The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-09
WILL GERMANY :. FORCE BIGAMY
 ON HER WOMEN

During the war these has been frequent, but for the most part un- verified, reports of German schemes for increasing future man-power by the ..promoHon of, bigaIny or poly gamy-I We have now received some trustworthy evidence, says the Lon- don Times, in the shape of a pamph+ let, in it's second edition, which has been published this year by the firm of Oskar Muller, of ologne.
 It is called '@The Secondary Mar riage as only Means for the Rapid Creation of New and Powerful Ar my and the Purification of Morality The author, whose name is Carl Hermann Torges, says that he is well over 70 years of age, and that he has ''traveled almost every sea and work ed through life with open eyes," So he appeals for unprejudiced exam fnation of hs proposals, the adoption of which may be expected to lead logically to the desired improve ments-
 ,ss The pamphlet is based upon the future needs of the German army, be- cause Nthe military strength of a peo- pl0 OSPSnNS an p0LA u4eOa4 ShO +ber of men able to bear arms"
 fGernany's heavy losses in the wal must be made good, and at the same time every effort must be made to meet the decline in the birth rate which was lamented before the war; The writer declares that "the bache1ordom of today is a cancer which must be extirpated." He denies that the expense of married life is the main reason why men remain unmarried, and he deals at some length with the economic training of women for marriage.
 He then Leads up to his main pro- posals with a chapter which declares round1y that ~the conception of inn morality is rela4iEe,'' and that "good morals aEe only what the upper classes of society approve"
 The facts are said to give Ger many ~t8ls justification. in case of necessity, to put the stamp of moral ity upon what today seems immoral '' tIn any case. if the falling off in births is to be counteracted. bachel- ordom must be reduced to the mini mum which the circumstances re- quire."
 The main proposals are stated as follows:
 Women in all classes of society
 who have reached a certain age
 are, in the interests of the Fath-
 erland not only authorized but
 called upon to enter into a sec
 0ndaFy marriage, which is sup
 ported by personal inclination.
 Only a married man may be the object of this inclination, and
 he must have the consent of his
 married wife, This condition is
 necessary in order to prevent the
 mischief which otherwise might
 surely be expected,
 The offspring of these lawful sec . ondary marriages bear the name o their mother and are handed owe to the care of the state, unless tn mother assumes responsibility fo them. They are to be regarded i every respect as fully equal mem bers of society,
 The mothers wear a narrow wed ding ring as a sign of their patriot ism The secondary marriage can b dissolved as soon as it's object Ina been RttziRsd,
 Eisswfsre Herr Torges says th5 he thinks that the objects of his ne institution can be fulfilled in years, and that secondary marriage might then be abolished He enc his pamptiet as foliewsi
 'sEhe difficulties consist solely ethical scrupies, which, notwithstanC ing the issue of the proper regulation by the state, will continue until col science has disposed of them Thu this question becomes a religion QueStfon, which can be solved on with the help of the clergy. t
 rIt restA, therefasa- with thew