The Washington herald., 1908-07-22
ABOUT MATRI1EONY.
Two Tennessee Ladies whose Con-
duct Is Suggestive.

Two Tennessee Ladies whose Con-
duet Is Suggestive.
Frun the vicksbu-s Azss-lczz-
The Institution OF rnatrfrnony. seems 70
be falling into the sere and yeslow leaf.
Any vhim OF caprice or none at all is
sufficient cause for the Institution OF d.
vorce proceedings Husbands OF the lower
social order desert their families with ap-
parently no more sense OF responsibility
than IS felt by male animals AIIionaires
and society" lights have degraded the
marriage relation into a SOFT OF pro
sressive' game. changing partners at the
tap OF q bell Men and women who rec
osnize the seriousness Of life and its OBJ
legations are growing so shy OF the duties
and dangers OF the matrimonial partner
ship that a nation OF bachelors and spin
sters is threatened II the disposition 10
shy at marriage continues, It appears that
in time the only people who enter the
once holy estate will be the ignorant and
unthilking. who marry from instinct and
multiply on the same principle that in
cites the lower animals TO propagate their
kind. ard the idle and vicious rich who
marry and swap wives and husbands as
their fancy dictates.
\ strange and significant example Of
the decay Of respect for the marriage tie
and rebellion against its responsibilities
and restrictions is given by the case Of
Grace Duncan Ferren. q vyeli-knOwn ar-
thOreSs OF Tennessee. who. on the eighth
anniversary Of her marriage. simply an
n0unCed 10 her husband that she did not
love him any more, and was going away.
With these words, she left the house. en-
tered a carriage and departed much
after the fashion OF Nora in Ibsen's
drama
The only reason given is that she wished
10 devote her time exclusively 70 literary
work. AID her action was almost exactly
the same as that OF Grace 8IacGOwan
Cooke, another Tennessee authoress, who
left her husband and severed marriage
ties OF fourteen years duration simply
because the duties Of married lie inter
fered with her chosen profession. We are
accustomed 70 regard the South as the
home Of conservatism, and its women OF
the higher class as especially the guard
ians Of the tine-p-oved rules Of moral
conduct. yet here are two ladies. each
types OF that class OF Southern gentle
women. in which We look for ultracon-
servatism. both Of whom have taken
stand in regard TO the institution OF mar
riage which can only be regarded as the
eAtEeLlo OF EdQlcd.4SIll- " len TIE Cll-
cago or New York slUm dweIler gets
tired OF his fast increasing family and
disappears. leaving them to the tender
mercies OF the organized charities. We
condemn him and punish him If We can
catch him When q millionaire cOvets
his neighbor's wife and breaks the Com
mandments by the aid OF an accommodate
Ing divorce court we condemn him. OF
course. and would Ike TO punish him Il
the law could pierce through his armor
Of golden dollars; but in neither of these
cases do We see any special peril TO the
institution Of marriage, 10 that home life
on which is founded the very structure
OF society But when the bonds are calm
" and deliberately broken by men and
women OF the Intelligent and responsible
class. when marriage is set aside as a
thing OF naught when It interferes with
the tastes and pursuits OF people OF the
social order and high character Of these
two Tennessee ladies'. then, indeed. it be-
gins 10 look as if the world must revise
some OF It's estimates