The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-05
THE REFLECTIONS OF. A kNOCkER
on pa0eaEssvE nAIaMoNY 4~+ BY JOHN KEN6RlcE BANGS
ON PROGRESSIVE MATRIMONY.
tni Tell you. Redface., I'D

iftE TELL you, Redface," said the
Knocker as he entered the Growl-
ers lately, there is at least one
man of sense and courage in this sneak
ing old world of ours-a man without
pretense, with ideas that are not con-
founded by any of the foolish conven-
Iions of society, and the nerve TO pro-
muIgate them"
Has he anything to Iose?'' asked
Redface.
"Bosh! You old pessimist!" retorted
the Knocker- Anything TO lose-I
guess he has. His name is George Mer-
edith and he attacks no less an institu-
ton than that modern tyranny, the lat
ter-day slavery known as matrimony.
'Oh-he does. does hep laughed Red
face. We'll, he has got nerve. Pretty
bad business that for novelist, / think.
don't you? If you knock out matrimony
you stamp out population, and if you
haven't got any population, who the
deuce is going to buy the books your
novelists writer"
He doesn't stamp out population,
said the KnOcker. Chances are he'll
improve it's quality if ne succeeds in
putting his plan through. He doesn't
" advocate the abolition. but the reguIa-
tiOn of marriage. and in a way which
strikes me as most effective. He wants
the matrimonial contract to be limited
10 a term of years, instead of being
life sentence"
with what object?"
We'll. first. to promote happiness:
and. second, to abolish the divorce evil.
For my part, I think it's magnificent
scheme. though it seems to me that ten
years is TOO long a term. He ought to
make it seven at the outside. Science
tells US that we humans change COM
pletely every seven years, so that Oh
the mere ground of morality alone two
people who have been married in 1900
ought to be either freed or remarked in
1907. They are not the same people. you
see, and not having been parties. to the
original contract they should not be
bound by it, nor can they with entire
TTopriety continue TO live together. But
entirely apart from this moral aspect
of the case, how much better it would
he for the world if an irksope alliance
that is gradually driving the man to
drink. and turning the woman's hair
gray and furrowing her brow with
wrinkles should expire by the provisions
OF a limited contract. Just take the
case of poor old Billie Sassafras. for in
stance. Has Mrs. SaSsafras turned out
Il be the wife he contracted for. and
has Billie turned out to be the husband
she contracted for? I guess not. When
he married her she was = slender, ten
new dress a season was the height of
luxury ana a seat in the front row Of
the balcony circle at matinee the sew
eTth heaven of delight Now it's ten
expensive creations a winter the shady
allows herself theatre tickets twice a
week in the best orchestra seats, and "A
box at the opera every Monday night.
Instead of a ruuabout and "A single cob
To carry her hitheT and yon, the lady
now demands a brougham with "A foot
man on the box for her shopping and
IN automobile with "A chauffeur and an
assistant gas man to take care Of the
engines for her touring. and swell vic
toTia with pair of pTancinE Steeds for
park use. The slender tenderness and
tender slendeTneSs that first caught Bill
lies fancy has developed into pOrtly
shortlness and embOnpOint that is
overwhelming and the sparkling eve
tlat used TO watch for his coming in the
old coUrtship days has now a cold and