The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-05-26
a NEW THEORY OF MARRIAGE.
[From the Nation. ]

What our reformers plead for here, and what
agood many Of them practice, is simply easy
divorce; in other words, the dissolution OF the
marriage contract by judicial tribunal when
has had enough Of it. To deny person this.
they say. IS to cut him from the ''pursuit OF
happiness.' which ls well known to be one OF
the 'ipalienable rights" This is. it must be
admitted, toleraby advanced ground, and they
have greatly enjoyed standing on it. but they
will be panied to hear that French sister has
got ahead of them and now leads the march on
that line; and shois not one Of the ignorant
declaimers or fanatics Of the "Redoute," but
an exceedingly acute thinker and powerful
writer. Of whom very large proportion of our
bly, take lessons in logic and rhetoric. We
mean Madame Clemence Royer, of whose able
argument against the right of combination
amongst the working classes in the December
number of the Journal des Economistes, we
spoke some time ago. Her remedy for the
evils Of the working mans condition we waited
for with some curiosity, and she has produced
1t In long article Of the March number OF the
Same periodical.
Her remgdies ase, first, the revival Of the
old trade eorporNbons OF the middle ages. but
beinslaaain them; secondly, the 'mabllizas
every possible facility for his moving from,
place to place in search Of work; and under
this lead she condemns in strong terms all
movements which encourage HIM to become an
owner of house or real estate, as this mode
Of investing his savings naturally ties him
down TO one place. But then the workingman
cannot be mObillzed very much under the rest
OF circumstances, unless you also mobilize his
family, and the mobilization" OF q wife and
Children involves great expense and trouble.
Upon reading her statement of it's difficulties,
we felt that she was face to face with an insur:
mountable obstacle. but we are mistaken.
Here she takes her greet s.feap ahead, and
leaves Zen Butler, Ben Wade, and the whole
fraternity of our social explorers literally, in
q LAM cron NJ fho tfrrP or m
OF mobilizng the fSmily is to abolish the fami-
~. Woman, she says, needs and must always
have permanent abode. She cannot rove, as
man can and must do; therefore let her not be
tied to any man in particular, or any man to
her.
eve must then," she says. mobilize the
family, destroy it's indissolubiity. This is
only in reforming courageously that we can
prevent it's falling into complete desuetude."
SO she proposes that the marriage contract
either Of the parties, and that there should be
instituted kind OF marriage corresponding to
the co7vorreatiO of the Romans. sufficient to
aegitimize the woman's position ana the birth
OF her children, but not binding on her or her
husband longer than he OF she pleases. The
woman being the permanent person, Ma
dame Roger proposes that she. and not the
father, should give her name to the chill
dren to be the legal head Of the family. the
father being relegated to q secondary position,
and constituting in domestic life kind Of
6naoOWy au1llary, od no moral innuence or
weight, and not necessarily known to his chill
dren; and the mother taking as many hus-
bands in succession as her fancy or circuni-
stances suggested; the result being, we need
hardly say, perfect happiness, purity and free
dom for all concerned, and an end total and
complete. to the quarrelings, falsehoods and
oppression of the present system. The scheme
is worked out with much ability, and its
bearings on property and other social arrange
Ments are fairly considered.
The editor of the Journal half apologies for
inserting this portion of the article, which he
styles .passablenaent ercensique; - but he justi-
fies himself on the ground that his readers are
philosophers" to whom the ''most delicate
oombinatons' may be submitted with safety.
We commend st to the carsfal confederation
of our American rsformers. Many Of them
will naturally peruse 1t with modification, for
there is no denying that Madame Royer is, at
present, far IN advance of them all. The most
fearless OF them has never proposed to make
the mother the head Of the family, giving her
name to the children, and consig gning the
father to nomad existence, in which his do
mestic relations would bear the closest pos
sible resemblance to those of domestic ami
mails and through which, indeed, the condi-
tion of the whole human race would have
made one etep toward the freedom and ex
emption from degraaaiins Degrading g conventional bonds
and restrictions now enjoyed Dy the "a Mu.o
creation.