Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-10
TRAVELLER SUGGESTS
CREATION OF ooClAL
MARRIAGE BUREAU

TRAVELLER SUGGESTS
CREATION OF coCIAL
MARRIAGE BUREAU
DR.. Paul Edwards the noted author
traveller now here, yesterday sent the
following suggestion:
ITO Mayor Harper-I have been read
ing of your efforts to bring marriage
able men and women together and L
thoroughly indorse you in this good anu
rare work. 1t is said that opportunities
make thieves, then surely opportunities
will make marriages, and marriages
will bring a train of blessings
II once wrote little book called
Marriage and Morality" in which I
showed that lack of opportunities to
meet soulmates kept thousands of busy
men and women from marrying.
II remember once, long years ago,
that the board of supervisors in some
county in the state of Washington
caused it to be known in Massachusetts,
that there was a dearth of women in
Washington and that there were many
honorable bachelors, well off, in that
wealthy state. Straightway it was said
over 400 manageable Yankee girls
trekked across the American continent
and captured $50 rich Washington
bachelors; still better these marriages
proved very respectable and very profit
able to the state of Washington.
Still another case of more recent
years was that of the school teachers
sent out to teach the Filipinos to read
and write. Our government collected
some 300 men and women teachers and
sent them as a mixed cargo on one
transport On their arrival at Homo
lulu thirty couples-SiXty persons-were
married, and they had been together
seven days On their arrival at Manila
many others were married. Three
years later 1 visited the Philippines and
learned that nearly every one of them
had married.
This shows, Mr.. Mayor that people
are not averse to marrying, but that
in this busy life all seem too busy to
seek a long, tedious course of ac-
quaintance such as most families exact
and society demands.
I'm my book on Marriage and Moral
ity" 1 advocated the right of woman
to propose, of men to accept or decline
just as women now do. Marriage is
the most vital state in the human life,
and why bar woman from all initia-
tive? She certainly has always been
wronged in this matter.
Il advote a regular social bureau
where. men and women may file appli-
cations with specific conditions and all
particulars, the applications to be on
view subject to public inspection at all
times. The publicity given these ap-
plications would render them less liable
to be insincere.
"This bureau should be kept by re-
liable persons and the whole machinery
to be part of the public school sys-
tenn. The man who wished to file his
application would carefully write out
the facts, get them confirmed by sew
eral neighbors (who must know him
WELD, then send his application and
credentials to the superintendent of
public schools, who if he thought best
would indorse and send it on to the
county social bureau. A female ap-
plicant would go through the same
process.
'There would be nothing secret in the
whole matter. I have studied the sub
ject, Mr.. Mayor, in many lands of this
earth and 1 find that wherever mar
riage is protected there we find high
civilization, high standard of morality,
stable governments and universal edu-
cation. But in those countries where
marriage is a mockery we find illegit-
imacy running to S5 per cent, illiteracy
80 per cent, crime rampant, life inse-
cure murders frequent and frequent
revolutions
"Up till within a few years of our
time the laws of France forbade the
women of that country to trace or
point the paternity of their illegitimate
children, and in those times France
was a government in name only, her
population declined, her commerce de-
cayed and shame covered the land. 1
am glad to say that France is now do
ing better and marriage is protected
by law.
Eyes. Mayor Harper, press on, give
marriage boom right here in Los AM
geles. Her fair maidens and plump
widows know that you stand ready to
lend your whole official prestige to the
good work. 1 hope that after you are
done with the good work a strong
movement will be made to establish
legal. permanent marriage mart in this
city. 1t would be more than self-sus-
tanning, besides do endless good.
Marriage is not a fad-it is purely
a moral sentiment-one demanded by
the best welfare of the human race,
and 1 bid it God speed. Sincerely your
and bid 1t God speed. Sincerely yours,
"DR. PAUL EDWARDS.
Westminster Hotel"