The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-11-26
SEVER KNOT EASILY
DIVORCE LAWS ROUNDLY SCORED
BY CLUB WOMEN.
Minneapolis Members Considerably
Stirred Over the Address Made By
Governor Eberhart; What Should
Be Done With Statutes; Changes
Suggested; Separations Are OBJ
tanned for Asking Is the Complaint.

Minneapolis, Nov. Ex-Governor A.
o. Eberhart, in voicing in Minneapolis
his views on the question of uniform
laws for marriage and divorce, has
stirred Minneapolis club women to the
necessity of cooperation toward such
results. They are discussing the gov
ernor's address freely.
That people make a convenience of
divorce laws, instead of trying to
make the best of petty unhappiness
at home, is the opinion of Mrs. E.
NJ. La Penotiere of Stratnmore Ter
race.
president of the Minnesota Federation
of Women's clubs, and is prominent
in the club life of the city.
Urges Uniformity in Law.
eff we must have divorce, let there
be some uniformity in the causes that
are brought for them. l do not be-
lieve people should be permitted to go
from one great extreme to another
and have the same result-namely, a
divorce. 1 am straight-laced about
that subject anyway, but believe
thoroughly in separation.
Il should not care to be the wife of
drunkard-but [ should arrange to
be as happy as possible away from
such man, without being actually
divorced from him. If a man deserts
the responsibilities of his family the
laws should be such that he never
could return to that community. Sep
aration in my estimation is much bet
ter, except in the case of infdelity,
when divorce is always justifable."
Woman Lawyers View.
Miss Josephine Schain, lawyer and
suffragist, believes thoroughly in uni
form divorce laws and she thinks that
the Federation of Women's clubs is
helping to bring the subject to a sem
sible basis.
"The laws of Reno, New, for in
said Miss Schain today, in comment
ing on divorce problems. 'Habitual
drunkenness, desertion, cruel and in
human treatment and infidelity, the
main causes which allow legal separa-
| lions in Minnesota, 1 believe in, but
the judges should be strict and not
| too lenient with men and women who
seek the courts to heal home condi-
| tions."
Marriage Law First.
81 have no decided opinion, except
that I believe a great deal in the
statement that the marriage laws are
more at fault than the divorce laws"
said Mrs. David F. Simpson, MEM
Der of the Woman's' club. eff it were
more difficult to get married and just
as hard to get divorce then there
wouldn't be so many unhappy people
in the world"
Ensign Lineaman of the Salvation
Army doesn't think much of the CIV
ing of divorce on the grounds of
desertion.
'Desertion is very happy thing
in many cases." she says. Drunken
ness should be one of the strongest
claims for separation, for in almost
all cases it follows that the man
abuses his wife and children.
However, that applies to either a
man or woman. A man is just as
justified as a woman in getting a d.
vorce under such conditions.
Laws Alike for All.
"From an intimate knowledge of a
great many peoples disappointments,
should not be arbitrary in saying
there should never be divorce" said
Mrs. Marion d. Shutter. 81 believe in
some cases it is right than men and
women should be uniform marriage
and divorce laws for the good of all.'
Mrs. William Asbury Hall, a prom
inent club woman of Minneapolis, has
what she calls "the old-fashioned no.
tion about divorce" 1t is that mar
riage is a state in which the husband
and wife are taken for better or
worse, and that involves much that
should be considered first.
"Infidelity should be the one cause
for divorce" she says, 'but many peo-
pie can find any number of excuses
for one if they once attack the sub
| loot