Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1899-11-11


39l-E. q. Langan.
!!l0-Edwari Conlon.
aIi!-I;; {; e. Krrls. iSr,n.r
42!s- rcrrault 4 Co.
51ts-S. Mandell.
NORTH WESTERN AVENUE
CD. Baumbach.
21O-JnO. Nuss.
l5S-August Dcppc.
tgE.-Niels johnson.
NeSA
Clcons famous injunction to call no
man happy until he Is dead evidently
needs revising for modern use In its
application to those who. dying. leave
fortunes behind them. The modern re-
vision should he to call no man happy
until contestants, courts and lawyers
have divided his estate. The most re.
cent illustration of the tendency to lltl-
CATION over the wills of dead men Is fur.
| Dlshed In the case of the estate of the
late Judge Hilton. who acquired several
Millions himself as the executor of the
estate of the late a. r. Stewart. The
Hilton will, which X declared valid by
the courts will dispose of an estate of
S6.OOO,OOO, Is contested by a son and
nau,esake of the distinguished lawyer
Oh the ground that 1t was not the free,
'unconstrained and voluntary act of Its
alleged author. The grievance Of the
contestant Is that he was left but $2J,-
600 of the estate. which he does not
think to be his equitable share. lie has
retained two of the best known and
highcst-prlced lawyers In New York.
which indicates that they at least have
strong hopes of success In their attempt
to break the will. Contcstlng the wills
of the rich constitutes only one of the
many ways In which great estates are
dlsslpated'in this country, but It has be.
come very much the fashion. The
Stewart will. the Tilden will. the Hoyt
will and the Pullman will are readily
recalled rs conspicuous instances OF
this sort Of litigation. and u suit to
break the will Is nearly as certain to
follow the death of rich man as the
funeral, and II must be the very care
fully draw testament of u very shrewd
and clever.headed man that escapes
being set aside upon one plea or an.
other. The net result. OF this universal
will cOntestlng process II that very few
fortunes are pcrpetuated beyond the
second generation. The lesson to those
who want to control the disposal Of
their money after death Is that the only
sure way to do so Is TO dispose Of |,
while they are yet living. A gift made
during the life of the glver cannot be
recalled by courts. contestants or law
ycrs after he II dead. The man who
gives away the bulk Of his estate before
he dies may not perpctuate his estate IN
q family name for generations. but he
will ut least he certain that the lawyers
will not divide 1t after he Is dead.
Tho securing Of uniform divorce laws
In all the States Of the Union has al
vanced to the stage Of the cOmmltte,
appointed to draft d uniform law max
Ing Its report. The cause for which ]
Ia proposed that irks0me marriage tiel
shall be put nsunder IRE adultery
extreme cruelty, habitual drunkenness
or confirmed habit Of intOxicatlon, con
viction for felony, with sentences 4
prison nnd u continuous desertiOn for ,
period Of years to be hereafter deter
mined. The causes enumerated Are no
grounds for divorce In some States
ana there IRE other grounds upOl
which u severance Of the marriage I'll
can be obtained In some States. Failur
to provide II sufficient cause for dlvOrc
In many States, and 1t Ii not apparcn
why the committee failed to enibOdy
In the cause to be embraced In til
uniform law that 1t Is proposed I
D. enact. True. It could only he taken nd
vantage Of by wives. In twenty year
there were 1855 women granted d
vOrces on the ground OF neglect to prt
vide. Every one OF those women
better for not being tied to u lax!
worthless husband. and the advance
ment and uplifting OF women demand
that failure to provide should be Ike
Of release from bonds that prevent prt
gresslOn and are deterrent to happiness
When man Ia physically and mental
able to provide for his family and full
to do 80 he is as guilty Of violating III
marriage vows as the drunkard and til
felOn. There may be mitigation for til
sins Of commission for which 1t Ii pr,
posed ia, grant divorce, but what cOul
mitigate the sin of omission that is NJ
included In the cause for divorce?
%SA
Boys should early be taught the he'll
BUSINESS of the Offense Of splitting. bot
from the basis of decency and dangt
to public health. 1t Is much easier
prevent the formation OF habit OF til
kind In a boy than to correct 1t In
man, ana herein lies the mothers pa
In the warfare against splitting. No Q!
tension of wOman's rights IL necessal
to make mothers a power In this n
elected realm. All that Is required
return to u duty once faithfully Ill
charged-but In the rush Of modern III
neglected-the vlgilant maternal supe
vision Of boys during the years
which their habits are formed. The bl
who Is taught tnnt to spit on Il
hearth. the steps-anywhere about Il