Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-05-02
ny SIR ARTurn CnxAS nnx.1.

ny SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
biVorcc Is national question, and
no view OF !: that Is tinged bv nor
sonal considerations is worth any
thinE. am ono or the happicst mar
ried men In the world and have no
axe to grind In this matter.
surely those OF us who are happy
cannot be indifferent to the great LOAF
OF human misery that exists In this
country under our present marriage
laws.
For two years. I?l0-l2. n body OF
men chosen by the nation considered
this question. and we have heard
their verdict. There are 100000 lcgai
number Of privately arranged scpara-
tons brings the total Of those who
would welcome divorce up TO 500. 900
Think OF IL. In 1912 these peop,c
that Is still withheld. Many OF them
nave formed ether unions. but peo-
pie who live outside the law In that
way do not have childrrn.
And never has a national need for
children been greater than during
these same years
''Hishops BIock Reforinx.-
The ecclcsihst!cs are harmln- M
as much as the Germans did But
the bishops have always blocked the
way TO progress and advaucemcn;
IN 1880. when our penal laws were
the wors; IN Europe they voted
against the reform OF the iaw WHEN
permitted men and women, and even
young y!r!s. TO be hang for sheep
stealing or for tn. thch OF any ar;.-
ul.25.1 s"''''hss
There are exceptions. hut the ma
tority OF our bishops live so smuEly
In their places that they are utterly
Z. unable TO imagine the unhappin.ss
and women.
IA; .Children ForEotteD."
nMnsy ;!9 saet thin. q The children
guarrels OF theft PARENTS. who see
their father drunk. and thor mother,
perhaps. attacked by him.
Nor do they ehink OF those who are
legally separated from each oth"r.
waiting 10: Freedom 10 marry as they
wish tsat
Men and woman arc flesh and blood
hot STICKS and stones, and flesh and
attractive Rt thirty or forty may be
less SO In ten years time. particu-
lariy when called upon to bear so
much strain and unhappincss
Judges VIII Cheek vnanIny.
we cannot model modern Industrial
England upon tho Judea of 1000
years ago. Christ's rebuke. so ften
quoted and misapplicd by opposers OF
they were tired OF wife pushed her
outside the flap of the tent and I, d
her to go. All Christs teaching was
founded on Kindness and reason
We do not forget that easier di-
Norce might permit villains TO cause
suffering to women. but English
Judges VIII not allow that to happen.
Gritics OF the present -bill--tor
Which the divorce law reform union
is mainly respo9sible-spcak as ii re-
marriage after three years were to 10
the easiest thing in the world. .nd
as u man might marry success
lfF1yh Of
That is sheer nonsense Reasons
Tor the divorce will have to be
drought before judge. and no judge
would believe in such persistcn, bad
fortune in mating for any individual.
America Divorce Mil.
1t Is time that we heard the last ot
the American DOGGY! AS matter OF
iiset' almost every form OF divorce
-iicentious. but South Cardinals at
the other extreme. For time. in
deeh' divorce was actually forbidden
h mere; but the resultant immortality
became so great that some form OF
1t had to be permitted.
heiieVe that. on the whole. Ameri-
can private life Is as pure as our own.
vi course. bnrlc-uuc situations lin
I'VE women who have been his wives5
do arise: But even this is better than
the suffering endured by men and
women. and by children. in our own
In our efforts toward reform we
have never followed America. Hol-
land, where. by the way. the wicked
ness of legal separation such as ours
Is unknown, ia much more suitable
country for imitation
"MnrriHEe in Disrepute.~
The demand for divorce in England
romes from all classes ind from
every section Of the community. Jf
the working classes do not saw
much about.t. IL is because marriage
mas fallen into disrcpute among has
fallen into disrcpute among them
= ana the tendency Is to take tho law
will.
Their snokcsmcn. Including their
representative upon the royal COM
mission, arc invariably on the side OF
divorce law reform
divorce itself is not an evil. 1t is
INC symptom Of an epil
" Lord I,uckmasters bill becomes
Jaw there will be an enormous in
crease in tho number OF divorces In
onls country for few years. And
pfvnie VIII say, How terrible."
fes. nut terrible only as an index
Vi inc suffering that there has been
h;i, consider that the failure Of the
III III 10 become law would he nothing
'"ort OF n national tragedy.
RURGI AIRS EhNry cicM