The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-05
TO ABOLISH MARRIAGE.
Il BRANCu OF THE LEG TTTSrAT IoN
LEAGUE STARTED ~ BOST0H.
IL IL an English Organization and II Gained
Hotorists Chicny from tho Aauchester Case
1t Nyouid substitute Tor Marriage an
Agreement which Is Dissoiubio at viii.

Ill n nv EnHIIGh sAu IL NrAtNN-
Notoriets Chicny rron tho lsabchestor Case
IT would substitute Cor Marriage nm
Agreement which 1s Dissoiuhie at VII.
DosroN. Sept. About twenty-five men
and women in Boston are trying to establish a
branch of the English Legitimation League
here. The object OF the league Is practically
TO abolish the marriage ceremon and substi-
tute for It a contract dissoluble at will by which
the man and tho woman shall agrcc TO 1.-Two to-
vether ms husband and wife and to recognize
Us legitimate any children that may DO born OF
tho union. Among tho members OF the society
are two middle.aged women with socialisllo
tendencies, two Boston bluestockings, a young
English girl. an elderly Anarchist, and u young
Russian Of good family, but an unprononnce-
able name, who works in Boston and resides
In ono Of tho suburbs. OF these. perhaps the
young English girl, by reason OF hor recent as
s~ociation with tho founders OF tho league In
London, oswald and Gladys Dawson, is most
thoroughly imbucd with the principles OF the
movement and II has only been by energetic
work on her part that tho society or league has
obtained even the oothold It has In Boston.
This IL not the frst time that such an effort
has been made. In 1929, shortly after tho
prospectus Of tho league was given to the pub
lilo by Oswald Dawson, its originator, q nan of
anarchirt ito tendencies, thon living In Boston,
~ uA'aea ~ u bthbNh boohCsy
but without any success. Doing away with
the legal form Of marriage u not tho ostonstbls
purpose for tho formation Of tho league al
though even the members admit that II In q
means to the end. They say that tho true OBJ
joct of the league 10 to create q machinery for
acknowledging Offspring born out Of wedlook
and to secure for them equal rights with To-
Ultimate children
Tho children which may be born Of guch Q
union. by tho provisions Of the contract, are to
be declared to DO legitimate and rightful heirs
in the estates of both tho father and tho mother
In some degree this resembles the common-law
marriage of tho State OF New York.
Mr.. Dawson, tho parent Of tho league, 10 the
son OF Thomas Dawson q former well-known
resident Of Leeds, England, o momber Of the
society Of Fricnda. Oswald Dawson long ago
discarded the belief of his fathers and has boon
q free thinker for many years, Like hs wife,
Gladys Dawson. In explanation of his poou-
liar views on marriage, no says:
II disbelieve In tho promise for life. Ido not
believe that the State has any concern in tho
relation OF the sexes, in the first place. and, in
the second place, ! don't consider, oven II 1t
were right for the State to interfere, that It
should mako the contract binding for life II
the State made divorce as easy as marriage and
as inexpensive, then I don't think I should say
s ~ ~ sNS "a AiNAA q
I do not expect to be popular in this genera
ton, nor do I expect that Legislaturss viii req
ognize us in this generation. / am not 10 much
attempting to alter the law, at present, as to
ripen public opinion in tho matter until It IN
time to move.
From the earliest times We ind two modes
of legitimating children-the process of adop-
ton and the process of marriage. OF these two
the older Is the process of adoption. In tho
days of the Roman Empire. Nerva. Trajan,
Hadrian, and Marcus Aureltus all succeeded
to the purple. not by birth. but by adoption.
This process Is absolutely unknown to the Eng
liBh and Scot CHI law. 1t Is well known to the
American and French law. but. unfortunately,
In France 1t Is so hedged about by conditions,
restrictions, and limitations that it Ii to Gil In
tents and PURPOSES useless for the purpose OF
legitimating natural children. In the first place,
no man can adopt q child In France unless
he is 90 years Of age and without legitimate
that he has provided for the child during at
least six years OF Its minority. Ihoro is an ex-
cd child has saved the Ike OF its adaptive
father. Thus the process of adoption Is not
and the consequence is that tho French have TO
TAU back on what is Known as the public &C.
As examples OF Unions bctwscn men and
women without the Formally of marriage Mr.
Dawson cites the cases OF George Henry Lewcs
and George Eliot, OF Chopin and George Sand,
Shelley and Mary Wollestonecraft, and others
equally famous. He does not hesitate to put
his so-callcd wife,. between whom and himself
mo r.. m n,bi;tSsd ceremony se ever PACED excepting
agreed to live together.
ob tn EngFln and. . a S"SPl. % Of years age the league
was "a years old, a laughter Of O fellow Of the
Royal Institute, II British Architects, a grad:
on account q her advanced opinions and a
owen ling N fG 81. WANG Was g s sS%i q J and "rE Raa so hss
to regard tho married woman as a chattel of
SST eSs0f had crossed nss Sof her m ni0at b tfS w' s 8 5s Of
adopted the Socialist creed, and she had do
S,ated the matter with her family at homo fora
agreed to 1--we together: she Acquainted her
fixed to begin on a certain Saturday. At break
. .aeo,s ,InS ON oaar shs GgrfSs sr In -o day Two " %, emimsnt
IA cendition.' Alter a co or Fssaad 10 With VIII men her,
signal. That signal II meant that SPstl she Was sH to b.
c!sed by her father and two of her brothers,
she was dragged from tho room and thrust
oH Th was ,s eonv u;ySIdf.tto : private insane esylum:
John hns Burns Snss e n. F.. and shs h Ike Ms,a attso ot Snss and
berry Interested themselves in tho matter to
eSGsfe c6 asG isiisss; IT Tt Po} Mom g. ss" "nsT the
migsioners, and even the Queen were appealed
mem9crs Of tho L%sgitimation League. This
rot care 70 enter into q legal struggle, and Miss
Manchester was final! discharged. She al.
post immediately carried ont her intention OF
living With SULTAN; There was some talk OF
suing tho father and brothers Of tho girl. and
o fund was raised by tho league for that pur-
pose, but the intention was ultimately dropped.
The Marquis OF Queensberry, In order, as no
paid TO test the ganieness OF tho pair, offered
Miss Laneheuter aud Sullivan q wedding Pros
ent Of siSo on condition that they should go
test and repudiate 1t. Grant Aliens novel
The Woman Who Did" was based on this
occurrence.
An attempt has also been made In this
country to carry out tho ideas Of the league.
IN Kansas City LILLIAN Hartman, daughter OF
the former editor of LucJer. and Edwin
Walker agreed to live up to tho tenets OF tho
league. only to find that he laws OF tho STATE Of
Missouri and the theories Of Oswald Dawson
OF England were In direct conflict, and in con
sequence they spent Bonle ilttlo time In ono OF
tho state institutions. Tho father Of the TO-
male .experimenter attai:ed notoriety by hi,
appeals to tho people and the newspapers TO
right the, wrong that had boon done his dAugh-