Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-07-10
Equal Rights Should Mean Just
What It Saws.

Much water has flowed under Lon
don bridge since the suffragettes
were smashing windows in Parlia-
ment street" observes the New York
Sun and Globe, and no more sig
nificant illustration of the results OF
the Englishwomen's outbreaks ten
years ago" could be found than the
final success. in the house of COM
mons. of the bill to grant them the
right to divorce on equal grounds
with men. Thus, the paper adds,
the traditional limits upon their
rights pass away one by one"
Whether woman suffrage will work
any rapid Improvement In gem
eral political conditions" the Column
bus Dispatch is still uncertain. but 1t
recognizes. in common with the
American press in general. that 1T
does tend swiftly to the removal or
legislation which may reasonapy DC
the pressure brought upon social con.
ditions by voting women. Grea I
Britain now comedies, by formal act
of parliament, tnat IN Ih fs ma ma nr !
titled to an even break, as the
Cincinnati Enquirer puts 1t. Hereto
fore, the Cleveland News tells us.
the Engiish, hay law ma mas w peem an proof
OF a single act of inf1delity on her
part, but has denied wife the rlgnt
To divorce her husband. no matter
how promi souous his conduct; unless
abe could prove also that he had de-
serted her or treated her cruelty
And American writer's are agreed
that it Is high time to put an emu
to what the Huntington Herald DIS
patch calls IAN egregious unfairhess
like Sir Frederick Banbury, IAN
old diehard in the house." whom the
chicago Tribune quotes, BRITISH la"
has always regarded woman an IN,
ferior person" and has maintained
Hanged to the man" Accordingly. the
Tsribune suggests that people who
think that American divorce tends
toward a loose social structure coulo
native of a social structure permit,
ting female bondage" While the old
british conception of a wife as a
chatteIn is becoming "a relic OF the
sordid past" so far as concerns her
property rights: the nan hssn aahe
last institution to bend under the
nressure of rising feminism.' the
Newark News points out. Wnal that
asanctity'' involves the News outlines
thus: Man has thrown as great saIe-
guards as were possible. around the
Family. Its perpetuation was based
upon male primogentture. lnndeilty
on the part of the wife was an unlm-
nea enable cause for dissolution~of the
marital contract lnhdeIty on tne
mart of the husband played little part
in the perpetuation Of the famliy ahd
consequently was neglected by the
male lawmakers" But "reshaping the
divorce laws to meet the new spirit
Of the times was inevitable, ana tne
enormous majority in favor or the
| reform reflects the extent 10 Wnlch
the new spirit has triumphed over
"one of the most Migrant in3ustices
Of the British law.
| without EFFORT, a number of papers
pofnt out. while 1T Is true that the
bill when it did pass received ma :
| iority of about ten to one, the Fort
land Express and Advertiser says
that there was nevertheiess naru
fight made for an amendment grant
ing the custody of children to nus
hands divorced for infidelity alone, as
| IL under any circumstances an unfaitn-
full husband was likely to prove
safer guardian for a child than
faithful Wife,, The Detroit Free Press
tells a story of zone of the honorable
members" who expressed consider
able indignation during the debate
because by the proposed amendment
an English gentleman who happened,
under the influence of few glasses
Of wine. to go philanderfng about In
dear old London. might lose his wife
as. penalty for q trifiing deiin-
auency." But the paper feels certain
that Fthat attitude cannot be maln-
tanned much longer In British politics
for it ID evident that women are ar
rixing politically in that country even
faster than In this, and as voters they
will scarcely continue to tolerate an