The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-07
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE.


reputation of this country and no greater
danger threatens its happiness and
prosperity than the growing disregard
that is shown for the sacredness of the
marriage ties They can be assumed so
readily and dissolved so easily that we
can hardly wonder that the coming
generation are beginning to view
marriage as a garment to be put on OF
taken of as the wearer chooses, as cloak
to restrain idle gossip, as bending
simply to the preference of society to
welcome to itself those who have gone
through the formalities of illegal
marriage.
The ease with which one wife may be
divorced and another wed in less than
an hours time is a disgrace only equalled
by the loose laws in the various states
which permit marriage under circum-
stances that are disgraceful and which
recognize "common-law marriages" A
uniform law on the subject of marriage,
no less than on divorce, is needed If the
home is to be perpetuated and its
sacredness protected. The safeguard of
the nation lies in the homes of its
people. No care seems to have been
exercised in regard to laws relating to
marriage. A woman can be legally
married in one state and yet be
arrested for criminal intimacy
when the imaginary line that separates
that state from its neighbor is crossed.
A man can have different but legal
wives in several states and yet violate
no law--save the law of God. Those
who affect to fear ''paternap govern
ment, who see Capitalization Of power"
every time congress is asked to legislate
in behalf Of the people may oppose any
plan for national laws on marriage and
divorce. as they have opposed national
bankruptcy act, but the government Of
the United States must meet this ques-
tion. 1t will not down.
In union there is streng tn, and what
bond is so strong as that of the home
circle. Yet we are bringing the younger
generations up to believe that marriage
is merely contract to avoid breach
of law. as q cloak to hide indecency, and
which can be dissolved by mutual
consent or when either party tires
Of its duties, on the merest whim.
The divorce laws of the various states
are disgraceful and demoralizing. If
the divorces that have been secretly
granted in South Dakota alone during
the past few years could be made pub
lie, New England would be shocked
from centre to cir cumference and the
world would be astonished and
dismayed.
A case has re Gently como to our at
tention that exempliAes the accursed
cruelty and unrighteousness of the ''easy"
divorce laws of that state. A certain
retired army officer of high rank in q
New England state, for years
has abused his faithful wife.
His infidelities with other women have
been notorious, and when intoxicated he
has never hesitated to resort to physical
violence with his wife and has beaten
her time and again. At last she made
up her mind to apply for a divorce,
but was persuaded by this officers father
not to do SO but to consent to a separa-
ton and separate maintenance. Her.
hege lord assented and went on trip
to California. He stopped of at South
Dakota, unknown to her, went
through with the trifling formalities
necessary, came back ninety
days later, and on arriving
home produced his divorce papers be-
fore his astonished wife and ordered
her to clear out he was "through with
her." She eau obtain no alimony and
now in her declining years is thrown
out upon her own resourc es, ,-and the
laws of this country offer her no redress
and no protection.
There are scores OF men and women
in New England today who unknown 10
their life partners have secured divorces
and are only waiting an opportunity to
crush them by the production Of their
evidence of legal separation.
In this christian nation, where safe
guards are supposed to be thrown
around the honor and purity of the
home, where women are supposed to be
protected by the high-minded chivalry
Of the men, laws are put upon the statute
books which are intended to break down
the homes, bring suffering and sorrow
upon the innocent and destroy the
sanctity of the marriage tie. Well may
we ask, whittier are we drifting?