Evening journal., 1893-05-19
NEWSPAPER OPINION.
Reform in Marriage Laws.

Chicago Journal.
Never will the world 60 back 20 the
strict Biblical idea Of divorce. II might
be better for the world II it would do
so; for no one eau deny that the old
Puritan homes produced sturdy. honest
children and good citizens. But it never
will Women have changed their ideas
since then, and so have men. This
widespread change Of ideas can not be
left out of sight IN considering means
for reforming she present dangerous
laxty that is being fostered in the
divorce courts. Bishop Seymour, Of
Springfield, has issued a pamphlet in
which he appeals 20 the ministers and
laity of the Christian Churches to
do something TO stop the alarm
ing and growing tendency Of men
aud women to disregard the sacred
ness of the marriage tie. While
admitting that separation from bed and
board must be allowed TO protect the
weak and defenceless, the bishop main.
tains that the marriage tie must be made
indissoluble, except I'm cases of adultery,
and then the innocent party alone must
be free to marry. And TO prevent clan.
destine marriages he wants law re-
quiring all licenses TO be made public.
either through the pulpit or press, on at
least three separate days before any one
shall be allowed to perform the ceremony.
Bishop Seymour bases his argument on
the ground that the law as he states It
is the fat of the Supreme Law giver; in
other words, this is the ouly solution Of
the question, because 10 is the solution
laid down in the Bible This is an irresist
ible argument TO the constituency which
he addresses, but for those outside the
pale there is more practical argument,
which he does not touch upon. and
that is the necessity for uniformity Of
marriage laws in all the states. The
majority of Americans will never be will
ing utterly to abolish divorce with the
single exception which the bishop names (:
but there are few who will deny that the
present diversity Of laws is encouraging
the tendency to regard the marriage tie
as thing to be shufiled off with all its
responsibilities upon the merest caprice.
The bishop rightly says that the sane.
tity of the marriage bond is the safeguard
of the home and society, and that TO re
move this is to invite anarchy Hence,
the writer argues, it is the duty of every
preacher TO refuse 10 marry a couple with
whom he is not acquainted whenever he
has any reason to believe that the match
will prove an unhappy one; marriage
license is not enough; be must go behind
the license. The bishop draws dark
picture of designing adventurer who
has stolen the heart of a guileless
girl and imposed upon her his name and
his presence, squandered her wealth, and
finally deserted her when youth aud
beauty and money were gone, leaving
her IN poverty and disgrace 10 bear the
burden of family of children. But it
is rather hard saying to assert, as he
does, that the shadow of the life thus
blasted lies athwart the threshold of the
minister Of God who performed the mar
riage ceremony. There is no doubt that
the bishop is right in one thing
at least publicity is one of the
greatest safeguards against an abuse of
both marriage and divorce. A uniform
code Of laws In all the states, and the re-
quirement Of greater publicity both in
the preliminary announcement Of mar
riages and in the divorce proceedings,
would do much towards holding the
present growing evils in check.