The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-01-04
UNHAPPY MARRIAGES.
An Argument for q National Mar.
riage and Divorce Law.

If the statistics of our divorce courts
can be taken as true indication, there
is greater proportion o. unhappy
marriages in this country than In any
other where divorce is p .rmitted. Three
causes contribute to this: First, too
great q facility fer marriage; secondly,
lack Of proper control and 8 pervision
by parents of their daughters ac-
qualntanceships; thirdly. too great
facility for divorc-.
1. The laws of the different states
vary considerably in regard to the
necessary prelminaries of marriage,
but in nearly all that important step
can be taken too easily and hurriedly-
ANY foolish young couple can in many
states go before clergyman of any
denomination, judge, q justice of the
peace, or an alderman, and can be mar.
ried on the strength of simple declara-
ton, into the truth of which no in
quiries are or can be made. in some
states, too, simple statement of mar
riage, made in the presence of wit
ness, is allowex to take the place of q
civil or religious ceremony. Even if
the declaration as regards the age of
parties to marriage should prove to
be false, the courts are little likely to
set 1t aside, and thus leave the woman
in most unfortunate position.
| 2. In that portion OF our society
which is neither very poor nor very
rich, and the equivalent of which in
H. 90 y IL
classes" the daughters are often al
the parents know little or nothing.
These friends call at the houses of the
young ladies they admire. ask for and
are received by them, take them for
walks, drives, and to entertainments.
Often the parents are all but unknown
| o the visitors, and generally the ex-
lstence of 1.-THE old people" is ignored.
No coubt the a erage American girl
is, as her admirers claim, Every well
able to take care of herself" In many
ways she undoubtedly is, but she is.
nevertheless, likely to make an inn
prudent marriage. She sees her adj
| mirer only when at his best and when
he is most anxious to please. What
possible chance has she of inQuiring
into his character, his mode of life, his
antecedents or his financial prospects?
And yet if her affections become en-
gagged and her parents and friends at
tempt, TOO late, to open her eyes on
these points, she is very apt to defy
their opinions and wishes.
8. The facility with which, in many
states, divorces can be obtained on
extremely trivial grounds, rends RS hus-
band and wife much less forbearIng
ana forgiving to each other than when
their union was known to be Indissolu-.
able except for the gravest causes. Mar
rage is too frequently no longer mat
ter of for better or worse,'' but simply
a contract of extremely elastic nature,
to be observed only as long as agreeable
and convenient to both. or. perhaps, to
only one of the parties thereto. How
far the growth Of agnosticism anu
materialism has contributed to this
result by attempting to deprive mar
riage of It's religious character, and by
treating it solely as a civil bargain. is q
branch of the subject needing too
lengthy discussion TO be now CO.. sid
cred,
Are there remedies for the evils
which neerly everyone will acknowl-
edge exist2 believe there are and
my oAO 1Oi AC hIst
and most important is national mar
risge and divorce law, or, if that be
unattainable, an agreement between
the states tu make their statutes on
these subjects practically uniform.
Licenses should be required for all
marriages, and it should be imperative
that these should be taken out Sc, eral
days before the celebration OF mar
rieges. and that the record of licenses
granted and applied for should be
opened to public inspection. Many
young people who now rush hea ilong
into matrimony would hesitate aud
draw back if they had two or three
weeks TO think of it. Divorce should |
only be granted for causes that make |
continued union simply impossible. 1t
should be made impossible for divorced |
psopls who cannot marry in one state |
10 be allowed legally TODD so in an
9th +.
The second remedy is one that does
not need the aid of the law. It lies in |
the hands of parents, and consists in
the exeIclse of their undeniable right to-
inquire into the characters and ante
cedents of their children's associates,
and only to allow those to be received
asai' ST whom no Just charges OF q
serio Is nature can be truly made.-The
Epoch.