The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-02-07
MATTERS OF DIVORCE.
Mr.. VIM. N. PIymat Reads a Most
Excellent Paper Thereon to
the S. S, Club.
Discusses the Marriage Relation and
the Grounds on Which Divorce
Should be Granted.

LIE meeUlnS OF Gno Social Science
Club Tuesday was largely attended
and number of ladies were also pre-
sent. The question of amending the
constitution so as to increase the
membership from forty to fifty came
up for consideration, and was over
Whelmingly voted down. Gen. j. III.
Baker was elected to membership to
fill vacancy.
The paper of the evening was on
divorce Laws" and was read by Mr..
VIM. n. Plymat. 1t was a most ex-
cellent one and fully covered the ques-
tion of the marriage relation and the
matter of divorce. He said to fully
comprehend these laws and their ap-
pllcation to the immediate parties
and their effect upon society one must
consider the status of the parties to
which they apply 1t is often stated,
and sometimes by lawyers, that mar
rlage in this state is simply civil
contract. He held it was something
more than a civil contract, because
such contract could be entered into
by parties and terminated at pleasure,
while a marriage contract cannot.
While the law calls marriage civil
contract, yet by the provisions which
it makes with reference to the par
ties, the solemniZing of the marriage,
obtaining of licenses, ETC., it is plain
to see that the statutes of the state
fully comprehend and recognize that
marriage is vastly more than an ordi-
nary civil contract. The foundation
OF the marriage law is a doctrine of
ethics and of social science and is the
work of man vOicing the wisdom of
God. He then dwelt upon the true
marriage nand of the evils which
would follow it's abandonment as a
permanent status. Viewed from the
highest ideal of marriage, there
should be no divorces or divorce laws.
In Utopia there is not, but we have
not yet reached that high state of
perfection, therefore we have to have
divorce laws, and the fact that
divorces can be obtained gives en-
enlargement to many to udisregard
the duties and obligations of married
life, and this works to laxity of
morals. Minnesota laws provide six
causes for which divorces may be OBJ
tanned, VIZ: Adultry, impotency,
cruel and inhuman treatment, where
either party subsequent to the mar
riage has been sentenced to imprison-
ment in the states prison, willful de-
sertion of one party by the other for
the term of one year pre-
ceding the filing of the COM
plant, habitual drunkenness for
the space of one year Immediately
preceding the filing of the complaint.
The remainder or the paper was de-
voted to the discussion of the merits
of these causes and why divorces
should be granted for any one of them.
Prof. Koehler, who was down to
open the discussion, could nOtbe pres
ent, and the same was opened by Rev.
Geo. III. Davis, and was entered in
to by large number of the mem
bers present. In the discussion it
was brought out that the Dakota di-
vorce laws were nearly or quite an ex-
act copy of those of Minnesota-the
only difference being that they only
require a three months residence,
while in this state year is required.
1t is also stated that the courts
there were somewhat lax in their en-
forcement of the laws, and many
of the causes for which divorce was
granted were of a trivial nature, not
embodied in the letter of the law. 1t
was pointed out also that the great
est evils resulting in the matter of
divorce, is not so much in the laws
relating thereto, as to their enforce
ment.
The next meeting of the club will
be held on Tuesday evening, Feb. IS,
when Rev. H. f. Waring will read a
paper on american Citizenship
Qualifications and Responsibilities.