The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-14
The aahita 4arY EAGLE Tnesdau grurmmo april a. 1896

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| Of tenants. The men who cultivate
the earth should own it, AS a means
he suggested liberal homestead laws
On the subjects of marriage and d.
vorce Colonel Ingersoll said: without
doubt the contract of marriage is the
most important and the most sacred
that human beings can make. Mar
riage is the most impors ant Of all insti-
/ tutions. OF course, the ceremony Of
marriage is not the real marriage. 1t
| is only evidence of the mutual flames
| that burn within. There can be no
real marriage without mutual love. So
l believe in the ceremony of marriage;
| that it should be public; that records
should be kept. Besides, the ceremony
says to all the world that those who
marry are in love with each other.
Then arises the question Of divorce.
Millions Of people imagine that the mar
ried are Joined together by some sup
ernatural power and that they should
remain together, or at least married,
| during life. If all VINO nave peen mar
ried were Joined together by the super
natural, we must admit that the super
natural is not infinitely wise.
After all, marriage is contract,and
! the parties to the contract are bound
| to keep its provisions, and neither
| should be released from such a contract
! unless in some way the interests Of soci-
| ETY. are involved. I would have the law
so that any husband could obtain a di-
vorce when the wife had persistently
and agrantly violated the contract, such
divorce to be granted on equitable terms.
! / would give the wife divorce il she re-
| quested it, if she wanted it.
And I would do this not only for her
sake, but for the sake of the community
Of the nation. All children should be
children of love. All that are born
should be sincerely welcomed. The
children Of mothers who dislike or hate
or loathe the father will fill this world
with insanity and crime. No woman
should by law or by public opinion be
forced to live with a man whom she alb
hors. There is no danger of demoraIiz-
ing the world through divorce. Neither
is there any danger of destroying in
the human heart that divine thing call
ed love. AS long as the human race
exists men and women will love each
other, and just so long there will be true
and perfect marriage. Slavery is not
the soil or rain of virtue.
Il make a difference between granting
divorce TO a man and to a woman. and
for this reason: A woman bowers her
husband with her youth and beauty.
He should not be allowed to desert her
because she has grown wrinkled and old
Her capital is gone, her prospects in life
lessened, while, on the contrary, he may
be far better able to succeed than when
he married her. AS a rule. the man can
take care of himself; and. as rule the
woman needs help. So I would not al
low him to cast her off unless she had
faeyra N " VII hA
for the sake Of the community, and es-
pecially for the sake of the babes. L
would give her divorce for the asking.
There will never be a generation Of
great men until there has been a gener-
alton OF free women-of free mothers.
The tenderest word in our language is
maternity. In that word is the divine
mingling OF ecstacy and agony, of love
and self-sacrifice. This word is holy"
OF the labor question, Colonel Inger-
soil said: 81 see no final and satisfac-
tory solution except through the civil
lzation Of employers and employed. The
question is so complicated, the ramifi-
cations are so countless, that a solution
by law or by force seems az least i'm
probable. Employers are supposed to
pay according to their profits. They
may or may not. Profits may be de-
is at the mercy OF other employers and
as much so as his employees are at his
mercy. The employers cannot govern
prices, they can not fix demand. they
can not control supply, and at present,
in the world of trade, the laws Of supply
and demand, except when interfered |
with by conspiracy, are in absolute con- |
troll.
L think that when we become civilIz- |
ed great corporations will make provis- |
ion for men who have given their lives |
to their service. I think the great rail- |
roads should pay pensions to their worn |
out employees. They should take care
of them in old age. They should not |
MAIN and wear out their servants and |
then discharge them and allow them to |
be supported in poorhouses. These great |
companies should take care of the men
they main; they should look out for |
the sons whose lives they have used |
and whose labor has been the founda- |
ton of their prosperity. Upon this |
question public sentiment should bear |
oused to such a degree that these corpo-
rations should be ashamed to use a hu-
man life and then throw away the bro
ken old man as they would cast aside
a rotton tie
workingmen, will finally become intel
ligent enough to really unite in abso-
Lutte concert. Could this be accomplish
ed then reasonable rate of compensa-
ton could be fixed and enforced. Now
such efforts are local and the result I'D
10 this time has been failure. But If
all could unite they could obtain what
is reasonable, what is just and they
would have the sympathy of a very large
of their fellow men. provided
they were reasonable. But before they !
can act in this way they must become |
really intelligent. intelligent enough TO
know what is reasonable and honest |
enough 70 ask for no more.
Real education is the hope Of the fu-
ture. The development Of the brain. 1.-The
Of the heart. will drive want !
and crime from the world. The school |
house is the real cathedral and science
the only possible savior Of the human
race. Education, real educat ton. is the
friend Of honesty, OF morality, of tenn
perance.
Eve cannot rely upon legislative en-
TO make people wise and good;
neither can we expect to make human
beings manly and womanly by keeping
hem out Of temptation: Temptations
are as thick as the leaves OF the forest
md no one can be out Of the reach OF
emptation unless he Is dead The
great thing is 10 make people intelligent
enough and strong enough not 20 keen
iway from temptation. but n resist X.
All the forces OF civilization are in IA
-or OF morality and temperance. Lit
lie can be accomplished by law because
sw. for the most part. about such .
hings. is destruction II personal lib
.rty. Liberty cannot be sacrificed 70 |