The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1912-04-05
why MARRIAGES
ARE failure
Underlying Reasons of d.
vorces Given.
True Happiness Comes Only When
Man and Woman Earn in
Proportion to Ability.

| OnderlylnS all divorces, all unhappy
marriages and all resulting evils will
be found the fundamental problem
based upon the almost universal de-
pendence of women. When society
shall make women financially inde-
pendent, politically Independent AMI
personally independent of their hus-
bands, and of other men, the divorce
problem will have been solved, the
home will become place of perpet-
ual peace and the family will reach
its highest estate.
normal women We're ;:ltually, or even
in theory. dependent upon men for a
living. This is proved by the vast
and growing army of self supporting
women of all ages in all parts of ihe
world and in all manner CT occupa-
tons.
Women are successful as doctors,
lawyers, preachers, as merchants, as
nurses, architects and engineers; some
of them engage in general contract
ing; Philadelphia has at least one
woman plumber; western city has
a woman police officer, Philadelphia
theatre had woman for its special
officer and thus we find in every
vocation of man a woman making
good.
1t is against the whole scheme Of
human development to hold one class
dependent upon another. The funda-
mental wrong Of slavery was in the
dependence of the slave and the en-
ercise of the authority born of such
dependence. Had the slave received
full pay for his services the authority
Of his master would have diminished
in exact ratio to this pay, and the
usefulness of the slave would have in
creased in the same ratio.
Just so with women. Once a woman
shall become self-supporting then
shall she become self-respecting.
When she shall become thoroughly
self-respecting and wholly independ-
ent, then she also shall become a fit
companion for her logical mate and
meet him on a common ground Of
morality where love and affection.
mutual help, mutual interest and
every other essential to right living
and right thinking come in logical
order and in mutual sequence.
Where a woman is wholly depend
ent on the husband her spirit rebels
is then subdued and finally she be-
comes the crinsing, dlstasteful and
useless factor in the scheme Of human
development. Her offspring suffers
because of this mental attitude, to
the resulting physical deterioration. 1t
follows, then, when a woman shall
have lost her spirit and her pride and
her charm, she likewise loses the in
terest, and sometimes the support of
her husband and becomes a public
charge.
Taking the mutual attraction for
granted-a woman normal in every re-
spect, and a woman conscious of her
personal attractivencss, secure in her
financial independence, each seeking
nothing more than an opportunity to
live a normal life under decent con
ditions, sharing each others burdens
equally and fairly, each meeting
proper share of all obligations. finan-
cial and moral-the contestant source
of turmoil and strife within the home,
which may be summarized in the sim
gle word money" wholly eliminat-
ed.
The woman has her own income,
the man has his own income. and there
like partners, dealing fairly one with
the other. The expenses are shared
as they should be shared, by those
who incur them, and all of their time
is devoted to the carrying out of theil
SeNeral ecOnoIilc ysSiuuhe ~
each the increments necessary to the
happiness Of both.
Such a situation breeds confidence
commands respect, builds up the wo'
man, strengthens the man, and makes
for all that is best in the strengthen
ing of society.
The marriage relationship is in Law
and in fact a contract perfectly right
and entirely proper. but the two
parties to this or any other contract
should make the best bargain pos
sible, always being fair. In the mar
rage contract the woman offers
much, gives much and has every righ
under the law to demand much an'
to get all she can.
1t is entirely wrong for man t.
give all and get nothing, just as 1t Il
entirely wrong for woman to ceas'
to be an economic factor In tn
scheme of life as soon as she becomAl