The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-29
EDITORIAL coMMENT
The Divorce Doctors Suggesting
Remedies.

Detroit News:
Judge Frederick ". Mayne of Charlie
VolN discussed the matter of marriage
and divorce before the state association
OF judges yesterday. He took the view
that proper remedy for the marital
troubles that seek settlement in court is
to make marriage more difficult This
IS radical enough to startle the bench
and bar. Such a policy carried to its
ultimate enforcement would put an end
to divorces. 1t has been the experience
IN Cuba, Porto Rico Mexico and other
countries that when marriage is made
difficult, or even a little more expensive
than the people consider necessary, they
do not marry. The result is that 60 or
70 per cent of the younger generation
have only putative fathers. Divorces,
desertions voluntary separations. nom
support cases and other ruptures of the
marriage contract are numerous enough,
all will admit, but we would hardly care
to exchange present conditions for d
worse one.
The specific reforms suggested by
Judge Mayne are: A three weeks in
terval between the procuring of Ii
cense and the marriage ceremony, to-
gether with two publications of the IL
cense; an increase of the age limit to
20 years and is years for males and
females respectively, except in cases
where the judge of probate considers
advisable or urgent, and requiring the
applicant for a license to show moral
character and an ability to support a
family. This latter would knock mar
rlages between American heiresses and
foreign titles galley west.
Judge Mayne would restrain parties
from applying for divorce until they
have lived apart for period of one
year. He would withhold decree for
six months after the application and
he would enioin the parties from mar
rying again for another six months In
the case of the offending party he
would make the injunction for two
years. Judge Newman advised if
criminal charges are contained in the
complaint, immediate prosecution of the
defendant upon the criminal charge as
soon as the divorce is granted. None Of
these suggestions appeal to reason as
effective remedies. except perhaps in a
few cases Injunctions against divorced
parties are difficult to enforce. for the
jurisdiction of the court is limited
Those who desire divorces and have the
money can get them regardless of the
laws of Michigan, which are pretty lib
eral They can obtain them in other
states until there is an interstate agree
ment upon a uniform law. In like man
ner divorced parties can remarry at
any time with perfect safety by leaving
/ the jurisdiction of the enjOinlng court.
People cannot be made models of pro-
priety by legal injunction. Public NOR
ais and private department depend
/ largely upon home training and re-
/ ligiOus training. Children who are well
4 brought up, who have character i'm
4 pressed upon them. who are cautioned
! by their parents regarding the import
ance of character in their life partners
and have the Solemnity of the marriage
relation drilled into them from child
/ hood, are not apt to make many mis-
takes and few of them are found in the
divorce courts. Home training always
has been and always will be more por-
ent than stringent laws for the regula-
ton of conduct.