The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12

be most important contribution to legal
history II some one in each State had the
time and patience to prepare q resume OF
its laws for women similar to the one above
referred to. II would be also the most sig
nificant illustration possible of the evolu-
ton of woman from an absolute chattel to
an individual human being with recog-
nized rights not far inferior to those Of
man
The New York World recently published
symposium regarding the word "obey'
in the marriage service. made up OF opin-
ions from well-known strong minded
women, prominent brides-elect and Episo0-
women Of course repudiated the word, and
all Of the brides-to-be announced decidedly
that they did not propose to have 1t used in
the ceremony. The following were among
the remarks Of the clinging young creatures:
Il Tilted my first love because he had
deep-seated idea that woman owed abso-
lutte, unqnestioning obedience to her hus-
7 band"
Everybody knows that women an rule,
do not obey their husbands. Obedience
implies difference in station. l shall 80
conduct myself as to command the respect
of my husband, and no man who respects
his wife will humiliate her with orders.
There Is something more or less servile
about obedience. and in my married life
will have none Of it, The whole trend Of
human affairs is toward equality. When
woman surrenders her right to indepen-
backward. When at the altar a bride
promises to obey her husband. she dis
credits herself or deceives him. Every
word in my marriage vow will be a holy
bond with me, and for that reason l will
have the word obey eliminated
Il will obey nobody. am Of age. am
self-supporting. have travelled, read,
studied, achieved success. Why should
obeyP l am marrying husband. not q
manager No manly man would expect or
demand obedience of bis wife. No honest
man would want his bride to utter the word
obey with mental reservation. Don't
let us start married life with a lie"
! 1t would be supertiuous to comment ON
these opinions, They are enough to make
the grandmothers turn in their graves and
test but it is not likely that the prospective
husbands are In the least disturbed. They
marry with their eyes wide open to the fact
| that wives are no longer vassals and that
the old definition of Blackstone Is very
dead letter husband and wife are one
person, and the very being and existence
OF the wife are Incorporated into that OF
her husband" But men marry just the
same and there il every reason to believe
that married life is happier to-day, IN gen.
eral. than ever before. The prevalence
of divorce is no evidence to the contrary
because the law did not permit them, wives
had no means Of supporting themselves
and their children, and an adverse pubic
sentiment made their life even more misera-
bic than an unworthy husband was able TO
, do. Ask the grandmothers whether the
marriages of the past were PARADISE wltn-
out serpent.
The Ave Episcopal ministers who were
interviewed all declared stoutly in favor
Of keeping the word obey in the service;
But they Just az stoutly insist that habitual
drunkenness, extreme cruelty and perma-
nent desertion should not be grounds for
divorce. And they hold also that those
, who make an unfortunate marriage IN
, youth should endure lifetime OF misery,
; or, If driven to separation. should he
: doomed henceforth to live alone. There
is practically no public sentiment behind
such extreme views, and those who enter
tain them forfeit respect, in great meas
4 IRE, for their opinions on other subjects;
They are a check on the broad, liberal ana
humane tendencies of the age.
D At a recent notable wedding in Indian
| apolis another commendable departure
, was made Instead of going to meet the
: groom in the conventional manner. on the
arm of her father, the bride walked down
:, the aisle of the church between her father
| and mother II ia to be regretted that
= | she did not carry this sensible and pretty
idea to the extent of having both OF them
> | give her away" since she found II neces-
, sary to be presented to the bridegroom.
This custom Ia quite as reprehensible as the
, one which retains -obey" in the marriage
service Both are relics of the time when
every woman was supposed to belong and
render obedience to some man. There
= was the amusing spectacle In New York
= n short time ago of a grandmother, who,
=, , on making second marriage, was given
! away" by her son, O youth who was scarcely
Y J ont of his teens. Speed the time when
women who are independent enough to
: refuse obedience to one man Will be self
respecting enough not to admit the owner
ship OF another.
The papers are giving considerable space
3 TO that part of former Ambassador Andrew
, D. Whites address, at Yale University, on
I, founding departments to tit students Tor
. public life, legislative and executive he
would have, perhaps, twenty-five OF the
largest institutions of learning establish
, professorships and scholarships bearing
directly upon public affairs, legislation.
i, administration, diplomacy, international
law, &c. ,,-
, these departments would be open to women,
, and we should then have the ludicrous spec
tacle of our country eXpending vast sums
, Of money to educate in politica! questions
/ portion Of its citizens whom 1t does not pet d.
init to engage in politics 70 the extent of
voting for a village constable. In the splen-
did education it gives its women, in the un-
= limited business opportunities it affords
4 them and in It's utter exclusion OF them
from any part in affairs If state, 1t is already
rendering itself ridiculous.
> In his commencement address Mt Welles-
lev Richard Watson Glider took occasion to
! say that probably none of the girls before
| him would live to vote. Assuming that they
| are 20 wears old ard that they will live to
4 The allotted age Of 10, this was not very
: sapacious prophecy. Some of them possi-
4 bv reside in the four States whore women
= have the full suffrage already. Others are
{ likely to 90 there. OF" to Great Britain or
+ some of her colonies In over half Of the
. States in our own country, including Massa-
. chusetts. where Wellesley is situated. they
r can now exercise partial franchise. With
Mr. Glider the wish was father to the
b, thought, but he will have to guess again.
= That man has poor reasoning faculties who
, Gun believe that these thousands OF women
, who are being graduated from the UNIVERSE
? lies who are acquiring great business inter
i ests who are entering largely into civic l'fe
l viii continue to endure for the next fifty
! wears the disadvantage and Illumination OF
4 Acknowledgement
5 MS CENT CAME BACK.