The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1895-03-28


country has been pustulous litera
ture, with its millions of sheets every
week checked with stories Of domestic
wrongs and infdelities and massacrt'
and outrages, until it is wonder tt
me that there are any decencies or any
common sense left on the subject o
marriage. One half OF the news stands
of all our cities are reeking with tht
filth.
DIVORCE SHOULD DE DIFFICULT.
"Now, say some, we admit all these
evils, and the only way to clear them
out or correct them is by easy divorce
Well, before we yield to that cry lei
us find out how easy 1t is now.
81 have looked over the laws of all
the States, and / find that while in
some States it is easier than in Others
in every State j, is easy. The State
OF Illinois, through its Legislature, re-
cites loag list of proper causes for
divorce, and then closes up by giving
to the courts the right to make decree
of divorce in any case where they deem
1t expedient. After that you are not
surprised at the announcement that in
one county Of the State of Illinois in
one year there were S33 divorces.
"Ifyou want to know how easy it is
you have only to look over the records
Of the States. In the city OF San
Francisco 333 divorces were granted
in one year And in twenty years in
New England 10000. Is that not
easy enough?
"If the slme ratio continues-the
ratio OF multiplied divorce and null
tiplied causes OF divorce-we are not
far from the time when our courts
will have to set apart whole days for
applications, and all you will bave to
prove against the man will be that he
lett his newspaper in the middle OF
the floor, and all you will have to
prove against woman will be that
her husbands overcoat is buttoness
Causes of divorce double in few years
doubled in France, doubled in Eng
land, and doubled in the United States
To show how very easy it ia, have tc
tell you that in the Western Reserve
Ohio, the proportion of diJorces tC
marriages celebrated Is one to eleven
in Rhode Island one to thirteen, il
Vermont one to fourteen. Is not thai
easy enough.
II want you to notice that frequencj
Of divorce always goes along with {
dissoluteness of society. Rome for 50(
years had not one case OF divorce
Those were her days of glory anC
virtue. Then the reign OF vice hegar
and divorce became epidemic. Ii yor
want to know how rapidly the empire
went down, ask Gibbon
HOW EASY is DIVORCE.
"What we want in this country anC
in all lands is that divorce be made
more and more and more difficult
Then people, before they enter thai
relation, will be persuaded that there
will probably be no escape from il
except through the door OF the sep
ulchre. Then they will pause on the
verge Of that relation, until they are
fully satisfied that it is best and thai
it is right, and that it is happiest
Then we shall have no more marriages
in fear. Then men and women vii
not enter the relation with the ides
that it is only 3 trial trip, and that i
they do not like it they can get out a
the first landing Then this Who'll,
question will be taken out OF the friv
oous into the tremendous, and ther
will be no more joking about the bios
SONS in brides hair than upon tn
cypress on coffin.
"What We want is that the Congress
OF the UnitedStates change the Nation
al constitution so that law can b
| passed which shall be uniform all owe
the country, and what shall be righ
in one State shall be right in all th
States, and what is wrong in one Stat
will be wrong in all the StatFs.
How is it now? II party in tn
marriage relation gets dissatisfied,
is only necessary to move TO anothe
State to achieve liberation from tn
domestic tie, and divorce is effected S
easily that the first one party hears @
it by seeing in the newspapers that tn
Rev. Dr.. S. mebody, on March II 1S9
introduced iu new marriage relaGo
a member Of the household who wer
: off on pleasure excursion to NeWpor
or q business excursion TO Chicsg,
Married at the BRIDES house. No card
There are States OF the Union whic
t practically put premium upon tn
Q disintegration OF the marriage relatio
] while they are other States, like OF
D own New York State, that had for
Q long time the pre-eminent idiocy