The Washington times., 1908-12-13
Liberal Severance of Mar
riage Bonds Makes for Up
lift, Declares Rabbi.
ONLY SALVATION
FOR OLD WORLD
Thinks Europe Would Lose Much
Moral Rottenness by Spread
of American Tendency.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 13.-That the
divorce courts of the United States are
uplifting rather than degrading the ma
ton. and that the Old World would lose
much Of its moral rottenness II its
laws for the severance of marriage
bonds were more liberal were asser-
tions in a sermon delivered this morn
ing by the Rev Dr. Joseph Krauskopf,
in the Temple Keneseth Israel. Broad
street and Montgomery avenue
Rabbi Krauskopf's address was based
on the revelation recently made by
those in charge of the national census
on marriage and divorce that one we'd
ding in every twelve ends I'm a legal
separation, and that three-fourths Of
those who seek severance Of the marital
ties are women:
He said: This report though no sur
prise TO those who have observed the
trend of things in late years. has star
tied the nation, and has kept the
prophets Of I'll quite busy since its pub
hcation. Some Of these are practically
counting the days when marriage will
be no more.
Trial Marriages Reality.
'Basing their estimate upon the pres
ent rate Of divorce, they claim that in
the year 1920 every marriage entered
into will ultimately be severed by law.
Trial marriage, advocated few years
aSo as a novelty according to their
view, has become a reality. When men
and women plight their troth before
preacher or magistrate it is no more for
union that shall last until death do
them part. but until such time when the
one shall cease 70 care for the other.
but a step, they assert, separates
trial marriage from that free love which
Is being advocated in some of our latter
day novels and plays, and large is the
number of those who have already
passed from the one lot other. Man S
modern conception of marriage, accord
ing TO them, IS largely that Of a poultry
yard Men and women having origi-
nally been pOlySamOUs and pOlyandrous,
are fast reverting to that bestial type
out Of which thousands Of years OF
civilization have labored hard to lift
them. So great has become the cor
rOding influence Of prosperity on marital
morality that. where the passions bid
there religion and law forbid IN vain.
'When 1 analyze the causes Of unhap-
py marriages, when 1 note by whom
for the most part. divorces are sought
10 whom they are granted, and for what
cause, when I find that twO-Jhirds OF
divorces are granted to wronged women
that wives find It more and more IN
suffersible to continue yoked 10 hus-
bands who have disgraced their man
hood. who have violated the sanctf-y
OF wcmanhood. who have polluted the
purity Of the marital tie
Sees Higher Standard.
when these facts note, 1 see the
6ay coming when marriage will have =
far different meaning from what it has
now. when entrance into it will cOnstI-
tute a coveted privilege, not a convent
ence or speculation. OF diversion. when
purity. not purse will constitute the alb
solutely necessary prerequisite, when all
the honor that is now demanded OF
woman viii be demanded Of man, when
q .s-k of it in man will constitute O.
much OF a bar to marriage, or to con
tlnuance in II as a lack Of It now cor
ktitutes bar to woman.
That there are more divorces in ouI
country than in Europe we freely grant
DLL We are iloL pItpeiet 10 = rant tLltll
the lesser European divorces are a sigr
Of a larger morality than is found among
us. or Of a higher regard for the sacred
ness Of marriage, or of a greater re-
G9ect Of wOmanhOOd.
''The lesser number OF divorces in Eu.
rOpean countries is due principally tC
the fact that in a very large number
of them the church. as well as the law
forbids divorce. \ wife in those couu-
tries may suffer the agonies Of he'll, hel
husband may neglect her, starve her
abuse her, outrage her. dishonor her
he may be a dTunkard. an idiot brute
criminal he may consort iIIcitIy witt
a dozen other women, there is no hell
for her, she is yoked to him fo- life
Ehe can escape, from him only through
the gateway of the grave.
1T is for that very reason that the
number Of divorces in our country is as
large as the latest census informs us
and that two-thirds of them are ob-
tanned by women Even among us far
too many Of the male sex have not vel
risen TO the moral heights which womer
have attained.
Far TOO many men stiU waIIow I'm tho
mire Of polygamy. Notwithstanding that
woman has labored for thousands oil
years TO lift them out Of it and plant
them firmly in the homogeneous state
The wonderful progress she has made
in every field she has entered strength
ems cur BELIEF that she VIII ultimately
succeed in this greatest effort of hers