Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-19
Chicago Doctor Makes an Inter
esting Address Before Iowa
State Medical Society
DIVORCE FORTUNATE PROVISION
His Subject Was Diseases of Society"
and He Maintained That Man Was
as Likely to Make Mistakes in Mar
riaqe as in Any Other Direction =
Divorce Corrective.

Des Moines. May 19.-Divorce is a
fortunate provision, affinity is nom
sense and the legalized marriage does
not make it a divine contract, accord
ing to DR.. G. Frank Lydstrom of Chi
cago, author of Diseases of Society"
who took a hand in the discussion OF
the social evil before the Iowa State
Medical Society yesterday. DR.. Lyd-
stron's theories set the Iowa doctors
talking.
The .Chicagoan also advocated a
physical appeal to men and women to
correct the social evil and a campaign
for the general education Of its fatal
ity. He urged this as preferable to
the moral and the legal control. argu-
ing that a degraded man or woman
had no moral sense ana could be more
readily reached thru appeals to the
physical.
1.-The idea of supposing that mans
Judgment is infallible when 1t comes to
marriage" said DIR. Lydstrom in an in
terview, when it is not infallible in
other matters And is it sense to sup-
pose that either man Or a woman
will make no mistake in marriage?
Why, it may turn out that either the
man is vicious or the woman i'll tenn
pered And these people raise fam
lily. Do such people have the right
kind of children? Or it may be the
husband and wife are not suited at all
to each other.
There is no such thing as affinity
that's all nonsense" SAID he. Does
the fact that justice of the peace or
a mayor is authorized by law to say
few words, get 50 and dismiss the
parties with the parting words, What
God has Joined together let no man put
asunder,' does that constitute a divine
contract?"
He said that the physical appeal as
a means to correct the social evils had
not been sufficiently emphasized and
that physicians should conduct cam
paign to correct them.
In striking contrast to the position
of DR.. Lydstrom was that of DR.. j. f.
Herrick of Ottumwa, who read pa
per on "Some Views of Social Dis
eases" He argued strongly for the
development of the moral sense, the in
culcating of ideals into the minds of
the young, saying that altho humanity
was growing more highly educated its
accomplishments more marked and
laws forbidding social indulgence more
stringent, the practices had not de-
creased. He summarized his paper as
follows:
1.-The social evil has existed so long
as history records. This vice has caus-
ed the downfall of nearly all the great
nations of history. Laws forbidding
or regulating this evil have so far all
practically all been failures. There is
no reason to believe they would sue
coed better now. No reform made in
the face of public opinion and public
conscience will accomplish anything.
wealth and education do not seem
to lessen it's prevalence, but lessen to
pearance. The only thing that has
been successful in dealing With this vice
has been the moral law and the re-
straint it places on the actions Of men.
early marriage under the proper
conditions is the greatest protector of
virtue and should be encouraged be-
tween those who are physically and
morally fitted.
Men should be we'll instructed in
the consequences Of life of dissipa-
ton and advised as to the diseases and
ill health that may follow. Women
should know of these things that this
knowledge may warn them against the
wiles and snares Of the seducer and
prevent them from rushing headlong
into matrimony when there is ques-
ton of the morality of the prospective
husband"