Evening star., 1923-10-19

Mrs. oliver H. z. Belmont president
of the National woman's Party,
started something" when she de-
clared recently that marriage is a
sort Of slavery" so far as the woman
in the case IS concerned. From one
end of the country to the other sar-
castle replies have been hurled in the
direction of the noted suffrage leader.
Now the various editors have taken
up her declaration. and in turn are
amusing themselves with il. although,
naturally. there are a number who in
sist on treating II seriously.
"In an age when women As wen as
men have come to have decided opin-
ions about what they should do, about
what they should not do. spend or not
spend, earn or fail to earn" the Day :
ton News feels. ''it is becoming in
creasingly apparent that much of the
difficulty which enters into domestic
infelicity centers about the subject of
income. The 'clingiug vine type of
women. regarding whom Mrs. Bel
mont speaks, does not represent Amer
lean womanhood any more than that
masculine type which INDUCES in any
impulse which comes TO the mind.
There must be SOME medium standard
between the two which will put mar
riAS: on a more sacred and SubStan-
tia1 basis and afford to home life in
America more dependability. Dis
couraged women, not unlike discour-
aged men, soon find sufficient cause
for taking out of fireside activities
everything that should enter into
them" Use by Mrs. Belmont of the
word slavery is decidedly question
To-, h ~, if.lF-
sees it. because Sin manner men
and women, whether married or sin
gle, are practically without freedom
to encroach on the rights of others.
This is not slavery, but justice. There
was never a time when women were
more independent than they are to-
day. If marriage is a sort of slavery,
as Mrs. Belmont says, on the other
hand divorce is the recourse for
emancipation. When marriage is irk-
some women no longer endure it.
They seek relief through the courts,
and the records indicate that 1t is
forthcoming.
The Little Rock Democrat rather
feels Mrs. Belmont was excited" and
suggests "in the language of the Of
fee sage, Amt that a helluva state
of affairs?' Mrs. Belmont knows as
much about the average American as
we know about why the circle can't
be squared or why a pterodactyl de-
cided to fly instead of walk during
the latter part of its career. If Mrs.
Belmont will make brief pilgrimage
into the land of real folk. where men
have to work as many as seven hours
a day, she will find her ideal. The
trouble is she simply is talking with
out knowing whereof she speaks"
Incidentally. the Peoria Transcript
points out, however just may be her
condemnation of those who do not
believe in the absolute economic, So
cial and moral equality of the sexes,
Mrs. Belmont will not discourage
marriage by her pessimism. The
slavery in marriage is largely bunk,
unless it be self-imposed. The relic
of a forgotten day--a man who in
sists upon holding his wife as Il chat
tells fast disappearing. Instead,
men are beginning to appreciate the
worth of wives aside from their
kitchen service and dustcloth ar
tistry." 1t was loose talk" asserts
the New Haven Journal-couri but
this lady is not competent to speak
to the young womanhood of America
on the serious and sacred topic of
marriage She has all her life trained
with the extremely rich and the
feverish world of fashion. She knows
all that hectic crowd and their woes,
bred of idleness in large part, and
lack of earnest motive. In a careless
and bored mood, familiar enough to
her stated class, she takes fling at
marriage which must do q good deal
of harm. She is collecting full meas