Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-09-22

now. | have looked over the laws Of
all the states, and find that. while
in some states It is easier than in 9th
ers. in every state it is easy. The state
Of Illinois, through its legislature. re-
cites a long list OF proper causes for
divorce and then closes up 10y giving
to the courts the right to make "A de-
cree Of divorce in any case where they
deem it eXpedient. After that you are
not surprised at the announcement
that in one year there were S33 di-
yorccs. If you want to know how easy
it Is. you have only to look over the
records Of the states-in Massachu-
sctts. GOO divorces in one year; in
Maine, 47S in one year; in Connecticut,
4O1 divorces in one year; in the city Of
San Francisco. 333 divorces in one year;
in New England in one year. 2.113 di-
vorces, and in 20 years in New Eng
gland 2O.O0O. Is tnat not easy enough;
If the same ratio continues. the ratio Of
multiplied divorce and multiplied
causes Of divorce, we are not far from
the time when our courts will have to
set apart whole days for application,
and all you will have to prove against
a man will De that he left his slippers
in the middle Of the loOr. and all you
will have to prove against a woman
will be that her husbands oyerc0at
was buttonlcss. Causes Of divorce
doubled in a few years-doubled in
France, doubled in England and dou-
bled in the United States. To show
how very easy it is. have to tell you
that in Western Reserve. Ohio. the pro-
portion of divorces to marriages cele-
brated was In one year to IL; in
Rhode Island. TO 3; in Vermont, TO
H. Is not that easy enough?
Society Dissolmte.
want you to notice that frequency
Of divorce always goes along with the
dissoluteness Of society Rome for 800
years had not one case Of divorce.
Those were her days Of glory and
virtue. Then the reign Of vice began,
and divorce became epidemic. If you
want to know how rapidly the empire
went down. ask GibbOn. DO you know
how the reign Of terror was introduced
in France? BY 10000 cases Of divorce
I'm one year in Paris. What we want in
this country and in I'll lands is that
divorce be made more and more diff
cult Then people before they enter
that relation will be persuaded that
there will probably be 10 escape from
il except through the door Of the sepul-
cher, then they will pause on the verge
of that relation until they are fully sat
isled that il is best and that it is right
and that it is happicst, then we shall
have no more marriages in fun, then
men and women will not enter the rela-
ton with the idea il is only trial trip
and If they DO not like it they can get
out AT the first landing. then this whole
question will be- taken out Of the friyo-
lous into the tremendous. and there
will be lao more joking about the BIOS
SONS In a brides hair tAan about the
cypress on a cOiiia
What we want Is that the congress
Of the United States move for the
changing of the national constitution
so that il law can be passed which shall
be uniform all over the country ana
what shall be right in one state shall be
right in all the states and what Is
wrong in one state will be wrong in all
the states. How is ii now? If party
in the marriage relation gets dissatis'
fled. IL is only necessary TO move to an
other state to achieve liberation from
the domestic tie. and divorce is effected
so easily that the first one party knows
of il is by seeing it in the newspaper
that Rev. Or. Somebody few days or
weeks afterward Introduced into
new marriage relation a member OF the
household who went off on pleasure
excursion TO Newport or business eX-
curslon TO Chicago. Married at the
brides house: no cards. There are
states Of the Union which practically
put a premium upon the disintegration
of the marriage relation, while there
are other states, like the state C. New
York. which has the pre-eminent idiocy
of making marriage lawful at u and
il years of age.
Change the Constitution.
The congress Of the United states
needs to move for a change of the na-
tional constitution and then to appoint
a committee-not made up Of single
gentlemen. but of men of families,
and their families in Washington-who
shall prepare a good. honest righteous,
comprehensive uniform law that VIII
control everything from Sandy Hook
70 the Golden Gate. That will put an
end 10 brokerages in marriage. That
will send divorce lawyers into decent
business. That will set people agltat-
ed for many years on the question OF
how they shall get away from each
other 10 planning how they can adjust
themselves to the more or less unfavor-
able circumstances.
More difficult divorce will put an es'
toppaI to a great extent upon marriage
rs a financial speculation. There are
men who 20 into the relation just as
they 20 into Wall street TO purchase
shares The female to be invited into
the partnership Of wedlock is utterly
unattractive and in disposition a sup
nrossed Vesuvius Everybody knows
il but this masculine candidate toi
matrimonial orders, through the com
mercal agency or through the county
records. finds out how much estate Il
m be inherited. and he calculates II
ae thinks out how long it will be be
fore the old man will die and whether
he can stand the refractory temper uD'
I'll he does die, and tlren he enters the
relation. for he says, IF cannon
stand il. then through the divorce Ia"
I will back out" That process Is golni
ON all the time. and men enter into th'
relation without any moral principle
without any affection, and IL Is a.
much n mattes of stock speculation al
ANYTHING that was transacted yes'er
dav I'm Union Pacific, Wabash ah'
delaware and Lackawanna. Now, sup
nose n man understood, as he ought u
understand that If he goes into tina
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