Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-04-20
Observation-Disclosures
Women Debaters Give Reasons
For a Uniform Law.
PARTING PREFERRED TO STRIFE
Greatest Cause of Misery to Greatest
Number of Women should BE Basis,
snys n Member of a Political Study
society-Central Divorce Laws From
Washington Advocated by Another.

| The Society For Political Study in
New York voted the other afternoon
after a debate that u uniform divorce
law is much. needed in the United
States, says the New York Times. 1t
was not q one sided discussion for be-
fore voting for the law the club voted
on the argument and decided that, as
Mrs. Frederick A. Dana, who present
ed the subject, said, the negative put
up the best talk
There are 612 divorces out of every
10000 marriages in this country" said
Mrs. Dana in opening, ''over per
cent, and that is not only bad for us,
but it is scandal TO other nations.
Among our divorce laws we have ev-
erything, from the state which will not
allow divorces at all to others which
show ten recognized causes for di-
vorce. 1t sounds like clothing house
advertisement-'We fit the hard to fit
With ten styles of ready made causes
for divorce in the United States it
would seem as though every one might
be fitted"
"Of course l believe in a uniform di-
vorce law" said Mrs. Lille Devereux
Blake, for now u man. divorced and
remarked travelling from Maine to Cal
ifornia will find that while he is mar
ried in one state he is not in another.
In one he is married to his first wife,
in another to his second. in still an
other he is married to both. and in
some states he is married to neither"
81 have never been divorced" said
Mrs. Belle de Rivera before she began
h IN, y,o
er expect to be divorced / have never
had a member of my family or a friend
who was divorced, so that this matter
does not affect me personally"
There are some true marriages, but
we must acknowledge that another
kind exists. A marriage made other
than for love is not true marriage.
Whom God hath Joined together let no
man put asunder,' but there is poet
who repeats, Whom God hath joined
together let no man put asunder, but
who can tell, I wonder-the uninspired
may sometimes make a bIunder.' If
mistake has been made which must
last lifetime, isn't it better to have a
divorce?
There are many reasons for divorce
which is not seemly for me to mention
to you. There are many women who
rather than tell of the reasons for
which they wish to be divorced would
suffer a lifetime. And for these would
not 1t be well to have another reason
say incompatibility of temper? Incom-
patibility! Yes, and 1 do believe that
that Is as good a cause for divorce as
could be given. If two people can only
live together in constant discord it is
better for them to separate.
You remember the woman who was
asked If her husband was even tenn
pered and she answered. Yes, he is al
ways cross A man recently asked for
divorce from his wife because she
would not speak to him. Isn't it a
good reason for divorce If one person
will not speak to another? If you had
friend who was unhappily married,
wouldn't you wish for divorce for
her? And they speak of the evil eff
fects for the children, but it is much
better for child to go with one parent
or another than to be brought up in
an atmosphere of discord. But it is
not the divorce, but the marrying
again, of which Mrs. Blake spoke
which troubles us, and that is a differ
ent question"
THE greatest cause of misery to the
greatest number of women-that should
be the basis of q uniform divorce law,
and that can be found by statistics"
said Mrs. Sally Cory. "a uniform di-
vorce law need not be stringent, and if
a bright woman ever wanted to get
a divorce she would be sure to manage
lit"
I'VE must give the states a chance
for evolution in divorce laws" said
Mrs. Trow. "In the newer states,
where everything is In state of tran
stion, there are more reasons for d.
vorce, and there should be more meth
DDS for obtaining 1t. In the older ones
they abolish the reasons for divorce.
But the trouble is not in the ease with
which we get divorces, but the ease
with which we are married. l have
known twenty cases of unhappy mar
riages because of observation-disclosures or
of deformity which untitled for the re-
sponsibilities of married life.'
1--WE ought to have central divorce
laws from Washington" said Mrs. Win
fired Judge. the club president, $50 that
a woman need not wake up in the
morning duu uDu tudl sic Has Dctn III
vorced overnight in some little half
baked community, and that has been
done. To have the state requirement
for divorce a crime for either man or
woman is a terrible thing, for it brings
disgrace upon the children.
Abandonment or drunkenness and
abuse are good causes for divorce
When a society woman is divorced
there Is talk all over the country about
1t, but no one knows of the many d.
vorces that take place among the mem
bers Of the foreign element of our pop
ulation. Wednesday matinees' they
call the days in the courts where the
poor people go to get their divorces,
and the Judges say that the women
are treated SO abominably that 1t would
be wicked not to let them get them
easily"