The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-03-07

eminent thinkers, lawmakers and sociologists ali over the world.
i was originally the complaints and influence Of woman suffering
in unhappy marriages that caused the door of her prison to be opened
aIar So that she might have a chance to escape, and now it is woman
who, frightened BY the idea Of being left alone, clngs to the door
lno6 crying DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR o MUCH, HE
MIGHTRUN AWAYP
Both Of these circumstances are perfectly natural when we re-.
member that in both cases, that Of the unhappy marriage and that
OF divorce, it is the woman who suffers.
Marrage-or at least marriage as we know it in Francis by
no means a contract that gives equal rights to the two parties con-
cerned. Our laws give to man all authority and make women
promise obedience. The husband has the exclusive right to choose
the residence OF the family and if he is SO disposed can, by abusing
this privilege, make his wie's position almost mbearable. He has
the right to decide how and where the children shall be educated,
ana TINS can be used as another t~humbscrew to make the wife docne.
When misunderstanding. between man and wife makes life at
home disagreeable the husband finds it very easy to arrange for
pleasures and comforts outside of the home.
What is there more natural than that it should be the wife who
shoald first appeal .for.help to have the letters taken off, and when
she has aroused a strong public opinion in her favor our legislators
made dissolution OF undesirable and unhappy marriages possible.
put unfortunately Tor women, the claw making divorce legal
worked both ways-T o ONLY LIBERATED ABUSED WO-
MAN, BUT ALSO OPENED A OPH FOE MAN
AS husbands and wives, lovers and Judges became more familiar
with the idea of divorce, women were frightened by the increasing
facility with which they might be legally turned loose or left to shift
for themselves.
OF women; it is their natural desire; all their wishes concentrated
upon it. Then remember, too, that marriage is becoming more
dtHcut Tor women in moderate circumstances, and then think how
must affect them if they find that they are not even safe when they
have succeeded in getting married.
They begin to realize that life would be a state of Unrest to the
very end, and then the protests came, and their protest is touching
in its chldike simplicity
Public opinion has always treated men very lenientIy. A man
may get a divorce, he may figure as correspondent in divorce suit
or his wife may get a divorce from him on statutory grounds and
we will always find plenty of excuses for him. We will smlingly call
his escapades triaes that ought to be forgiven and his reputation
and standing in society will not suffer. No man will think any less
Of him, and most women will probably think hin more fascinating
than If he had always walked the straight and narrow patti.
But if woman sins everything is changed. If she commits. if
only one error and is found out, she is never forgiven, and her own
sex will judge her more harshy than men will. A divorced woman
has no friends, she finds every door closed against her, and no matter
how hard she tries she can never build up her lost reputation. She
may be as pure and innocent as a child, she may go to live in a
strange city, the very minute Il is found out that she is a divorced
woman she is doomed and dropped from the lists of good society
This IS the reason why woman, who formerly was always anxious
to have liberal divorce laws passed, is now firmly arrayed against anv-
thing that wiI'make a dissolution of marriage easier.