The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-12-29
MARRIAGE A TOPIC
FOR DISCUSSION
Everybody Thinks and Talks
About II at Every 0p-
portunity.
"
ONLY FEW HAVE SAME IDEAS
Henrietta crosman Thinks
America Finally May Solve
Great Problem.

The two most Important and funda.
mental questions which people have
never stopped discussing since Adam
and Bvo made themselves the nrst
social problem, and about which every
thinking human must evolve some
kind OF q philosophy are, religion
and marriage. Very young people
and Jerry old people who have either
not yet lost or have again regained
their illusions spend most OF their
time discussing religion--what the
world means anyway and what may
como after II. But to the great mass
OF society. the young bachelors, the
young feminist self-supporting WON.
en-, the husbands and wives, the wild
ows and widowers, the divorced peo-
pie and the old maids by choice as
well as by luck-marriago IL the chief
bone In the conversational foastA
General Type.
Now this typo of conversation Is a
cross section OF the talk that goes on
In every homo and every place in
America where enough people arc to.
gether to conquer the taboos of those
perennial victorians who stiil think
that any remarks made about mar
rage are irreverent and sacrilegious. |
They predict an awful and decadent
period ahead for the country.
Americans, like all the other people |
on the earth. never face an issue until !
IL stops them in their path. conse.
duently IL n tho surprise OF Miss |
Henrietta Crosman's career that Der. |
nard shaw's 'Getting Married" should |
so evidently have given a continually |
Increasing public the intellectual |
meat they wanted.
Sees Miss Gresham.
The other afternoon the reporter
journeyed far 10 get ut the truth
Mrs. George In Getting Married" Rad |
sent people away with a vision OF tho |
soul OF woman and particularly tho
woman who has been, like herself.
through the various vicissitudes OF
marriage by one man and tho pursuit
by many others.
The most encouraging thing In
my life," said Miss Crosman. els that
New York has seemed to care for this
play about marriage. There 10 no ono
who has faced the issues as Shaw has
done: but there IL every excuse for
his having TO face II In England.
where the state OF marriage and the
laws that control II are so immeas.
urably worse than they are In this
country. There, marriage IL inextri'
cably bound up with the church. and
the church 10 ineNtrlcably bound up /
with the state. and Co bring a glimmer
OF reason or intelligence into the re.
lationship most important To the In
dividul and To society one has To
fight all the eonser alive forces
have every hope for England, but
have even greater hope for the In
stitutioh OF marriage In this coun'
Try.
Greatest Asset
For the greatest asset that we
have In this country-the custom that
puts an entirely different light upon
all the questions OF who shall marry
and how long they shall stay married
is the freedom OF women.
The one thing that people must get
out OF their minds Is that marriage
must remain the indissoluble, eternal
contract the Middle Ages and the
peculiar social traditions OF that
period have made us believe. be
iieve most heartily In marriage. IL
t. n natural. fundamental, human ex'
perience.
Believes In Divorce.
But . do quite as seriously believe
IN divorce and In divorce laws that
viii make impossible the terrible
OF English people In the
face OF the laws that they have al
lowed 10 go unrepealed or unmodined.
There are too many foolish, unrea'
soning marriages, there are too many
homes unhappily kept together"
Has No Cure. {
Miss Crosman has no one cure for
the wrong beneath tho coTnerstone OF
nor does she know how all
young engaged couples should pro-
reed to usher In the Age OF Reason. I
1.-THE great consolation IL that they
90 talk about Il, before and after they J
are In II. and that they go into Il '
more seriously" She was speaking OF q
the young married people who in
sisted upon a certain amount or imam 4
rial independence and OF the great
battle that goes on In hundreds OF
homes as to whether the
girl who does not marry Immediately,
DR. even IL she expects to, should work. I
III you are really absorbed in this O
terrible question OF what we are to do a
about marriage YOU had better read a
The Preface to Getting Married. see
The play and read the Preface again, "
md then get married yourself, as you =,
"a ~ A NAa -