Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-02-11
Says it is Evidence OF a Desire TO
Reach Higher aud Better
Plane of Life
LAXITY OF THE MARRIAGE LAW.
Interesting Address Delivered Yester'
day Afternoon at Lad les lit.
erary Club,

dress by Mrs, teOlglA snow NdIietoHi
whose subject was, Uniform Marriage
and Divorce Laws" The lady, who n
an intensely interesting speaker, de-
claimed against the laxity OF the mar
riage laws, and held that the divorce
evil, deplorable as II is today was but
an evidence OF a desige to reach
higher and better plane of life, In
part she said
THE sentiment OF educated people
who have given the subject serious
thought, stripped OF sentiment, IL that
the divorce evil Is the outgrowth Of an
incorrect marriage relation Despite
the great number Of divorces granted
because OF trihing causes the great
proportion Of them Is granted because
of n higher and not a lower Ideal OF
marriage. When the home has be-
come disrupted I'm reality 1t Is time II
We're disrupted publicly and, 30 far as
the relationship Of the home has been
public, known to be So The marriage
tie has been found since the tribes OF
man became gregarious, 10 be an
economic one, aud today the special tie
which links the marriage OF today with
that OF thousands Of years Il, G. Is an
economic one. Hence much of the
trouble In the marriage relation arises
from the economic standard.
"The whole trend Of modern thought
IL TO make the marriage relation a
more serious one, and one less easy 10
enter. In only a few countries or the
earth do the local governments take
M the matter Of whom shall marry ~
our own country any one who wants
to may marry. The diseased, the UNI
wholesome, the foul. all have the right,
I'm Indiana law Is under discussion
today which shall prohibit the mar
riage of diseased persons TIL they nave
heen on probation for months, ana
then II they stu continue to wish TO
enter on the marriage relation, pro-
hibitIng their having children. rms
Is one OF the ways of remedying the
divorce evil The right sentiment IN
regard to the matter would pfohlDlt VI
advised and III considered marriages
and the marriages OF children Whlch
are permitted all over this country
and much of the evil would die OUT.
"chrlstlAhity. IL ls claimed, has done
much FOR Wohian. do not think Chris
tIanltv has dbne anything for woman
When the founders Of the early Chris
ian church were ready TO deal with the
sev question they did the best they
could with II according TO their knowl-
edge. The idea OF marriage as sacra
mont came not from Christ but from
paul paul ms bachelor thought only
M the carnal side of the marriage rela-
tionship, and with all respect 70 hach-
elors, no bachelor ever yet got 10 see
into Il pure wOman's heart Paul
sought to sanctlfy the marriage relation
by making Il a church sacrament ana
even then accepted II as only the lesser
Of two evils,
"rhe words written by Matthew
about Chrlsts Idea Of marriage were
written thirty-two years after they
were said to have been spoken. ana
there il grave question as to whether
they were ever said at all Both Luther
and MelancthOn saw that the marriage
relation was not sacrament. but
should be In the hands OF the state, not
the church, but they never were VIC
torlous IN this reform.
"For 300 years the matter OF the mar
riage relation was allowed to lie as
Paul had stated II. and then IL was
taken up by bachelors, discussed and
settled by Augustine, These men new
err learned to know the marriage rela-
tionship in its purity. The church did
the best II could all through In carry
Ing out the teachings OF the Gospels
But when II came down into the CEN
turtles 10 become a matter OF law as
well as Of doctrine. the words OF the
church were read with two meanings.
"Thls reading gave rise first to the dual
standard OF morality and made possible
the barbarious laws Of England today
| which make u impossible for a woman
| to obtain divorce for the same reason
| for which II Is given to man, unless
| there are additional reasons. Instead
| ,f o. NIL F..t
man of the yoke Of pagansm, II has
| sought 10 enslave her ana 60 establish
q double standard as between men and
women Modern science has come in
| however and has taught that woman
| is really from a sociological standpoint
| the important one nj the sexes as tho
mother Of the human race, AS such
| she has the right TO decree who shall
| be the father OF her children, the right
| To her issue and equal right with the
man In the eyes OF the law This 4 the
! reason for large percentage Of the di-
| yorCes because those whom God has
| not Joined, cannot be kept together
| This is evidenced by the great proper
ton of divorces In cur northern border
| states. The people OF Canada. which
| boast a stringent divorce law. find the
| laws Of God and OF nature as impera-
| tive as do the people Of South Dakota
or Of Arizona,
Despite the enormty of the divorce
! evil today, It IL really a sign Of the ad-
| Nancement of the age, II is the step
toward n higher and nober ideal Of
| the marriage relation, which DEGREES
| that unless the law OF God exists I'm the
heart. the man ana the woman are not
welded but only forming carnal
union In answer 10 the question, why
do people marry todayY | received one
answer. Because they want to- This
is the only reason which can make the
marriage relation a true union, II IL
not the reason which existed I'm earlier
periods OF the worlds history, The
marriage relation is the natural and
true relation OF man and woman, but
that marriage relation must be founded
! on real desire for one another's love
| and compauionshlp.
These great questions are being dis
cussed I'm every land, The movements
IN England, IN Australia, IN New zea-
! land and In our own country are sig.
! nlhcant and all tend toward a higher
and nobler life for the sexes and bet
ter and purer relationship between
them
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