Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-20
DAILY .lkTsLLIGENCER'
THE FRENCH DIVORCE LAW.


France has recently enacted new
a;,o,ce law. Since the new Repubiic
was organized up to the time the pres
an. law was adopted divorce has been
;mpossibIe in France. Nearly all 'ne
central aud north European govern
ments provide for granting divorces
under restrictions more or less rlRiu'
h,, IN, fourteen years France has re-
fused to permit the legal severance
., marital relations. Under the hrst
Raonblie provision was made for civil
divorce, but when the Bouroons were
restored 10 power it was abolished ne
preseut law is the outgrowth OF years OF
aoi,ation. and its enactment Is dis
tinctly democratic measure. IL mas
from the first been opposed By the cleri-
cal and conservative elements In and
ont of the National Legislature. The
Liberal press refers to 1t az the decree
of enfrsuchisement," while by the
CLERICAL OfRdDs II 40
s'abominable decree"
Az compared with the general trend
of legislation upon the subject OF
divorce in the United States the ne~
French law is a singular compound OF
liberaIity and strictness. The causes
%, which divorces may be obtained are
remarkably numerous, including adui-
tery, conviction of felony, grave Vio-
Ieuee. cruelty, brutality, bsbItuai BAD
temper, threats, spiteful naRginP, and
lastly. tic unheard Of offense OF ma
bitu.l insolsnce to a mother-in-law IL
considered justification for dissolution
OF marital bonds. From this lis' oil
legal grounds for divorce 1t might be
IMAGINED that France was endea'oring
to rival Connections or Indiana IN the
race for "free divorce" A little exam
ination shows. however, that the road
10 freedom ia not altogether without
difficulty. There are certain restric'
tions that materially tend to nuliify the
benefits q? sought in divorce by too
numerous class of people. For example,
where the divorce is obtained for adul-
tery the repudiated husband or wife
cannot marry his or her paramour. A
divorced wife cannot marry again until
ten months after the formal separation,
though the divorced husband Is free TO
wed again at once. IL divorced party
marries again and is second time
divorced, he is not permitted to marry
third time unless 10 the party from
whom he was first divorced. This IL a
useful restriction which will prevent
such scandals as we sometimes have IN
this country, where there are parties
who have married and been divorced
from half dozen husbands or wives
Two divorces apparently ought to be
enough for one lifetime, and are as
much as the law can allow without be-
coming license.
There are other features of the French
law that will tend to prevent Its abuse,
one being that it is very exacting about
the sort of evidence required. Iesti-
mony of the parents of sutton or de-
PENDANT or Of children or servants 10
not admitted. Bot the strongest and
best safeguards against the demoraliza-
ton of society are found not in the re-
striotions on divorce, but on marriage.
In France men cannot marry under the
age Of % or women under that of Il,
without the consent Of parents, while
hssty marriages are provided against
by requiring that after the legal age
three citations must be served at inter
walls OF three months on fathers and
mothers. "0n the WHOLE" says an ex-
change, sit may be said that there is
nothing in the marriage and divorce
laws of France as now modified that
need break down the barriers of NOR
ality, or undo society in the manner
predicted by those Who take the pes
simistic view"