Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-17
UNIFORM DIVORCE LAWS.

UNlrUhM DlVUhCE LAWS.
The natIoral congress on uniform
divorce laws, recently IN session Mt
Philadelphia, adopted about one-third
OF the bill drafted by the committee
appointed for that purpose about nine
months ago. The congress was COM
posed of delegates from twenty-seven
states and the District Of Columbia, and
many religious denominations were rep
resented The delegates agreed on rec
ommending that the following causes
for divorce be acknowledged uniformly
throughout tile country: Inndelity, fell
ony blgamy, desertion, habitual
drunkenness, cruelty, and the ineurable
insanity of the husband.
The opinion is quite general through
out the country that uniform divorce
laws In all the states would be desirable,
from moral point OF view. AS II Is.
almost each state differs from others In
the laws bearing upon that subject
The violation OF the marriage vow Is
considered cause for absolute divorce
in all the states, but as to the other
causes there Is no general agreement
Wllful desertlon. for instance, liz con.
sidered cause for divorce IN most OF
the states, but the duration OF the de-
sertlon varies from one year in a NUM-
| Der OF states, to five years In Virginia.
| Habitual drunkenness IL not considered
| legal cause for divorce In Louisiana,
Maryland, New Jersey, New York.
North Carolina and few other states,
A number OF states do not recognize
Imprisonment for felony as a cause for
divorce, In others, cruel and abusive
treatment is not held to be a legal
ground for separation. In Kentucky,
ungoyerna Bile temper entities the victim
of 1t 10 divorce, Other causes in
different states are as follows; Illus
band VIGOROUSLY immoral before mar
rage" fugitive from Justice" gross
misbehavlor or wickcdness:" attempt
on life" refusal OF wife TO remove into
the state" mental incapacity at time
Of marriage" three years with any
religious society that believes the mar
| riage relation unlawful" Joining any
| religious sect that believes marriage
unlawful and Settled aversion which
| tends to permanently destroy all peace
| aud happiness" such are causes that
are recognized in different states as
sufficient TO separate man and wife.
II viii therefore be seen that the
congress at Philadelphia discarded
quite number OF causes for divorce
and retained only those concerning
which the opinion Is very nearly unanl.
nous.
What Is stlll more needed than an
agitation for uniform divorce laws, Is
movement Tor the limitation OF the
divorce evil There Is no doubt that
thousands of married couples would
stay together and be happy, II to SUM
der the marital ties were not 81 easy.
This Is sufficiently proved by the fact
that IN countries where there are strict
|
the opposite f. true where the divorce
courts are kept wide open. II men
and women would exercise little more
self.control, and not shrink from self
sacrifice, there would be fewer divorces.
DR.. Felix Adler tells Of case illus
tratlng this. There was mcompatibillty
Of temper. The husband was inclined
TO literary pursuits and the wife hal
absolutely no conception Of his aims
or aspirations. She was a practical
housekeeper. The two were rather
strangers to one another. Then they
formed the acquaintance Of q woman
well educated, ard taking great In
terest In literature, She became the
friend and confidante OF the husband.
At one time the thought entered his
mind to seek divorce from his wife,
and form new alliance with the new
ly found friend, But the next mo-
ment he became aware OF the encrm-
ity OF the contemplated crime against
the mother OF his children, whereupon
he broke on the friendship that I'm
doubleday wos very dear to him and
formed new determination to devote
his whole life TO his wife. The latter
. felt the change In her husbands affec'
tlons. and her heart responded, and the
two became happier together than they
had ever been before Had he yielded
to temptation. there would have beer
another case OF the breaking up Of q
/ home and the drifting apart Of SOUL
, that had pledged themselves to wall
llfes path together A great many
8 divorces arc the result OF such Yield
: Ing TO temptation, and some restraint
, IL needed, lest the evil becomes a men
7 ace TO one OF the most sacred lnstltu
! tlons--the home.
: This IL no Idle surmise. The safety
? Of the home depends upon the perma'
Q nency OF the marriage union But Il
this is constantly dsavowed in prac'