San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-10-17

able to tell ones traits and quail
ties from his face.
Socrates desired him to show
his skill by telling him his quail
ties and traits. After a brief
study of the face of the philosopher
the phyisognmist said to him
''you are libertine and sot, with
an i'll temper to boot"
Whereat, the scholars were so
enraged at what they thought was
a calumny on their beloved teacher
that they seized the physiognmist
and vowed they would inflict
corporal punishment on him. So
crates babe them let the man
alone; for said he, "the fellow has
told the truth about me. When l
was young man, | was just as
.he described me--a sot and liber-
tine and was i'll tempered, but |
overcome these evil prOpensities
as we'll as my bad temper"
What Socrates accomplished, VIC
can also accomplish. Parents can
accomplish with their children in
infancy and childhood ere the
habits are formed and hardened.
Parents are to blame for a very
large proportion of the divorces as
well as of the murders that are
committed. They neglect to
control and train their children
in infancy and childhood, and al
low them to grow up with irrit-
able and ungovernable tempers.
The rapid increase in the num-
Der OF divorces is proof positive,
that some cause is at work, which
had no existence in the preceding
generation. A generation used to
be computed at 80 years, but
since the doctors have discovered
medicines for patching up invalids
a generation is now computed at
30 years.
That would place the preced-
ing generation in the interval of
time between 1926 and 1860. The
number of divorces has increased
about a thousand fold since 1860.
The increase has been less In the
south than in the west and north
western states it has been quite
noteworthy even in the south.
What has caused this increase?
Has it arisen from relaxation
of parental control or, from
some defect in our civilization?
Every effect is bound to have hao
its cause just as every cause has
its effect. What then, has caused
the lamentably rapid increase in
the number of divorces?
The frequency Of divorce is
symphonic Of some terrible defect
somewhere, in our social ma
chinery, our laws, or our civiliza-
ton. This increase in the number
of divorces is also an evil omen
an eating social cancer.
Divorce is a terrible calamity
to the children Of the parties. 1t
not only deprives them of the
affection and care of one OF their
parents, but it forces them to cun-
denim and repudiate one of their
parents. What a dreadful predice-
ment is this to place child in.
II parents truly love their chill
dren, they would recoil aghast
from the divorce mill.
Unquestionably, the legislative
multiplication of the grounds fer
divorce, together with the ex
treme facility with which a di-
vorce can now be railroaded
through the courts, has largely
contributed to swell the number
Of divorces. 1t tempts people.
Prior to the outhurst of the
French revolution of 1889, mar
rage in all Christian nations, was
regarded and treated by public
opinion and the law as a religi-
Gus sacrament. The ecclesiastic
courts possessed sole jurisdiction
Of suits for divorce, and in all
Catholic nations adultery was the
recognized ground for divorce.
The national convention ex-
plunged all existing laws, instItu-
tions, customs, habits and courts
and established brand new ones,
at one heat. 1t declared marriage
to be a civil contract, not a sacra-
ment OF religion; abolished the
&c ;lesiastical courts, and increased
the grounds. of divorce.
In one year, there was thou.
sand fold in the number of di.
vorces.