Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-07-31
MARRIAGE IN RUSSIA.
The Unlimited Power OF Parents
Withdrawn, and That of the
Husband Substituted.

AS a daughter the Russian woman
IS under the absolute sway of her
parents. The coming of age makes no
alteration in her position. Until the
day of her death, if she remains un-
married, the place she occupies in the
family life is a place of dependence
upon the will of her parents. When q
woman marries she changes the au-
thority of parents for no less unquaii-
fed authority of husband. As the
Russian statute suggestively puts it,
zone person cannot reasonably be ex-
pected to fully satisfy two such unlim-
tied powers as that of husband and
parent"
The unlimited" power of the pa
rent, therefore, is withdrawn and that
of the husband substituted. She can
not leave him even to pay visit to a
neighboring town without a pass"
from him. He names the time she is
to stay, and at the expiration Of the
term she is bound to return or get it
renewed. A husband may appear in a
court of law as a witness against his
wife, but a wife is not permitted to
appear against her husband. A
woman's evidence is regarded also as
of less weight than that of a man.
when two witnesses do not agree, -
the code runs, "the testimony of an
adult outweighs that of a child, and
the testimony of a man that of q
woman"
According to the tenets of the Russian
.Aurch, marriage is sacrament, and is
theoretically indissoluble. There is no
such thing as civil marriage, and di-
Sorce, except in one case, is practically
lnobtainable by a woman. The excep-
ion is the deprivation Of civil rights
and Punishment Of the husband. If
the wife chooses she can follow her hus-
band into exile, and Russian literature
full of pathetic stories of women, ten
ierly nurtured. Drawing the terrors Of
he long Siberian march. All children,
iowever. born in exile, arssHegarded as
belonging to the lowest class Of society.
II. on the other hand, the wife seeks, on
ihe plea OF her husbands banishm emit,
divorce, the church in this case relaxes
aer discipline and grants the plea. Al
though the statute recognizes adultery
and desertion on the part of the husband
s. grounds for divorce, the law is beset.
Will SuCA O11uCufllcS IHdL II Is Never re-
sorted to except by the wealthy, who can
always make the tardy wheels revolve
more swiftly
While divorce is difficult 10 obtain,
here are other means resorted to which
coach the same destination, only by a
1ifferent route. Laws in Russia are made
lot to be- broken, but to be evaded, and
both the civil and ecclesiastical authori-
les have learned the art of evasion to
perfection, says a writer in the West
Minister Review. Marriages may be an
lulled If any informality has occurred
n them. and if parties are willing the
est is only a question of money In
,one parts of the empire the marriage
service is enacted with this contingency
n view. The certificate may be left un-
lated. or the age Of the contracting par
les omitted. In some parts of Little
Russia a relative, during the ceremony,
gives the bride slap, to prove in case
of need that she has married under COM
oulsion. Women who succeed in obtain
ing separation from their husbands on
The ground Of informality are received
into society, are allowed to marry again,
and may even be separated again with
put loss of position. There is, however.
more healthy public spirit arising.
which tends strongly in favor of an ad-
iustment Of the present laws