The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1912-12-04
gave Up HUBBY
GOT A DIVORCE SO AS be COULD
MARRY ANOTHER
HE WEDS his new Love

|
and His New Wife Are the Best
OF Friends, and Seen, to be Real
Fond of Each Other, Says the
Story.
Complete self-sacrifce and almost
i1conceiYable devotion to lifelong
ideals is the keynote Of ths rema,k-
able story which Mrs. Marion Craig
| Wentworth, the noted dramatic read
er. playwright. and socialist, told u
her reasons for obtaining divorce
from her husband, Dr.. Franklin II.
Wentworth, author Of the "Wo,nan's
Portion" in order that he might be
free to marry the woman he loved.
When Mrs. Wentworth discovered
the love which existed between her
husband and Miss Alice Chapman.
whom Dr.. Wentworth has now made
lis wife, she planned to set her hus-
band free. She went to Reno, New,
established residence of one year
there and secured divorce last June
on the ground OF desertion. On No
vember her husband and Miss Chap
man were married in Washington.
'In order that the slightest hint
Of scandal or criticism should attach
itself to the name Of the woman my
husband has married." said Mrs. Ma-
rion Craig Wentworth. Il think It
only fair that should make the exact
situation known which has, up to this
time, not been understood even by
our most intimate friends.
II had known Miss Chapman for
some years, have always been and
still am very, very fond Of her.
love her for the very quality which
my husband saw and admired inlher.
So when I discovered-and 7 did not
need to be told, for have always
possessed a remarkable intuition.
that Dr.. Wentworth and Alice loved
one another I made up my mind that
the only fair, the only Christian
thing for me to do was to obtain
divorce and set them free to marry
each other.
'.My husband and I discussed the
situation in all its phases, and Alice
herself was present at many Of our
conferences. She protested at first
that the only thing for her to do was
to go away from US both forever, but
that would have been useless for it
would not have been eliminated their
love in the slightest degree.
'tAlice is gentle, kind and loving.
There Is nothing whatever to be said
against her or the step she took In
marrying my, husband.
II cannot conceive of woman
lighting to keep a husband when she
realizes that his love belongs to an
other or Of her trying to win back
the love that has departed. have
far too great respect and reverence
for love and for the feelings Of others
to do such a thing, and it means far
TOO much to me to do the thing that
I feel to be just and right.
II still love and respect my hus-
band and our intellectual friendship,
which has always been one Of the
keenest joys Of my married life. will
not be denied me, even under the e1-
listing circumstances, for I have seen
DR.. Wentworth since my return from
the west and shall see him and Alice
after their return from their wedding
trip. regard my former husband as
one Of my very best friends and /
know that he feels the same toward
me.
Both DR.. Wentworth and Alice
now regard me in the light Of an eId-
er sister or guardian angel. People
need not be in the least surprised II
we are not seen in public together. l
have had several letters from Alice
since their marriage and I am glad,
through and through, that they have
found happiness together"
Franklin Harcourt Wentworth.
who was born in Chicago in 1856 and
is a we'll known socialist writer, and
Miss Marion Jean Craig OF st. Paul
were married by Samuel N. Jones.
the Golden Rule mayor of Toledo,
on March 81, 1900. Both believed
marriage to be a purely civil contract.
1t was the first marriage ceremony
performed by Mayor Jones. and he
did it IN what he called the "Golde2
Rule" fashion. The parties were not
required to answer any questions, the
mayor saying their presence indicat-
ed their desire to be married. He
reviewed the Biblical story of the cre-
alton Of woman and quoted from the
Bible on the subject of marriage. He
bade the couple to be diligent IN
bringing about better condition Of
social affairs. He did not deem 1t
necessary, he said, to tell them to be
faithful to each other, as anything he
might say would amount to little II !.
their souls were not congenial.