The record-union., 1895-04-15
CURIOOIPIES OF DIVORCE.
Odd Laws for Undoing the Ties Of
Marriage.
Growth of Divorce in France-Distfn-
guished Romans Who Cast
OF Their Wives.

ject, and show the extent to which di-
vorce has grown in France. From 1884
to 1894 applications for divorce in France
have exceeded 45, 900, of which 40, 900 have
been granted, says the New York World.
NJ. Naquet, in urging the passage of
the divorce law in France, optimistically
predicted that it would prevent many
ruptnres, and that married couples
would remain more firmly united from
the fact that their tie would not be COM
| pulsory. Unfortunately, exactly the con-
trary was the result. The first year after
the law was passed showed ], ZOO divorces;
last year there were over 5000. When
separations alone were permitted they
only reached 5000. While in 1882 the
! proportion was only in 1000, to-day it
| is % in ZOO.
From the history of divorce it appears
| that the proportion of unhappy mar
| riages increases from the day divorce is
legalized in country. 1t appears among
people of the highest civilization at the
period of their decadence; from that time
can be dated a retrograde movement in
| morals.
The Bible says that if man, after mar
rying woman and living with her, con-
| celVeS disgust for her for some shameful
fault, be shall draw out decree of di-
yorce, and, putting it into the woman's s
| hands, shall send her out of his house.
This was not always easily accomplished,
because the majority of the people did
not know how to write, and the Levite or
! priest whom they consulted could refuse
to grant their application If he saw fit.
In Egypt the laws authorized no di-
| Yorce except in certain cases. Infidelity
was punished severely; the man received
! LOCO stripes and the woman's nose Was
cut. In Babylon public auction of all
the girls of a marriageable age was held
once year. The untying of these knots
was even more simple.
Confucius, writing on Chinese laws,
established seven cases of repudiation
among which it appears that the wife
could be put aside for excessive gossip or
! tor not getting along with her father or
mother-in-law. But there was this pro-
viso: The husband is advised to retain
her if she will wear mourning for her
! mOther-in-law for three years0 AS a
| matter of fact, the Chinese resort to the
| divorce courts very little, and they hold
| a widow marrying the second time in the
utmost contempt. This custom is some
| what similar to that of the HindooS in
! former years, when the widows flung
! themselves on the burning woodpiIes
/ upon which their husbands bodies were
! being consumed.
| India recognizes certain causes for di-
vorCe. Up To the commencement of this
| century childIess Hinuoo was hermit
! ted to lend his wife TO a brother or other
male relative in order to have children.
! Ia Burmah the women when marrying
| do not take their husbands names, but
| retain their own with the addendum of
/ wife of So and So." This makes it con-
venient for them to assume their previ-
Gus status in public knowledge when
( they come to be divorced, as they are
very likely TO be, for divorce is easy III
! that country.
If Burmese wife and husband Quarrel
and determine to separate the wi.e, who
always does all the marketing, goes out
and buys two little candles OF equal
length, which are made especially for this
/ use. She brings them home. She and
her husband sit down on the floor, place
/ the candles between them and light them
simultaneously. One candle stands for
! him, the other for her. The one whose
/ candle burns out first rises and goes out
/ of the house forever, with nothing but
what he or she may have on. The other
! takes all the property.
This looks fair enough on the face of it.
! but 1t often happens that the wife on her
way home with the candles takes a tiny
scrapIng from the bottom of one OF them
/ a very little will be enough. Ii the hus-
/ band and the house are empty of pretty
much everything but children, she takes
/ the shortened candle and walks out free
and contented. But if the house is we'll
! furnished, and the husbands possessions
are considerable, he gets the short candle
! and does the walking.
In Greece the main idea Of marrying
1 was to bring children into the world
males especially, for the good OF the
| country; hence the great facility offered
! for breaking the marriage tie in case of
sterility. The Legislators recognized the
right OF divorce. AT Athens divorce
could be obtained by demand of one of
/ the parties or by mutual consent The
case was argued before a tribunal. The
parties on being freed were ex pressly for
| hidden to marry with person younger
! than themselves. Grecian wives con-
victed Of breaking the seventh command
ment were put 10 death, after having
their hair cut off and their heads covered
! with hot ashes.
| This barbarous custom was also adopted
| in Rome alter the conquest of Carthage
and Corinth. The Romans, being masters
| OF the world, only thought of reveling in
their riches, and cut themselves adrift
| from the austere rules of virtue, which
| had been theirs for centuries. Civil mar
/ rlages ana religious marriages were little
! by little cut into by divorce, which spread
to such an extent as 10 almost suppress
! marriage. early every cause was ad-
mitted - intidelity, sickness, old age,
drunkenness, poison (which was very
PREVALENT, going into the church, the
army, aud, lastly, mutual consent The
husband had the right To demand a di-
vorce if the wife obtained false keys to
the cellar, or if she went "gadding" to the
| theater or circus TO the neglect of her
! household duties.
All these reasons were but pretexts
! after all. The virtuous Cato obtained a
| divorce in order to marry Marcia. Scilla
| remarked with woman whom he met
at the circus. Cicero repudiated his wife
to take Publllia, whose riches would ena-
! BILE him to pay off all his creditors, Cesar
and Antony contracted four successive
marriages; Pompey went as far as five.
| JuYenal felt justified in saying that faith
ful spouses were as rare as white crows'
or, as we say to-day, as white black
4 BIRDS"
The law of Mohammed admits ofdivorce
though it is very little resorted to by the
! Mohammedans-bute exacts four months
| reflection on the part of the husband be-
! fore sending the letter of repudiation,
which in this case is called tetoik boin-
| temporary repudiation is called tetoik
rid jee, which is used as a forewarning.
The nation which grants fewest di-
vorces is England. A special court-the
| Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Cases
| -copes with all matrimonial difficulties,
Divorce can be obtained for criminal
conversation" and is denied for personal
injuries and neglect. A rupture of the
marriage tie is granted only for infidel-
ity, and this is known to the court as the
specific remedy"
Switzerland grants more divorces than
any other country. Since the Federal
law of 1874 was passed the proportion has
risen from forty-seVen to a thousand. In
Sweden since 1851, in Holland since 1851
and in Saxony since the Federal law OF
1873 the proportion has doubled and even
| tripled. In Belgium it has multiplied
skiold.
THEIR FIRST S1OO