The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-07-10

rIsle Adam. entitled ''The Revolt" and writ.
ten In 1875

ten In 1875.
This play showed = household where the
woman had always been the patient and sub
missive mate Of her husband. merchant
with . hard. practical nature, without kind
ness as well as without badness. Every eve
ming In silence, without ever telling the secrets
OF he- mind or heart, without q sign Of resent.
ment, his wife helped him to go his &C
counts and gave him intelligent advice on his
business. One evening. after seventeen years
Of this sad and dull existence. she announced
to her husband very calmly that all was over.
that she was ass going away. that she had devoted
ness for se-onsee. years. and that her sacrifice
was great enough 49,
His business tnanks to her assiduous de.
votion. ives going splendidly. Now. after hav.
ing ACCOMPLISH the duties she had under.
taken when aha married him. she was going
live for herself. according to her own tastes.
according to her personal aspirations Of which
her husband had neved had any idea. Stupe-
Hed, he asked her what these aspirations were
She explained them to him. but he could not
understand them. and she went away, very
serious. but full of hope.
Several hours later she came back. She did
not know whot to do with the liberty to which
what to do with the liberty to which
she was unaccustomed Her aspirations too
long repressed and suffocated. could not take
their fight toward the divine heights The
poor woman had still an individual conscience,
but she had lost the vitality of that con.
science. She could no longer act except in
dreams. She came back voluntarily to take
up the yoke SO long endured. which had be-
come her vocation.
This heroine personined the woman of that
generation. too greatly restricted by the iron
laws Of the past and having no strength to
realize her individuality.
The ideal Of 1ndissoluble marriage was, IN.
deed. of all the conceptions of union between
man and woman the most noble and most ele.
waited. We must agree. however, that 1t has
sometimes led to abominable results and
that a remedy for it was necessary. 1t is very
fine to enter into a bond before God and be.
fore men, but If this bond is made up Of dis.
gust, hatred and contempt 1t has no longer any
reason for existence: it is even perfectly i'm.
moral and its rupture becomes the sane. just
and higher law. II from an ill-assorted mar.
serious objection to divorce. Even If there
are children it appears none the less inevi.
table and wise, for 1t Is infinitely painful and
immoral for the children to be present at
aoominable wrangies. where they lose re.
spect for the family and affection for their
parents. A solution that permits them to live
in peace must be preferable to that situation
In France the divorce law at first was very
strict and infexible. Cases were very limited
was made more LIBERAL people attempted to
abuse it. Demands for divorce increased. But
the French character, which is notably full Of
moderation and respect for traditions. soon
brought the matter to normal condition.
Then revolution in the method of marry
ing our young girls made the causes for d.
vorce much less pressing and frequent.
Formerly with us the consent of young
girl was Of extremely little importance in
marriage. The parents chose husband for
her at their own pleasure scarcely consulting
her. When the girl, having become a woman.
found herself shocked in her tastes. her deli.
cacy and her ideals, she did not have to sus.
tain her the illusion and the memory Of tender
hours which throw q softening light over all
womans life.
But for the last ten years customs in