Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1897-01-02
THE INCREASE OF DIVORCE.
Oevcring the Marriage Tie No Longer
Shocks Any One.

Oevcrins the Marriage Tie No Longer
Shocks Any One.
Twenty-Five or thirty years ago d.
vOrces were 90 rare as to be regarded
In the light Of very uncommon excep-
lions to the general rule. The divorce
law Itself is not yet forty years old in
England, nor twenty years old In
France. In Italy there II no civil d.
vorce whatever at the present day,
and the Catholic Church only grants
what are not properly divorces, but
annullations Of marriage. In very rare
cases, and with the greatest reluct.
ance.
Even In America every one can re.
member how divorce was spoken OF
and thought Of until very recently.
Within O few years 1t was deemed to
be something very like disgrace, and
certainly q profoundly cynical and I'm.
moral procedure. To-day We can most
Of Us count In our own acquaintance
half q dozen persons who have been
divorced and been married again.
Whatever we may think Of 1t In our
hearts, or whatever our religious con-
victiOns may be on the subject, 1t has
become 90 common that when We hear
of aagrant case Of cruelty or unfaitl-
fulness, by which man or woman
suffers, the question at once rises to our
lips. "Why does she not divorce her
husbandY" or, "Why does he not d.
vOrce his wifey" We have grown used
70 the Idea, and II It does not please IN
It certainly does not shock us. 1t
shocked our fathers, but We are per-
fectly Indifferent.
OF course, there are many, perhaps
q majority, who, though not Roman
Catholics, would In their own lives put
up with almost anything rather than
70 to the divorce court for peace. Some
actually suffer much, and ask for no
redress. But there are very many who
have not suffered anything at all, ex.
cepting the fav0rite ''incOmpatibility OF
temper" and who have taken advan.
tage Of the loose laws In certain States
to try a second matrimonial expert
ment. In what calls itself society there
seems still to be prejudice against a
third marriage for divorced persons,
but at the present rate OF advance In
civilization this cannot last long, and
the old Significance Of the word mar
riage" will be quite lost before our
youngest grandchildren are dead; In
other words, by the end OF the next cen
tury, at the furthest.
There are various forms Of honorable
Dolitical dreaming and Of dishOnOrable
political misunderstanding nowadays
which we are accustomed to call collec'
lively socialism" Most Of these rely
for their hope of popular success upon
their avOwed Intention OF dividing
property and preventing Its subsequent
accumulation. Marriage is an incentive
Of such accumulation, because 1t per
petuates families, aud therefore keeps
property together by Inheritance
Therefore all forms Of socialism are al
present In favor OF divorce, as a means
of ultimately destroying marriage al
together. A prOverb says that whose
ever desires the end desires also the
means. There is more truth In the say
ing than morality In the point Of view
Il expresses. But there are those wh'
desire neither the means nor the emf
10 which they lead, and a struggle Ii
coming the Ike of which has not beci
seen since the beginning OF the world
and of which we who are now allv'
shall not see the terminatlOn.-Fron
"a Rose OF Yesterday" by Marloi
Ora wford, In the Century.