The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-11-28
Judge Ferry Says This Ac-
counts For Wife DesertiOns
In Many Instances That Come
Under His Observation
As Police Judge, Where He Sees
Much of the Humber Glasses
Where Desertion is Most
AlonzoWar-
dali Makes a Novel
Suggestion
Suggestion

ed IN the discussion Of the deserion Of
wives which is going on in The Journal
He has thought a little along the line
of marriage and divorce and he says.
1T must be admitted that the great
trouble lies in hasty marriages, marri-
ages without a proper consideration for
the Importance of the marriage con-
tract or the sanctity of the marriage
VOWS People rush in thOughtlessIy-Hst ar
ents and children alike should be
taught the folly of this There is really
not enough education on the subject.
1T should be preached everywhere Par
ents should preach it to their children
the preachers in the pulpit, ministers of
the gospel should preach it to the chill
dren and the parents don't consider
that minister is doing his whole duty
if he does not do this
The sanctity OF the marriage rela-
ton should be impressed on the young
people as soon as they are old enough
to receive it and it should continue to
be impressed as long as there is any
possibility Of a marriage for them
Parents should thoroughly disCOur-
age youthful marriage and 50 should
preachers.
IA have noticed too that in about one
third OF the cases that get into the di-
VOrce courts one or both of the parties
involved have been married before.
This proves to me that OUR divorce
laws are too lax People actually rush
into marriage with the expectation that
the divorce laws viii help them out Of
it as soon as they get tired Of the con-
tract. Some of them do this three or
four times in a lifetime.
Il would like to have a hand in a re-
vision of the divorce laws. I think I
could make some suggestions that would
not only make divorces much harder
but that would in consequence make
people do a great deal more thinking
than they do before they married at all.
In the first place / would increase
the time for second marriage from six
months, as it now stands on the statute
books, to at least is months and per
haps two years 1t is a fact that peO-
pie get divorces now having in sight
another marriage when they do it.
Il would have further q legal defini-
ton of what constitutes extreme cruel
ty- There is no legal definition now
and if woman wants a divorce she is
at liberty to give as evidence of ex-
IRENE cruelty the fact that her husband
sWOre at her.
IF divorce laws We're made more
stringent 1 feel sure that while there
might be fewer marriages of the kind
we don't want the ones we would have
would be better ones and there would
be fewer separations legal or other
wise
And the subject of separations and
divorce is another question that preach
ers ought to preach On. al careful read
ing of the Bible will show any person
that there is nothing there to encourage
divorces or separations"
Among the many women in Topeka
who think on social and political prob
lens is Mrs. Elizabeth WardaH who
with her husband, AlonzO Wardal, is a
liberal thinker
Today she discussed the question Of
the wholesale desertiOn of wives by
their husbands and said:
With Mrs. Green and others who
have expressed themselves have no
doubt that the cause of very many of
the assertions and separation in mar
rfed life are the direct result of a mis-
mated marriage People do not seem
TO marry with a correct idea of the re-
SponslpllltleS attendant upon married
life.
Il doubt not. however. that poverty
has q great effect upon all conditions Of
u1e and this as well as others
1t IS largely a matter of educa ton
People must be educated in these as
Wei as other matters. When people
become sufhcietly developed they viii
exercise the wisdom that must be exer-
clsed II we are to insure happy mar
IMAGES But until that time we must
expect failures We must wait
Ii we are to have happy marriages.
marriages that viii not be dissolved BY
any party or any condition, humanity
must advance and marriage must be
brought to a higher plane
lt is fact to be regretted, but 1T is
fact still that under the present code
marriage is a lottery. Tit has been said
eplore but lt is true And 1T is all be-
cause there is mot enough of sober in
tellgenI thought given to it, Marriage
As SIMPLY the outcome of an affection
that is thought by the persons feeling
it TO be love and custom has taught
them that the proper thing to do under
pressure Of this affection is to marry
They marry and the only thought they
have IS for the affection they feel until
sterner eXigencies arise that duh the
af1ection and open their eyes.
II agree with DR.. Barnes that the
only thing to do is to educate. Begin
with the children that they may 90 into
manhood and womanhood with their
eyes open and avoid the pitfalls that
widen in the path of the over-affectfon-
ate and the under-sensible
Chlidren should be taught on this
question The time viii come when it
VIII be most important part of the ed
ucation of a child as reading and
writing are today. Men and women
grow up today perfectly ignorant of the
functions of their being
Feople marry too young or too ig-
noranL 1t IS true. believe, that peO-
used to half or even a quarter of a
century ago but they may marry Just
as ignorant.
Educate in this, I say"
Mr.. Wardau also had a few ideas on
tbs subject
TAI least there are two great causes
81 the desertion Of women bly, the hus-
BANDS, me said. In the first place no
man should be permitted to marry nm
less ne is ait least rs and no woman I'M
less she 1s ait least p years Of age. And
again no man should be permitted to
marry unless he has q home that he
cannot be turned out of and mn income
Suulclenl to support a family feel
safe in saving that very few men would
leave their families if they had a com
Portable home in which to live with
them
There is municipal way to enforce
this. They are doing it in Europe
Some municipalities in Europe compel
men to live in homes of their own and
then put them in such a condition that
they cannot only not be taken away
but that it is absolutely impossible for
the man or his family to dispose of that
home.
1.-THE municipality can help all men
to do this Either they can build the
home for him and let him pay for it on
the plan Of the building and loan asso-