The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-28
DIVORCE LAWS OF EUROPE.
Husbands and wives Separate for
Many Causes-Recent Changes.

huHDnnuS anu wives separate
Many Causes-Recent Changes.
From the London Chronicle.
A paper was presented to Parliament
in 1894 containing returns in which an
outline was given of the marriage laws
prevailing in foreign countries, espe-
cially at ages at which marriage could
be contracted. the laws of prohibition,
the hours in which the ceremony could
be performed and the fees charged. Re
turns showing the state of the law on
divorce in the various countries. espe-
cially the grounds on which divorce
could be obtained, and the cost were
also included in the correspondence. In
June, 1902, Lord Lansdowne wrote
circular letter to his majestys repre-
sentatives abroad in which he re-
quested them to furnish him with a
report in a form suitable for presen-
tation to Parliament, showing in what,
If at all, the marriage laws and laws
of divorce In the various countries to
which they were accredited had been
amended since 1894. These reports
have now been officially published, and
show that some interesting changes
have been effected in the two branches
of law, though the great ma jority of
our representatives state that no
amendments have been made in the
statutes of the countries to which they
are accredited. 1t is the simplest course
to deal with the various states in which
the laws have been altered in the all
phabetical order in which they are ar
ranged in the correspondence.
In Belgium considerable amendments
were made in the marriage laws by a
new law in 1885, which cheapened and
simplified the formalities preliminary
to marriage. A similar policy was pur-
sued in France in the same year, and
the position which marriage occupies
in that country as a family institution
is well exemplified by the modification
introduced into article eli of the civil
code
Where the children of a family have
attained the majority fixed by act 14S
they must, previous to contracting
marriages, request in an instrument
couched in respectful and formal terms
the advice of their father and moth
er' or that of their grandfathers and
grandmothers, when their father and
mother are dead or incapable of mani
Testing their will"
In Germany the imperial law of 1875,
which regulated personal status and
marriage throughout the German EN-
pire, has been embodied, with modi-
fications, in the civil code, which came
into force on Jan. l, 1900. The mar
riage of English women in foreign
countries has recently been the SUBJ
ject of discussion, and it is interest
ing to observe that, under the civil
code, English subjects domfciled in
Germany are subject to German mar
riage laws, while English subjects not
domiciled in Germany are subject to
English law But the most sweeping
change has taken place i'm the Ger
man law of divorce. The laws of the
separate states have been annuled, and
the principles regulating the divorce
law for the whole empire are now con-
tanned in the civil code. At the same
time, the reasons for divorce have
been largely altered. and may be prof
itably compared with the narrow linn
it's of our own divorce laws. The new
German law recognizes not only di-
vorce, but separation. which has all
the effects of a divorce, the separat ted
parties, however not being allowed to
contract new marriages, and being able
at any time to resume conjugal rela-
tions.