The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-30
Marriage for Love.

ldTRe\ part OF ltS space LOT weeks 10
gether to the discussion OF the marriage
question by volunteer correspondents
now announces that it is forced to dis
continue the discussion. In the first
place, the volume Of the printable letters
was 80 great that they we're leaving
little room for anything else; but the
main and deciding reason, 1t explains,
is that hundreds Of the letters received are
absolutely unprintable because Of their
horrible confessions.
This affords remarkable revelation
of social conditions in England. Because
OF it Mr.. GEORGE MEREDITH made his
preposterous suggestion that marriage
for limited period, ten years. for ex-
ample, should be made legal and be sus-
tanned by social sentiment OF course,
his plan would only aggravate the trou-
BILE. 1t suggests the tragical results Of
the cynical policy of the man in DAUDET's
"Sapho' who boosted that he never es-
tablished an irregular relation with a
woman except for precisely limited
period. When the period of such con-
tract he made with a girl expired she
committed suicide, and in remorse he
killed himself also. 1t is true that this
was an arrangement outside OF marriage,
but Mr.. MEREDITH's limited marriage
would amount to the same thing. It
would run up against the obstacle of
sentiment on one side or the other; and,
at any rate, the institution OF marriage
and the man and the woman, more espe-
cially the woman, would be degraded
The experience of the London paper
contrasts radically with that in this
country in the matter Of the discussion
of the marriage question, at least so far
as THE Sun is concerned. In times past
that question has been made the subject
of hundreds Of letters sent to US, and
frequently correspondence bearing on it
directly or indirectly is now received
at this office. OF all these letters, we
remember not single one which was
unprintable because Of the character OF
its confessions or by reason Of horrible
disclosures Of domestic life. II there
have been criticisms of marriage they
have been humorous rather than savage,
but generally the expressions are of a
Darby and Joan content and mutual
satisfaction.
The contrast Is the more remarkable
because in this country divorces are 80
numerous that Churches are crying out
that the very institution of matrimony
is in danger; yet in England divorce is
comparatively rare. Between the two
there is also radical contrast in the
treatment Of wives in the matter Of di-
vorce. The divorce laws Of our States
are framed for the special protection Of
wives against i'll treatment and neglect
Of support by husbands; and the oonse-
quence is that two-thirds of the divorces
are obtained by wives, and OF these five
sixths for desertion, cruelty, habitual
intemperance and neglect to provide.
In England the discrimination is wholly
in favor of the husband He may obtain
a divorce simply on the ground Of in
fidelity by the wife, but she must prove
against him bigamy, infamous conduct
or gross cruelty in addition, in order to
have the marriage dissolved legally.
This leads us to refer to some acute
observations on the morality Of private
life in America made by the Ger
man WILHELM Won PoLENz in his recent
book entitled 'The Land of the Future.
He finds that in morality the United
States ranks Nat least az high as the best
European countries" and he contro-
verts the criticism that the frequency
Of divorce is "a suspicious symptom OF
the state Of morality among the Yam
kees.' saying, very truly, that with US
divorce does not depend on vice; that
although domestic scandals are rare In
America, divorce is Of daily occurrence
for the reason that public opinion Is In
favor of releasing a wife from intolera-
BILE marriage bonds.
This solicitude Of the law for the wife
Is exhibited in the Oldest and most
conservative States no less than in the
newest OF the West. For example, habit
ual drunkenness Is made a cause Of d.
vorce in all the States except eleven,
cruelty in-all except nine, desertion,
as we said before, In all except two.
Such legislation Mr.. Won PoLENz rightly
interprets as evidence of American rev.
erence for womanhood rather than of
any light regard for the marriage rela-
ton. an America" as he says, Eek
elusive OF the excrescenoe OF the thin
international upper stratum OF society,
marriage is seldom contracted for mere
monetary reasons, and marriage for love
is the rule" That is, In America the
ideal of marriage is elevated into the
region of romantic sentiment purely
more than in any European country.
These are considerations which may
well be kept In mind in the discussions
of the divorce question which are now
going on 80 earnestly In this country.
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