Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1891-09-24
INTERESTING FACTS
Regarding The Subject of
Marriage and Divorce.
CARROLL D. WRIGHT TALKS
biyOrce Should BE Restricted and
+, Marriage Made More Difficult.

ich SARATOGA, Sept. 24.-The devotional
ilnrorcises Of the Unitarian conference were
ars ,anrIs9nducted yesterday by Reverend Mary
a. Stafford Of Sioux City, Ia, after which
the subject Of church extension was
further discussed.
Carroll ID. Wright of Washington read
an interesting paper on the topic of
marriage and divorce. He promised that
society Is tho result Of evolution Of social,
moral and industrial forcos. II Is crude
or cultured, simple or complex. according
TO the extent OF tho evolution. So IL Is
true that society Is now In a transitory
state. Sometimes the social element pre-
dominates, at others the evolution OF
moral forces seems TO be the chief aim
and again Industrial and economic condl
tions attract tho attention of thinkers.
The evolutionary movement is not uniform
any moro than the progress from ago to
age. A great moral wave appears at a
certain period In the history of society, and
developments arc
Carried Along Moral Lines.
lie instanced as one Of tho evolutionary
changes that which occurred In the closing
decades Of the last century In England in
its industrial features, In which tho do
mestio system OF labor was practically sup
plemented by tho factory system, and fol
lowed from that epoch tho great changes
in the industrial, the social. the moral and,
70 certain point, the religious changes
that have taken place since then, not only
in England and Europe, but In America
as well. Our own generation has to deal
with several problems growing out of this
evolution, In which the underlying ele.
meuts are both moral and Industrial The
great labor movement attracts much at
tention. In fact IL may be said that II is at
tho present day sociology itself Ballot
reform and tho temperance and negro
questions are features OF the labor move
ment, and when man says that be has a
solution for the labor question, bis bare
statement should convince you that he has
considered only one phase Of il. He Is the
man who jumps on his own hobby, and
rides to his own destruction.
Inconsistent Divorce Laws.
Looking at the reform movements which
arc now commanding public attention,
among the first efforts TO secure public at
tention 60 the incongruities Of tho Ameri.
can divorce laws were tho data put forth
by tho Now England Divorce Reform
league, organized in January, 1881, which
has national name and scope IN which
It's founder, Reverend Samuel W. Dyke Of
Auburndsle, Mass, called attention TO the
threatening attitude OF divorce against
the sacredness Of homo. AS . result Of the
reform movement thus initiated, congress
provided March 8, 1887, for the collection
of statistics OF, and relating TO, marriage
and divorce. Tho Investigation thus or.
ordered and made was tho first collection
of such facts In sociology ever made by q
In ~ ho In,
OF the several states and territories shows
that marriage Is generally encouraged by
law, and several states provide for the
legtamitizing of natural children by the
subsequent marriage Of the parents, and
under the constitution OF the United States
marriage legally contracted In one state
Is legal IN every state.
Interesting Statistics.
Mr.. Wright then reviewed at length the
marriage statutes Of the several states and
there were granted in the United States
82s,7lo decrees Of divorce. the increase be-
ing steady and rapid yearly, showing m
fucrease: of I5T per cent. in the twenty
years, In which the population increased
only co per cent or tho 82s,Ti6 divorces
granted IN the twenty years specified,
216.l7o were granted on tho petition Of the
wives. The duration of the married time
is also an interesting study. IN tho period
named 10 averaged S97 years for the man
and 927 years for the woman. Tho stats
tics gathered do not bear out the sssump-
tion that there Is 80 great a migration
from one state TO another to obtain di
vorccS as has been generally thought
Less than 20 per cent. OF the parties are di
vorced in other states than those In which
they were married.
Mr.. Wright concludes that he believes II
possible to properly restrict divorce and,
while thus restricting IL, he would make
marriage moro diflicult by making the
guilty party to indiscreet and hasty unions
amenable TO criminal law. Then the law
should be changed SO that the state should
be party, and no cx-parto divorce DEGREES
should bo granted, for that would punish
the innocent and leave the guilty In the
enjoyment Of Illicit union.