The Washington herald., 1922-09-05
Is Marriage a
Failure?
Calls Present System Failure.

Calls Present System Failure.
While browsing in the Adiron-
dacks l was reading your paper and
came upon your query. rs Marriage
Failure" ! am. a practicinE at
torney at law in New York City and
my misfortune has been that during
my practice I have had a great
number of divorce cases. / have
also had great deal of social ser
vice experience and in this and as
lawyer l have come in contact
with married separated and divorced
couples OF every degree and station
in life. My experience and con-
facts have been such as to dis
ccourage a bachelor like myseH
from ever considering marriage.
dislike being a pessimist on this
subject. but the horrible examples
that l have met with have more
than once depressed me.
In social service I saw innumer-
able cases where men deserted wives
and children or had more than the
legal number of wives. These cases
are particularly unhappy when en-
phasized by poverty and ignorance.
1 have on many occasions been re-
quired to go to the domestic rela-
llOHS COuTI IN Ne" SlIy, q,
after spending a day there. I have
left with that feeling that marriage
is horrible, a total failure, and.
worse still. the cause of untold
misery.
would like to refer to four cases
I have had this last six months.
The first case concerns that Of a
man who comes from an old New
England family, is former war vet
eran, and has been married four
years. During that period he bor-
rowed money from his wife's rela-
tives and never repaid 1t. He met
an actress, became Infatuated, and
left his wife without warning. I
brought an action for the wife. and
she was granted a decree. This
marriage has brought into the world
crippled child and has made the
wife, and her family and his, miser-
able and unhappy.
The second case Is that of Itah
ians, both young. She married when
she was fifteen and they have two
charming children. Her husband
was on numerous occasions unfaith-
full and never supported her.
brought an action for divorce and
a decree was granted.
Case 3-Retained by a woman Of
culture and refinement wealthy.
two sons; couple aged about 40;
separated for five years. Marriage
unhappy from the beginning, due
to eccentricities and idiosyncracies
of both. They were miserably mis-
mated and the husband had af-
fairs.
Case 4-Couple aged 35; two chill
dren; married about eight years;
husband unfaithful, stingy and bru-
tai. Wife brought action and a
decree was granted. Wife receives
small sum of money as alimony; is
compelled to work and make many
sacrifices in order to support herself
and her children to educate them.
The lives of all those concerned
and some of their relatives and
their children have been made mis-
erable and wrecked. The query
might properly be asked what cure
would be suggested. realize that
in dealing with human beings you
have volatile elements to consider
and that no human agent Is per-
feet. My criticism is not So much
against the individual as against
the system which permits present.
day marriage. I would make mar
riage more diff1culs and divorce
much more easy and simple.
Marriage by many is considered a
sacred institution. A study of its
history will give shocks and sur
prises-it seems to have been a
matter of growth through the ages
undergoing many changes. Its orr
gin may be traced to the system
of property rights and chattels.
Marriage has never been a perma-
nent institution. 1t has ALWAYS
been in a state of f1ux. Even the
Bible discloses that.
1t seems to the writer that mer-
leans ought to, as in other fields,
take the lead in reforming marriage.
Women are the worst sufferers
from the present system and they
should agitate for radical reforms.
Intelligent and educated women
should take thhe lead in having our
legislatures pass new laws on this
subject. While consider the pres
ent system Of professional matri-
mony a failure, am an optimist as
to the future. have great hopes
in the new generations who will
not tolerate the unjust, unfair and
immoral conditions that pcr >~..S