The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-15
As TO DIVORCE.
WHY 40 AIany Marriages Prove Failures.
The Haste ef'hs Nadera Ass Hyspsn,i-

ST. Louis Mirror; Judge Spencer. OF
the 81. Louis circuit court. mas de.
llyered himself to the newspapers
at length upon the subject os
marriage and divorce. The nlst OF
his remarks Is that the way to stamp
out the evil Is to make divorce difficult.
The learned Judge mistakes the symp-
tom for the disease The divorce cpl
demlc is the result OF hasty and reckless
marriage, Because men and women
enter lightly and tI4aIRgly into the
marriage relation they attempt lightly
and triiingly to break off that relation.
Because marriage is no longer a serf-
aus matter, divorce Is no longer Sc
rlous matter, II might be well to say
that foolish folk who enter upon mar
rage should suffer for their folly, IL
the suffering were productive of good.
But the punishment OF keeping people
in the beds they have made for them
selves is likely to be productive OF an
immortality greater than is involved In
the spread of the divorce habit. We
dss0luble, hut we could not keep mis-
mated people faithful to each other. In
The countries where divorce is most DIFF
fcult unchastlty Is more rlotous and
ulegltmaCy more general, Establish
meRts Of the left hand, liasons, para
mours-these are glarlng features of
those societies In which divorce Is re-
Earded with violent dlsfavor. The di-
L.,
but II Is not so grave as the fashion
able rOttenness OF society In England,
rance, Germany, Austria, Italy, II we
are to believe tile literature Of realism,
and even Of idealism. In each OF those
countries The harder II is to get di-
VOrced the more intolerable the foolish
marriage becomes, and the more mar
ital inhdelity spreads The foolish mar
rIage is hardly the fault Of the particle
pants thereto II is folly of youth,
mostly. 1t Is the result Of human
weakness In Its weakest time, when a
mans and woman's blood and emotions
are in conspiracy against his reason
II seems barbaric cruelty to make such
people live together, when their eyes
are opened, The worst OF It is that
they cannot be made to live together
and the man cannot be made to support
the woman. The court may decree all
mony. but II cannot enforce payment
without reverting to u certain custom
which our law makers have
condemned, Imprisonment for debt.
By making divorce difficult the
parties TO loathsome unions
are driven to disregard the marital rela-
ton, 1t Is better to free them than to
force them to sub-rosa infdellties. This
Is true. because experience. as collated
by lawyers, shows that divorce rarely is
sought until the seeker contemplates re-
marriage. If this motive prompts d.
vOrce, the suppression OF 1t, surely, will
not promote martial chastity and fidelity
upon the part OF those who are swayed
by IT, The learned Judges who are ap-
palled by the number of divorce cases
are not appalled, by the number Of mar
riages. They arc not surprised at the
haste with which marriage Is entered
upon. and the large disregard OF paren-
tal wisdom manifested by the young men
and young women Of the day Father
and mother have nothing to say II they
speak they are disregarded. The long
cOurtshlp has passed out of vogue. damn
ed by an adage that "long court6hips are
dangerous" The lightning stroke idea
N love prevails Folks fail In love at
sight. and into marriage at sixty or nine
ty days. IT Is easier to get married than
II Is 10 get credit at the gTncers. The
man marrles early or not at all. II the
girls do not marry early, they marry
later, in haste, so as not 10 be left"
The responsibilities of marriage are not
realized, and when people are united
upon an emotion. they arc AMI to sepn-
rate upon the same fllmsy prompting. l
don't mean to say that people who can
not live together should not be ties to-
gether. though they wander apart and
drag az each remove iengtheninz
chain" The effort to make divorce diff
cult is an effort TO add to the burden OF
life. Divorce laws shauld be male
uniform IN all states. and that unifnr-
nifty should be based upon recoEni-
ton OF the horror of unfortunate mar
rage, without the recognition of frlv-
olous causes for divorce. There should
be recognition Of common sense. Dl-
vorce should not be granted on a pout
or n spat, The plea for easy divorce
need not be reduced to an absurdlty
The laws. for the most part. as they
stand, will do. They are free enough
and strict enough. There should be no
secret divorce. There should be no di-
vorces granted as In Dakota, on a pal
pably one-sided. evasive and often cor
rupt statement Of the cause. There
should not be tolerated the legal fiction
as to residence. People should be d.
vorced where they actually not legal
ly, reside The law should be strict as
to notification OF defendants and all
that, but the courts should not require
that every applicant should prove mar
rage to be 10 him, or TO her, n physical
inferno The horrors Of mal-matrimony
nre not wholly physical. The greater
cruelties and intolerabilities are mental
and spiritual. And when divorce shall
have been made easy upon rational
basis, marriage should be made difh-
cult, Something more should be requir-
ed than proof of age and freedom 90
contract Men should prove ability to
support n wife. They should prove char
actcr They should be vouched for by
people whose voucher Is good. THIS
would prevent much misery, and the
reproduction Of the unfit Difficult mar
rIagc would make for patience after
marriage. II marriage could be con-
tractcd only upon q basis OF making
people realize that there are difficulties
ahead many men and women would
pause They would marry only upon a
determination to tnke the bitter with
The sweet, They would discount dis
agreements, and all the necessary sac
rhce. Then marrying reasonably, they
would not ifs to the divorce courts over
petty troubles with marriage made
difficult II would not matter much how
eagy divorce might be. People rcnson-
able enough to marry would be reason
able enough to get along together and
to see the better side OF marriage oven
when they we're both nj outs. ! don't
leave love out Of the calculation OF