St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-18

A few days ago the district court Of
Ramsey county granted divorce to a
woman who had been married but six
weeks. We Americans assert with
great pride that ours is the country of
the home and treSide. and firmly be-
leve that morality in Europe is i'll
putrid state. But had this occurred in
any nation of the old world, it would
have created sensation. In st. Paul
the newspapers gave it mere para
graph, and nobody stopped to read it
the second time. 1t may be that in
this particular case the woman was
united to drunken brute, who be-
slowed upon her kicks instead of sup
port; but nobody took any time
to inquire about that, or, in
fact, to give second thought to
the case. The November calendar of
the district court contained eighteen
divorce cases. And yet Minnesota is
not considered loose upon the divorce
question. 1t certainly is not in COM
parlSon with South Dakota, Michigan
and many other states. In South Da-
kOta a divOrce-Seeker gains a standing
In court after living in the state three
months, and mere Incompatibility of
temper is sufficient ground for the pro-
ceeding. AS a result thousands of peO-
pie flock to that state, rem ain the re-
quired time, secure their DEGREES and
return to their true homes. A husband
in st. Paul becomes infatuated with
another woman, tells his wife that he
has big business deal in South Dakota
which may detain him several months.
The wife waits patiently for his return.
and when the expected time draws
nigh prepares loving reception for
him. Then the terrible news breaks
upon her that he is no longer hers. The
home and fireside are desolated, and left
in gloom which will never rise.
1t is folly to say that the security of
the marriage relation lies in love. for if
this were true lovers would continue
devoted to each other without the nup-
tial tie. In France, where the marriage
ceremony is very commonly ignored, il
is found that not one per cent of those
who live together without wedlock re-
main long together. Nor is this prac-
tice in France INDUCED in only by low
people. A very large per cent of the
Intelligent, industrious and honest ele-
ment resort to it.
1t is popularity asserted in this coun-
try that those who seek divorces ar
mismated. If this were true. consider
ing the vast number of divorces which
are granted daily in the United States,
it would tend most strongly to show
that marriage is failure. If it is so
difficult for men and women to become
mated satisfactorily. marriage must be
in the way, instead of promoter of our
social happiness. But it is not true.
The experience of mankind has
proved couclusively that the bond of
marriage is necessary to hold the par
ties together through all the freaks of
feeling to which circumstance gives
rise. A trifling misunderstanding Is
suppressed by the tie; without the tie it
would have grown to all inSurmountable
barrier.
A very large per cent of our divorce
seekers act through a perfect under
standing with the parties concerned. In
these cases it is most invariably the
wife who applies for the decree. The
husband says to the wife, "You apply
for a divorce and I'll not resist" In
states where incompatibility of temper
IS A ground, this is a very easy trans
action. If the marriage tie is to be
severed so easily, why have it at all?
Americans are led astray on-the sub
1ect Of divorce by sentiment of chivalry.
The man who abuses a woman Is de-
spised. Many women are united to
drunken and otherwise unworthy hus-
bands, and the chivalrOus sentiment has
led us to easy divorce laws for the pro-
lection of such But we have gone too
far.
1t is time the people were aroused to
the fact that our divorce laws are Guilt
yating lechery, and leading to the de-
strucUion of our firesides and social Or
ganization, and that the time is rapidly
approaching when the legitimacy of a
considerable portion of the rising gen.
erations will be questionable.
Senator PETTIGREw, of South Da-
kota, favors national divorce law. OF
course, the power of states to make di-
Norce laws cannot be taken from them
and given to the federal government
without constitutional amendment.
If such an amendment were passed,
here would be an end of people becom-
ing temporary residents of states for
the sake of securing divorces. Then,
if the law passed by congress should in
clude provision prohibiting the de-
PENDANTS in divorce cases from marry
ing again, we would have 80 per cent
less divorce cases and vastly greater
number of happy firesides. The woman
who has brute for husband would
still be projected. and when she pro-