The record-union., 1897-03-07

Widowers with families and young
men in their first matrimonial ven-
lures are alike the victims of this rap
, idly increasing social vice that is now
| undermining with appalling GER
| tainty the very foundation of American
| homes throughout the country. Cases
| of recent occurrence among us are not
| far to seek that may thus be character
| lied by typical example: A man mar
ries one of these latter-day women for
the commendable purpose of establish
ing a home. and in a very short time
| period varying from one or two
months TO as many years-he finds that
not only his new spouse may be totally
untitled for wifehood through mental
or physical disability, but she is lacking
| in every desirable or essential quail
fication fitting her for the charge of
household. On the other hand, the
woman soon desires release from du-
ties, the responsibility of which she had
not properly considered or weighed
prior to her marriage, and to which,
with her progressive ideas, she is now
totally unable to adapt herself Both
soon find the home intolerable-the
man bitterly regretting his step and the
woman craving her former indepen-
dence. He has no honorable remedy at
hand, nor in justice can he be expected
to surrender home that probably has
taken half his life to bring into exist
ence. The way for her is easier. for,
gathering together her belongings, she
leaves it, and in twinkling brings an
action against her husband in the di-
vorce courts for "desertion and cru
city"
1t never seems to occur to her that
she is the deserter, and her charges Of
cruelty aye, in most cases, based upon
her voluntary performance of the usual
duties of housewife in the home. Not
long ago case identical with this was
recorded in our local courts, the woman
having deserted her husband in less
than two months after marriage. and
for no other reason than the one just
given. Our courts of law in their at
tempts to diminish this growing evil
turn all their legal vigor upon the vic
tlmized husbands, using the thoroughly
unwarrantable suit of the wife as a
club wherewith to accomplish their
end. Counsel fees and alimony amount
ing to sums far beyond the ability of
the man to pay are soon decreed, but
lASST, lIStedu Oh De1nS just ana log
ical method of rectifying this accursed
epidemic, have the very reverse effect
of granting the woman her fancied in
dependence by allowing her to live
upon her ill-gotten income, and at the
same time holding out a high premium
for others to enter upon similar pro-
cedure
That this Is not an exaggerated state
ment, and for one to satisfy himself
that it represents the case in the vast
majority Of instances, he has but to
give the matter his personal attention
and study. Heavily fining the victims
OF comparatively new evil is but
poor law, and ii. remains with our jur-
lists to study these cases in their en-
tIrety, and logically weigh the causes
that are responsible for a state of at
fairs that even the blindest among us
must see is assuming grave proper
tions, initiating, as it does, against the
very existence in the future of the sub
stantial building up of American fam
lilies and true American homes.-R. w.
Shufeldt, in Washington Post