The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-07-20
A Great Social Question.

it the necessity of a correspondingly
broad treatment. For anything that
is social in its nature necessarily
takes on many phases, and is the
subject of many social sciences. 1t
has it's religious, moral, educational,
economic, political and legal ele.
ments. 1t is affected by domestic
conditions, by the community life
and the wider forces of society. Its
problem consequently comes within
the scientific and practical work of
every social science represented in
the enumeration just made, and to
the extent to which divorce is affected
by each of these elements and con-
ditions. 1t lies also in the field of
the more fundamental science of So
ciology-a science which, as l regard
it, is distinct from the social sciences,
but fundamental in its relation to
them. For sociology concerns itself
with the structure, forms, forces and
working OF society as a whole, rather
than in those various aspects of it
which give rise to different social
sciences.
1t is along these various lines that
the problem has of late years been
considered. The statistical method
of careful collection of facts has laid
the foundation of scientific treatment
in the admirable report of the De-
partment of Labor at Washington.
That report, among other things,
practically demonstrated a great in
crease of divorces in many civilized
countries within thirty or forty years,
which has been most marked in the
United States. 1t is now clear that
the movement is an incident of a
general and worldwide social move
ment, and worthy of profound study
on that account, as we'll as for its own
sake.
Study of the Family.
Probably the best thing of all that
has been done is the introduction of
the study of the family and sociology
in the universities and other educa-
tional institutions. This prepares
the way for intelligent. practical
treatment in competent hands. The
cranky reformer, and hobby rider
soon find that social science has put
this subject on basis that leaves
little place for them. Mass-meetings
and sensational literature are almost
equally unnecessary in subject of
this nature. Divorce reform cannot
long be pursued as fad.
The Legal Side.
Meanwhile the legal side of the
question has been in process of treat
ment. Now and then some persons
or occasionally popular assemblies
have INDUCED in dogmatic utterances
of what they believed should be en-
acted into statute law, and the cure
all of an amendment of the Constitu-
ton of the United States was for sew
eral years popular measure. But
the real work has not been done in
these ways, and they actually accom-
plished little. On the contrary, a
better public opinion has been formed
and encouraged to find some express
sion in legislation in the various
States in such measures as are imme-
diately practicable, likely to be of
permanent value, and are the direct
outgrowth of local interest in reform.
Probably more than half the States
have within the last fifteen years im-
proved their marriage, divorce and
other laws touching the family. Some
of the best work has been undertaken
in the extreme West. And what is
especially noteworthy is that rarely
has a step backward been taken by
repeal of the reformatory legislation,
or by new legislation of vicious
character. The old cry for a Consti-
tutional amendment has pretty much
ceased. The inherent difficulties of
that plan are now better understood,
as we'll as its limited value. But the
chief cause of this silence is the sue
cessful beginning of an experiment
for uniformity through cooperation
of the States themselves. More than
half the States now have commissions
on uniform legislation on marriage,
divorce, and several other subjects,
some of them of direct commercial
interest. This has been said to be
the first and most promising practical
step toward uniform law ever under
taken in the United States. The
religious and ethical aspects of the
subject do not seem to me to be less
seriously considered. There is, it is
true, less of dogmatic contention and
a keener sense of the magnitude of