The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-27
Life and Work i'm the Soviet Union

How did folks used to get married"
runs the little primer "The parents
Of girl and boy arranged matters
and often brought the young folks to-
gether when they hardly knew each
other. Naturally, some unhappy COM
binations resulted. But these combi-
nations were permanent; marriage
was a sacred mystery with which man
might not tamper. SO often a man
who did not like his wife took a wife
on the side and had children by her.
Such a wife was illegal and the chill
dren were illegal, and this caused
much suffering to innocent children.
Even IL young man wanted to
marry the girl he had seduced in the
village, the priest would not perform
the ceremony without the parents
consent. Such girl, who might have
become a good mother, had no choice
but to commit suicides or become a
prostitute. Mp
To-day church marriage does not
count. You can get blessed In church
if you like, but that does not make
marriage legal. What makes mar
riage legal is being registered in the
book of marriages. According to the
proposed law, even this is unneces-
sary. People living together regularly
have all the rights and duties of mar
ried persons. Not that the new law
is against registration. Far from it.
1t is always much more convenient to
register your marriage, For If you
come into court for any purpose, reg
istration is the easiest and quickest
proof Of marriage. But it is not the
only proof. ~
Health Certificate Required.
DERSONS who wish to register
L marriage go to the county com
mittee where there is a special de-
partment for this. The man and wo-
man must each give a written state
ment that each of them knows that he
is in full health. that he enters the
relation of his own free will, and that
there are no legal hindrances to the
marriage (brothers and sisters. I'M
cles and nieces, may not marry. He
must also state in writing how many
times he has already been married and
how many children he has.
why do the marrying couple as
sure each other of their health? Very
simple. One of them might have an
infectious disease which would infect
the other, or cause blindness or weak
ness in the children.
"Why do they write down how Of
ten they have been married and how
many children? Again very simple. A
person who has been too often mar
ried shows perhaps that he is un
stable or hard to live with, and the
other person can take warning. Also
since every person must support his
children, both parties must know
fairly how many previous children car
claim support.
Marriage is Free7
"VOU don't pay anything to register
marriage" declared the lttl,
primer in italics, as an inducement Il
the poverty-stricken peasant WHIT
avoided the expensive church ritual
Marriage may be registered II
the book of marriages either befor,
or after 1t has actually begun. II reg
istered afterwards. then the marriag,
counts from the time when the TIVE
began to live together"
Surely never has marriage Law
been arranged with such reasonable
ness and convenience. so correspond
ing TO the actual situations and serv
ing actual needs of human beings.
Feminists In all lands will note tn,
ensuing paragraph which states tina
"a man and woman may take on,
name after marriage, either his or he
name, II they register this at the time
otherwise each keeps his own name.
g. Until the revolution, wife wal
obliged to submit TO her husband. who
might lawfully take possession OF hel
against her will Now neither Il
obliged to submit TO the other.