Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-03-07
soME CURIosrTIEs IN DIVORCE LEG
ISLATION.

ing in u sad decay of domestic life. The
sources of marital unhappiness, which
so frequently ends in divorce, may be
roughly classified as follows: The
ignorance and carelessness of women in
the management Of the household, the
indifference of men to the domestic
cares of women, the undue attention
paid by women to fashion and to the
demands of society, the failure on the
part of men to respect the finer feelings
of their wives, habits Of dissipation, loose
relations as among both married men
aud women, financial troubles, the
idealism with which young people often
enter married life. Such are the con-
ditions which so frequently rob the
home of its glory and sanctity. The
startling statistics of divorce but thin
ly veil the most terrible tragedies of
modern social life. The divorce courts
of the country are strewn with the
wrecks of happy homes, and resound
with the pathetic appeals of abandoned
and worse than orphaned children. The
driest facts and figures on the subject
are eloquent with the unutterable
pathos of blighted hopes and broken
hearts. While we deprecate the fre-
quency of divorce and the laxity of
divorce laws, we cannot join those who
demand that divorce shall be abolished.
Such n course would not only be cruel,
but criminal. The State has no right
to force people to live together, with
whom marriage is Il constant violation
of all that is noble and pure within
them. We are told that marriage can
never be dissolved except by death.
Well, do not men and women die before
physical dissolution takes place? Do
they not become lost and dead to every
thing above the physical conditions and
sensual desires? Must u woman be
forced to live with a moral monster
because she made a mistake in believing
she was marrying man? Must n
man continue TO live with woman
after she has been transformed into an
incarnate fiend, with ungovernable tenn
per, venomous tongue or uncertain
morals? There are those who believe
IN divorce-in the sense of separation,
without the right of remarrying. Has
the State any authority to deprive
men or women of the opportunity to
reform and establish themselves in a
life? Has the State any right to force
upon man or woman an immoral life
by cutting off the only path to an hon
orable and happy home? If there is no
reason why the guilty should be forced
into perpetual celibacy, there certainly
can be no justice in making the inno-
cent to suffer forever for the guilty.
The great necessity of the times is
uniform divorce laws throughout the
country. Such is the present conflict
of laws, MS applied to divorces, that u
man may be divorced in one State and
still married in another. In one State
he may marry again, in another ne
becomes criminal if he does. We
frequently hear in this day of divorces
which are not valid eXJraterritorially. >
"a New York man married an Ohio
girl; they lived together in New York
had trouble; she returned to her parents
in Ohio, and after some years brought
suit and a decree of absolute divorce
was granted her, the only service being
by publication in local Ohio paper
When he heard of this he married q
New York woman and was promptly
arrested, tried and found guilty of big
amy" (See New York Reports, People
VS.. Baker,
So the divorce that was valid in the
State Of Ohio was worthless in New
York. II Ohio they were both single
and able to marry; in New York they
were still married to each other. HI!
children in New York by another
woman would be illegitimate and haYe
, no property rights. The divorced wife
! in Ohio would continue to nave wife:
interest and title in all his property il
New York. Thus by this conili ct o
: laws she is husband without wife
1 and she wife without IA husband
!. Among the various legal causes fo
divorce are the following: Insanity
before marriage in most of the States
; and insanity after marriage is u lega
3 ground for divorce in two States" I'm
, prisonment" prevails as Il cause in fiji
teen States, and mere conviction o
crime" in over thirty. The term O
imprisonment varies from life" as il
8 Connecticut, down to lone year," as il
New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. II
> Missouri, 6 vagrancy" Is sufficient.
Is it possible to conceive of la,
p more open toabuse than this? "Ur
}, chastity" before marriage, conceale
y from the other party, is sufficient t
= = render the union null and void in twelv
States. Then there is the foIlowin
s group of causes, which embrace all tn
t easy divorce States; Cruelty" ''viC
lence to-, person, ,,,;1 ,",;indiignities,
+ great mental DISTRESS" gross mis-
~ - behavior or wickedness, "gross neglec
n of duty" public defamation" Ell