The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-07-10
Divorce Result American Woman NewIdea OF Love!

France have been happily changed In tnis
respect Noung girls most often choose Their
full rein TO their natural feelings. their tastes
and their education NJ b.. therefore. natural
that. once married. there should be between
the couple fever misunderstsndings
11vorce. then. 90 France remains quite eN
cepfionai In the first place because one class
Of society. small but important refuses %
make use 81 q an. on account Of religious
principles and because TIE other classes are
not disposed % abuse q Tor the psychological
reasons I have mentioned.
And nov ! must say that the war. witch has
slmpnfed and eunohled an sentiments among
us has had an unexpected effect on divorce
Many demands for divorce have been with.
drawn. many households have forgotten their
domestic Quarrels and sentimental disappoint-
ments and have become reconciea In the out
burst % a common passion-love 81 country.
In the United States the country OF liberty.
the country where the emancipation OF women
g. the most advanced and the most ardently
maintained. divorce. which does not encounter
perceptihly the opposition cf religion. was
necessarily bound TO ind a very favorable
ground.
The strong VIII o. the American nation 90
make use OF an It's individual powers. 20 give
them complete development could not be
rcconciled 90 the restrictions and the social
cares Of the old world. Built on foundations
which are drawn from nature and from pure
JASON. American society was bound TO throw
aside the masks % duties which appeared To II
a. prejudiccs and the masks OF concessions
which seemed 20 u hypocrisy.
Quite naturally they decreed that divorce Il
as just and LEGAL AZ marriage. Since every
body condemns marriage In which reciprocal
affection does not exist from the first. why
should they not condemn u when ~ ceases 20
exist. The true dissolution Of marriage comes
from the divergence OF hearts, OF minds and OF
ideas Why should we preserve an appearance
Of union when the rupture has already taken
place. immortality consists In this lie. Dignity
and morality consist In the legal dissolution
of a household which e. already dissolved mo
FrHa nH fa ka Incl rfu ~
there is not IN appearance anything reprehen-
sbe.
But liberty r. a sword with two edges Per.
haps easy divorce. which appears favorable
20 the woman Is not so much 50 a. n appears
20 he. II 80 Is often welcome 20 women OF
fortune. u may cause great injury 10 women
without resources. burdened with children.
whom the caprices Of a bad husband may re-
duce TO desolation and misery.
The proposition has been advanced that we
should give more rights 20 = woman In d.
vorce than 90 a man, because she suffers more
from an unhappy marriage. but I cannot see
how that can be done. The woman can only
ask the same rights as man. The suEges-
ticn has been made that an irreproachable
wife TO whom married life has become impos-
sihle with her husband. should have the
choice between a separation which gives her
certain rights over her erring husband or OF
obtaining "a complete divorce. This arrange
ment a. insured 20 a limited extent by existing
divorce laws, but I cannot see how 81 can be
carried 20 the point OF giving the woman the
dominating POSITION IN lnduluoug winch some
feminists demand.
I have not the presumption TO settle cues
tons deep and grave a. this. I will only
quote a line from a poet because in my opin
ION poets are always right Victor Hugo says;
Liberty is Ike the lance Of Achilles II alone
cures the wound which Il makes"
n. then, Il Is true that people abuse divorce
little IN free America. the intuition the good
sense and the noble principles OF humanity OF
American citizens viii soon find a way. Tx,
the lance Of Achilles Of curing the evil which
their liberalism may have caused.