The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-06-22

dissOluteness of society. Rome, for
five hundred years, had not one case Of
divorce. Those were her days of glory
and virtue. Then the reign Of vice
began and divorce became epidemic.
If you want to know how rapidly the
empire went down, ask Gibbon.
What we want In this country and in
all lands Is that divorce be made more
and more and more difficult. Then
people before they enter that relation
will be persuaded that there will prob
ably be no escape from it except
through the door of the sepulcher.
Then they will pause on the verge of
that relation until they are fully salts
fed that it is best, and hat 1t Is right,
and that it is happiest. Then we shall
have no more marriage in fun. Then
men and women will not enter the re-
lation with the idea 1t is only a trial
trip and If they do not like it they can
get out at the first landing. Then this
whole question will be taken out of
the frivolous into the tremendous and
there will be no more joking about the
blossoms In = brides hair than about
the cypress on q coffin.
What we want Is that the congress
Of the United States change the ma
tional constitution SO that a law can
be passed which shall be uniform all
over the country and what shall be
right in one state shall be right In all
the states, and what Is wrong in one
state will be wrong in all the states.
How is IL now? II a party in the
marriage relation gets dissatisfied, It Is
only necessary to move to another
state to achieve liberation from the do
nestle tie, and divorce Is effected so
easy that the first one party knows of
1t Is by seeing in the newspapers that
Rev. DIR. Somebody on March II, 1895,
introduced In . new marriage relation
q member Of the household who went
off on q pleasure excursion to New
port, or q business excursion to Chi
cago. Married At the brides house.
No cards There are states In the
union which practically put . pre-.
MUM upon the disinteRration of the
marriage relation. while there are
other states, like our own New York
state, hat had for q hong time the pre-
eminent idiocy of making marriage
lawful at IL and ~ years Of age.
The congress Of the United States
needs to nov for a change in the ma
tional constitution, snd then TO ap-
point o committee-not made up of
single gentlemen. but of men Of fami-
lies and their families In Washington
who shall prepare q good, honest,
righteous, comprehensive uniform law,
that will control everything, from
Sandy Hook to the Golden Horn.
That will put an end to brokerage in
marriage. That will send divorce
lawyers IAto q decent business. That
will set people, aRitatsd for many
years on the question of how shall they
get away from each other, to planning
how they can adjust themselves to the
more or less unfavorable circumstances.
More difficult divorce will put an es-
TOPPED to Q great extent upon marriage
as q financial speculation. There are
men who 60 into the relation just "a
they 90 inta Wall street 70 purchase
shares The female 10 he invited into
the partnership OF wsdlock is utterly
unsttraotive and in disposition . sup
pressed vesuvius. Everybody knows II.
but this m asculine candidate for matri.
monial orders, through the commercial
agency or through the county records,
finds out how much estate Is to be in.
herited, and he calculates II. He thinks
out how long It will be before the old
maH will die, and then he eAtera the
relation; for he says; III I cannot
stand it, then through the divorce laws
I'll back out" That process Is going
on ail the time, and men enter the re-
lation without any moral principle.
without any affection, and IL Il a. much
Q matter of stock speculation as any
thing that transpired yesterday in
Union Pacific, Illinois Central or Della
were 4 Lackawanna.
Now, suppose q man p9derstood, n
he ought to understand, that II he goes
into that relation there ID no possibili-
ty of his getting out, or no probability,
he would be more slow to put his neck
II the yoke. He would say to himself:
"Rathsr thsa . Qaribbesp WhirlWind
with . whole feet of shipping IN its
arms, give me . zephyr OF helds Of
sunshine and gardens OF peace"
Rigorous divorce law will also hinder
women from the fatal mistake of mar.
rying men to reform them. young
mar by Is years Of age or 80 years Of
age have the hsbitof strong drink fxsd
on him he IL As certainly bound for .
drunkard's grave a. that q train start
ing out from Grand Central depot ut
o'clock tomorrow morning is bound
for Albany, for 1t may be thrown frou
the track. The young man may mol
reach . drupkard's grave, for some
thing may throw him of the iron tract
Of evil habit; but the probability Il
that the train that starts tomorrow
morning Of 9 O'clock for Albany viii
get there, and the probability IL that
the young man who has the habit o.
strong drink l1ed on hiM before Is o,
so years Of age will arrive 1T . DUNK
ards grsva. She knows he drinks, al
though he tries TO hide II by showing
cloves. Everybody knows he drinks
Parents warn, neighbors and friend
arm She will marry him, she viii
reform him.
II she is~unsuccessful in the expert
ment, why then the divorce law will
emancipate her, because habitua
drunkenness j. Q cause for divorce ir
Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Connecti
cut, and nearly all the states. So tn,
poor thing goes to the altar of sacrifice
A rigorous divorce law will also d.
much to hinder hssty and ipconsider
ate marriages. Undey the imprsssioI
that one can be easily released, people
enter the relation without inquiry snt
without reflection. Romance and i'm
pulse rule the day. Perhaps the onll
ground for the marriage compact 1
that she likes his looks aud he admire
the graceful way she passed arount
the ice cream at the picnici II IL al
they know about each other. It Is al
the preparation for life. 4 woman
that could not make . loaf of bread I.
save her life will swear to cherish an,
obey, A Christian will marry 81
atheist. and that always makes con
joined wretohednsss; for il q man doe
not believe there is . God. he Is neithe
to be trusted with q dollar nor will
your lifelong happiness. Having res,
much about love In q cottage, peopl,
brought up in ease will 60 and starv'
In q howell.
people in this house this afternoon, be
fore you give your heart and hand In
holy alliance, use all caution; inquir'
outside al to habits, explore the dispo
sition, scrutinize the taste, question