New-York tribune., 1906-12-29
A NUMBER OF PROTESTS.
Correspondent Wants Law to Check Cir
culation of Freak Ideas"
~ 90 Tbe rrIb,,ra

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir Is there law-if not. should there not he
one-to prohibit the number Of freaks that come
forward with notions either in book form other
wise. which most misleading and demoralisng
and have a tendency to affect the morals of the
whole human race? II no such law exists in this
direction. should not the state take the matter up
and prevent such things from occurring?
Some years ago Robert Ingersoll came forward.
for the benefit Of his pocket. with crusade
against the Almighty. and lectured to thousands
Of simple minded people. leading them 10 believe
that there such thing a Supreme Being
hereafter and that existence on this earth
was Of the animal nature BY so doing he turned
thousands Of people to atheism who otherwise
would have lived good Christian lives.
Then comes DIR. Osler who Is reported as max
ing the sta tement that when man becomes forty
he IS unfit for work of any kind and at sixty
should he chloroforrued and put off the earth.
Such a statement may have little effect on some
people. but there are classes it will influence in a
way-those struggling along through life and not
meeting with much success 1t would tend to
cause many men 10 lose their courage and prob
ably cease TO make any further effort to succeed
Now have a woman. with no consideration
for the morality Of the people, bringing out
suggestion win have little effect on sible ana
right minded people, but the evil will rest on the
class that are carried away with any foolish idea
numerous books of ike nature circulated through
out the country, that have contaminated the minds
Of young and old. as they are all written on the
anything that happened in ordinary life.
SNch DOORS are placed IN channels where all
classes of people. especially the young of the
country. procure them. These books a
great factor toward filing the divorce court. and
should never be allowed to be circulated. The
statistics given in the divorce court the last few
years are alarming. They show five hundred thou
sand divorces in twenty years. which means this
number of women thrown unon the world. and
an average Of two children each could be easily
estimated which would mean million children
practically left homeless
So the moral spirit Of the country should awaken
10 this fact, as there never was period in the
worlds history when it was at such low ebb even
with the sacred marriage laws that exist at the
Idea of trial marriages would be in force It would
mean nothing but disgrace for all women. Owing to
the loose the divorce law Is carried out il leaves
IT open for unbalanced and unreliable men to marry
a girl merely for the romance of it. knowing that
divorce he obtained easily What there
is needed to protect women is more binding mar
riage law. that will prohibit divorces being
obtained easily. Such lax laws merely dig
ging the grave and sending thousands of women TO
degradation. The girls of the country should be
awakened to this face have never seen statistics
published showing the number of fallen women that
exist but if such could he obtained they might
give idea Of what the loose divorce law is
doing il Is great factor in this direction and
will show the number Of women that thrown
upon the world practically pennilesS. There is only
TO Danish this degrading idea of trial mar
Tiages IF the virtue and respect Of the country
TO be upheld, let all people with moral intent
forward and assist I'm doing away with such
rubbish and with such books. c.. W.
Manhattan. Dec. 2S 1905.