chaplains. The sessions of the state Legislature are opened with prayer. Candidates for office are nominated in primary elections. Cities may choo.se the " Commission" form of government.

Legislation. — Concerning Religion. — The State Constitution provides among other things as follows:

" The right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed; nor shall any person be compelled to attend or support any form of worship; nor shall any control of or interference with the rights of conscience be permitted, nor any prefer- ence given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship. No religious test or property quali- fication shall be required for any office of public trust, nor for any vote at any election; nor shall any person be incompetent to testify on account of religious be- lief. . . . No religious sect or sects shall ever control any part of the common school or university funds of the state. . . . All property used exclusively for state, county, municipal, literary, educational, scien- tific, religious, benevolent and charitalile purposes, cemeteries, and personal property to the amount of at least $200 for each family, shall be exempt from taxation. . . . The title to all property of religious corporations shall be vested in trustees, whose election shall be by the members of such corporations." The title to the various Catholic Churches and schools ia actually vested in the respective bishop of the diocese as trustee. " All oaths shall be administered by laying the right hand upon the Holy Bible or liy the uplifted right hand. Any person having conscientious scruples against taking an oath, may affirm with like effect."

Concerning Marriage. — The marriage contract is to be considered in law as a civil contract, to which the consent of the parties is essential, and the marriage ceremony maj' be regarded either as a civil ceremony or as a religious sacrament, but the marriage relation shall only be entered into, maintained, or aljrogated as provided by law. All marriages between parents and children, including grandparents and grandchildren of any degree, between brothers and sisters of the half as well as the whole blood, and between uncles and nieces, aunts and nephews, and first cousins, are de- clared to be incestuous and absolutely void. Every judge, justice of the peace, or hcensed preacher of the Gospel, may perform the marriage ceremony in this state, when a licence issued by the probate judge of any county in the state has been issued. The consent of parent or guardian is required for a Ucence when the contracting male is under twenty-one years, and the female under eighteen years of age. Insanity in near kindred is a bar. Property, real and personal, which any woman may own in this state at the time of her marriage, shall remain her sole and separate property notwithstanding her marriage. The district court may grant a divorce for any of the following causes:

(1) when either of the parties had a former husband or wife living at the time of the subsequent marriage;

(2) abandonment for one year; (3) adultery; (4) impotency; (5) when the wife at the time of the mar- riage was pregnant by another than her husband; (6) extreme cruelty ; (7) fraudulent contract ; (8) habitual drunkenness; (9) gross neglect of duty; (10) conviction for felony and imprisonment in the penitentiary therefor subsequent to the marriage. When tlie parties appear to be in equal wrong, the court may in its discretion refuse to grant a divorce. When a divorce is granted the court shall make pro- vision for guardianship, custody, support and educa- tion of the minor children of the marriage. A decree of divorce does not become absolute and take effect until the expiration of si.x months from the day and date when the judgment was rendered in the cause. 1"he wife may obtain alimony from the husband with- out a divorce in an action brought for that purpose in a district court for any of the causes for which a divorce may be granted. The latest statistics show 2000 divorces and 17,000 marriages in one year.

Wills.— Any person of full age and sound mind and memory having an interest in real or personal prop- erty may give and devise the same to any person by last will and testament lawfully executed. Any mar- ried person having no children may devise one-half of