The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-04-06
WAR REVOLUTIONIzES
FRENCH LOVE MAKING
Real Romance Is Given Chance
and Money Makes No Diff
ference Nowadays.

Paris, (by mail) Genuine courtship
real love making--as an incident to
marriage is one Of the Innovations that
war has brought to France. Il may
develop into q revolution of the mar
riage system, and Is almost certain in
any case to be the death OF the red tape
that has entangled, and more or less
strangled, Cupid.
Marriage was hard hit during the
first months Of the war, but by reason
of the authorization OF unions by proxy
and the infusion of war romance. ii
Is rapidly recovering.
In Paris there were only 76S marrt-
ages in January, 1915, as against 2,341
in January, 1914. In December, 1915
there were 1889, showing a remarkable
recovery under the circumstances.
In a great many of these war mar
riages, II Is noticed that girls without
fortune are for the time being running
their more favored sisters a close race,
since in a great proportion Of the mar
riages celebrated since hostilities be-
gan the marriage contract has been
dispensed with: no mention Of dover,
nor talk about money: romance has
taken the place of finance,
Wounded heroes have in hundreds
of cases fallen in love with and mar
ried their nurses; nearly every day the
story Is told of some man in a fighting
regiment corresponding with an un-
known sympathizer who has come
home on leave to find his "godmother''
Is worth marrying for herself
Women and girls, acting as god
mothers to unknown correspondents at
the front have developed what is light
ly called the flirt at the front into
formidable proportions, and this Is at
this moment perhaps the most efficient
marriage agency In the world. The
sacrifices made by some girls marry
ing soldiers who have been blinded or
MANNED almost to the point of total
helplessness have spread the contagion,
and love affairs are born at every hand
by the close communion Of sympathetic
minds conferred on great events. and
through the constant movement OF SOL
diers coming in contact with new faces,
every one Of which under present cir
cumstances Is bound to be sympathetic.
Some psychologists have Inquired
whether there was not In France a
crying need for deeper affection, and
whether the decreasing natality in the
country was not due in great part to
the obstacles Of marriage and the more
material considerations that always en-
tered into 1t. The soul-stirrtng Incl
dents of the war have unquestionably
brought everyone into closer union and
there seems to have been a general
wiping out Of old scores that kept ac-
quaintances and even families apart.
There have been many reconcillations
through the exchange Of news of the
exploits Of mutual friends, and many
Instances of divided families reunited
over the tomb Of q fallen hero.
Young people are now being brought
together, not by contract nor by the
attraction Of wealth, but simply by the
greater force now exerting itself Of
young hearts and common wills. It Is
asked whether 1t will continue after
the war; and what effect II will have
upon the future Of France; an idealistic
1eople after being held in materialistic
bondage so far as concerns so vital a
question to the race, is coming out so
strong in the present irresistible appeal
% romanticism that many believe it
will result in a transformation, If not
n a revolution. Of the marriage sys-
!em. Some contend that men will mar
~ younger and marry for love instead
If for money. will marry more in rea-
son and sincerity, and that, with the
stronger tie Of affection taking the place
Of interest, divorces will become less,
while the population will grow CORE
pondingiy more numerous.