New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-08

70 LEGISLATIVE LEAGUE
Members Applaud-She Also
Recommends School In
struction and Star
Chamber Suits.


..'d consider il far stronger cause for
dt,orce if my husband made me ask him
Oar every % cent3-if he was the kind of
husband who said. What did you do with
the dollar I gave you last week?'-than II
bs committed occasional irregularities
With other women ! would not consider
,rsdelity necessarily a cause for divorce.
Drunkennness or the drug habit is a far
more important reason for demanding a
severance Of the marriage tie"
This IS Just one of the score or so OF
rather startling things Mrs. Mary Austin,
the California woman who wrote The
Arrow Maker" and who is now collecting
material for a book on divorce, said to
the members Of the Legislative League at
their meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria yes
terday And the sedate members not only
applauded her. but put across a few
advanced remarks themselves.
For the lessening of divorce and of IN
happy marriages Mrs. Austin suggested
three remedies:
Glasses in all schools to teach sex psy-
eholosy and the business organization Of
marriage
Higher legal bars across the path to
marriage.
Privacy for all divorce proceedings.
with provisions giving students access to
the records.
THE education OF women" she said,
"bas made them look too much on the
spiritual side Of marriage. They may not
realize Il. but subconsciously they ap-
proach II with the feeling that the other
side Is 'horrid.' Later. perhaps, some
sreat passion digs deep down below the
subconscious SELF into the wells Of being.
II may be maternity which is what
aWakes many women: or-it may be a
nsssion for a man not ones husband.
Advocates School Courses.
Every school curriculum should include
Instruction in the psychology Of passion,
Of sex relationship. Of jealousy"
As to the business organization Of mar
rage il was. Mrs. Austin said, very curl
Gus that the world didn't profit by ex-
ptrience.
People have been getting married for
more than twenty-five thousand years,
she said, "and you would think that
few simple facts-as that a marriage Is
happier IL a certain sum of money is set
aside each week for the wife's use for the
household-would have become estab-
lished But still young people go right
on beginning, not where their parents left
OF but where their parents began. And
apparently until these things are In
Guided in our educational system they will
60 on doing so.
"Woman's economic dependence is, of
course. an enormous factor in the UNI
happiness of some marriages. Poverty is
o strong factor To fifteen millions OF
women in this land marriage Is trial
because Of the circumstances Of their
lives. Do you realize that not one family
In forty-six in the United States keeps
servant? Naturally this spells drudgery
for the wife: but even here business
Ike cooperation between husband and
wife makes things much easier.
TO make young people think before
marrying I would advocate commissions,
composed OF married people, and having
more women members than men. 1t Is
terrible that young boys and girls should
be able TO rush off and marry with few
hours notice We can't trust young people
10 Judge. The girl is too likely TO feel:
oh, trust John; don't want to be told
anything about him: know he is good
Let Commission Warn.
Let there be marriage commissions to
say to her: Did you know that Johns
father died In lunatic asylum? Did you
know that he had two brothers in an In
stitution for the feeble-minded?' To say
to John: Did you know that Sallies
family has a tendency to tuberculosis?
II. after knowing these things-and when
they have waited, say, three weeks after
giving notice OF their marriage-they de-
eide TO be married, they should not be
forbidden. But don't let them enter into
Il ignorantly or hastily"
Mrs. Austin condemned strongly pub
licity Of the evidence in divorce cases.
ITO have all the incidents the subject
Of light remark in kitchen and drawing
room is. 1t seems to me, very harmful
she said
New York a man or woman seeking d.
vorce should have TO work up sort OF
hysteria in order to have the claim con-
Sideredi When divorce is so bad that the
parties have to work up hysteria Ike the
early Christian martyrs 1t is pretty bad
II should be that when the husband ana
wife mutually agree to dissolve marriage
that is enough. But in most states that
Is not enough"
The question Of the fate of the children
Of divorced parents was. Mrs. Austin ad-
mitted, a hard one. I'VE need collected
and tabulated evidence on that point,
she said.
"Are the children of divorced parents
worse off, more unhappy. than the chill
drfn in homes where the father and
mother get on badly?" she asked.
Il have collected evidence in fifteen or
twenty cases, but it should be done in
broad and scientific way.
Two Children, or More.
Il speak Of the children because mar
rage is justified by the children by their
quality rather than quantity-though II
couple doesn't produce TWO children
II they have only one-they haven't done
their job
:, SUI, children aren't the only justifica-
uoh OF marriage. IL the sum OF human
.nqency Is increased by marriage, II
tne couple Is more useful married than
single that marriage Is justified.
10 mate properly-thar Is the problem
Ahq as life grows more complicated the