The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1899-09-20
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evils, and the only way to clear them out
or to correct them is by easy divorce"
Well, before we yield to that cry let us
find out how easy it is now. | have
looked over the laws of all the States,
and | find that, while in some States it
is easier than in others, in every State
it is easy. The State of Illinois, through
its Legislature, recites a long list Of prop
err causes for divorce and then closes up
by giving to the courts the right to make
decree of divorce in any case where
they deem it expedient. After that you
are not surprised at the announcement
that in one county of the State of Illi-
nois in one year there were S33 divorces.
If you want to know how easy it is, you
have only to look over the records of the
States-in Massachusetts, 600 divorces
in one year; in Maine, 473 in one year;
in Connecticut, 401 divorces in one year;
in the city of San Francisco, 1873 divorces
in one year; in New England in one year,
2, 113 divorces, and in twenty years in
New England, 10000. Is that 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 man
will be that he left his slippers in the
middle Of the floor, and all you will have
to prove against woman will be that her
husbands oyercoat was buttoniess.
Causes of divorce doubled in few years,
doubled in France, doubled in England
and doubled in the United States. To
show how very easy it is, | have to tell
you that in Western Reserve, Ohio, the
proportion of divorces to marriage cele-
brated was in one year to IL; in Rhode
Island, 1 to 10; in Vermont, 1 to II. Is
not that easy enough?
/ want you to notice that frequency Of
divorce always goes along with the dis
soluteness of society. Rome for 500 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 Glib
bon. Do You know how the reign of ter
ror was introduced in France? By 20
900 cases of divorce in one year in Paris.
| What we want in this country and in all
| lands is that divorce be made more and
IIOEe ulluCull. 1uSu peOplc UeIOIc .ucS
enter that relation will be persuaded that
there will probably be no escape from it
| except through the door Of the sepulcher.
Then they will pause on the verge of
that relation until they are fully satisfied
| that it is best, and that it is right, and
| that it is happiest, then we shall have no
| more marriages in fun, then men and
women will not enter the relation with
the idea it is only a 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 frivolous into the ire
lnendous. and there will be no more jok-
ing about the blossoms in a brides hair
than about the cypress on a coffin.
Uniform Law Desired.
What we want is that the Congress of
the United States move for the changing
of the national constitution so that law
can be passed which shall be uniform all
over the country and 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
it now? If a party in the marriage rela-
ton gets dissatisfied, it is only necessary
to move to another State to achieve lib
Grafton from the domestic tie. and divorce
| is effected so easily that the first one par
! ty knows of it is by seeing it in the news
paper that Rev. DR.. Somebody a few
| days or weeks afterward introduced into
q new marriage relation a member of
4! the household who went off on a pleasure
excursion to Newport or business excur-
sion to Chicago. Married at the brides
house; no cards. There are States of the
Union which practically put a premium
upon the dlslntegratiOn Of the marriage
relation, while there are other States. like
the State of New York, which has the
pre-eminent idiocy of making marriage
lawful at II and IA years of age
| More difficult divorce will put an es-
toppal to great extent upon marriage as
a financial speculation. There are men
who go 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 suppressed Vesuvius. Ev-
erybody knows it, but this masculine can
didatc for matrimonial orders. through
the commercial agency or through the
county records, finds out how much estate
is to be inherited, and he calculates it.
He thinks out how long it will be before
the old man will die and whether he can
stand the refractory temper until he
does die, and then he enters the relation.
for he says, IF | cannot stand it, then
through the divorce law / will back out. -
That process is going on all the time, and
men enter into the relation without any
moral principle, without any affection,
and it is as much a matter of stock spec
ulation as anything that was transacted
yesterday in Union Pacific, Wabash and
Delaware and Lackawanna.
Marrying to Reform Men.
Rigorous divorce law will also hinder
women from the fatal mistake Of marry
ing men to reform them. If young
man, by % years Of age Or 30 years Of
age, have the habit Of strong drink fixed
on him, he is as certainly bound for
drunkard's grave as that train start
ing out from the Grand Central depot at
s o'clock tomorrow morning is bound for
Albany. The train may not reach AL
bany, for it may be thrown from the
track. The young man may not reach
drunkard's grave, for something may
throw him off the iron track Of evil habit.
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