Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-09-21

since babyhood. with the help of charita-
| BILE societies. while the father Of the chill
dren has departed to fields unknown.
Hero is what Mrs. Besant says:
/ Amongst many semi barbarOus ma
! lions. the wives are still bought; in some
parts of Africa. The woOer pays a Ger
tain number of cows for his bride; in
other places. money or goods are given
] in exchange. The point TO be noted is
that the wife is literally taken by force.
or bought: she is lot free to choose her
husband: she does not give herself to
him; she is a piece of property, handed
over by her original owner-her father
to her new owner-her husband-in ex-
change for certain solid money or moneys
worth hence she becomes the property
of the man who has paid for her
SAVAGEs. WOMEN
AND SLAVES.
In an admirable article in the West
minister Review of some time ago. the
following striking statement is to be
found:
Sava ges, women and slaves hold the
same rank. Women are bought pri-
marily as slaves to drudge and toll for
their masters. wi list their function as
wives is secondary and subordinate. 1t
is more right to say of polygamous peo-
q
than to say that their wives are slaves.
They are purchased as slaves, and they
live as slaves.
The history of Uncultivated nations
it has been said, uniformly represents
the women as in state of abject slavery,
from which they slowly emerge as civili-
zStion advances.
In Canada, a strap, a kettle, and
a faggOt are placed in the new brides
cabin, to indicate that it will be hence
forth her duty to carry burdens, dress
food and procure wood for her husband.
In Circassia it is the women who till and
manure the ground. and in parts of
China they follow the plow. A Moorish
wife digs and sOws and reaps the corn,
and an Arabian wife feeds and cleans
and saddles her masters horse. Indeed,
the sole sbusiness of Bedouin wives Is
TO cook and work and perform all mental
Offices connected with tent life.
From the absolute power of a saw
age over his slaves flow all those rights
over woman from which the marital
rights OF our own time are the genealogi-
cal descendants
A trace of it purchase is found in
the following custom of old English law:
THE woman at the church door was
given Of her father OF some other Of
the man next her kin, into the hands
Of her husband, and he laid down gold
and silver for her upon the book, as
/ though he did buy her"
/ CUSTOM STILL IN
CHURCH RITUAL.
This custom still is maintained in
the church ritual: the priest asks: who
giyeth this woman to be married to this
man =" And when the man gives the
ring to the priest he gives money with
it. receiving back the ring to give the
woman. but the money remaining a sur
vivaI Of the times when wives we're lit
orally bought
I'VE have Topped of part of the
original marriage ceremony; We do not
exchange money at the marriage altar.
That would be too coarse, too obvious.
Our bride nowadays acquires through
marriage home. a living, social position.
respectability. And they do say that for
these does she often sell herself ''
Miss Thayer states that she admires the
frank admission OF Judge Arthur Robin
son Of Superior Court room 4, in adj
hitting that he does not know the solu-
ton OF the divorce evil.
Neither does anybody else" she de
clarec
A study Of the evils of divorce and
the abuse Of the marriage law. especially
in this State. indicates to the writer that
the two go hand in hand 1t is obvious
that something must be done to curb
hasty. ir-advised and extremely young
marriages.
DEDUCTIONS
IN DIVORCE.
Careful study of those who for many
years covered divorce cases, has resulted
in the following personal deductions
That the judges Of Indiana should be
governed by more uniform laws in grant
Ing divorces and in hearing divorce cases
That State conference should be held
OF all Judges of the State at which the
Judges should make a definite decision
on uniform proceeding in all divorce
cases. These rules should provide for
sufficient time. at least sixty days. be-
tween the filing of a divorce case and the
final hearing OF /.
That judges should not crowd MANY d.
vorce cases into a single days hearing.
have noticed in some courts in this
county that on divorce days" the court
rooms and corridors of the courthouse ara
so crowded by those seeking divorce that
the whole impression is one of travestv
on justice. The greatest evil of the whole
sale hearing ofIivorce is that it gives tina
impression that n divorce is the easies.
thing in the world to secure.
That all grand juries Of the State
should he more active in returning in
dictments against those who commit vii.
full perjury in the divorce courts and ac-
ton should be taken against unscrupu-
lous lawyers who chase divorce cases"
That the Governor should appoint or
advise the appointment of a legislative
committee to study carefully the marriage
laws OF the State and draft measures
which will automatically curb certain
classes Of divorce
1t is my impression that the basis of
the divorce evil lies in hasty, foolish. i'm
practical and ill-advised marriages