The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-27
BY ANIsE.
Especial to The Daily Worker)
MarrIaoe in the Soviet Union,

a. Marriage in the Soviet Union.
July "a. There is a new marriage
- code under discussion in the So
Wet Union. Perhaps you don't get the
full meaning of that word discus
sion" 1t is not merely being discuss
ed by legislators in congress. Thru
out the land in labor meetings and wo-
mems meetings, they are discussing
and deciding what sort of marriage
they want to have.
!, This is the first time in history such
thing has happened. Always mar
riage codes have been handed down
from a higher authority Even in a
republic like the United States where
people vote on legislators and legis-
lators occasionally tinker with divorce
codes, there is always a voice from
above" somewhere which tells folks
what is authoritative and proper on
the subject of marriage. That you
and and the folks in the next street,
could make and unmake marriage af-
ter our own ideas, has been unthink-
able till now.
The law of the Soviet Union was
passed in 1918 for the purpose OF
breaking the hold of the church on
marriage 1t provided that only those
marriages were legal which were reg
istered in the civil registration bu-
reau. 1t contained no provision about
common property or separate prop
erty, since there was no private prop
erty to speak of in those days any
how. It expressly stated that there
was not distinction between legal and
illegal children, that a man was
obliged to look after all his children
equally, however begotten.
Life Changes Fast.
T IFE changes fast in the Soviet I'm
II ion. In eight years new interpre
tations of law began to creep into the
courts, especially around the question
of folks who were living in unregister'
ed unions and having children. By law
the children were entitled to all the
benefits of a regular marriage relation
The court began also to extend these
benefits to the woman. Then there
arose complications. Suppose a man
was registered as married to one wo
man but actually for some years had
lived with a different one, and had
children by her,-who got his prop
erty when he died. The registered
wife. or the actual wife"
So the high officials Of the Depart
ment of Justice prepared a new code
to take care of these matters, but
when it came before the central exc
cutive committee, opposition develop
ed. Ths trainers Of the bill, rather
than push it thru with anything less
than practically unanimous support
withdrew 1t, and sent ii out to thu
people for discussion. And now al
over the Soviet Union, common folk
are discussing what kind of marriage
they want,-right from the ground up
And this leads to another one Of thos'
little Soviet primers" put out to in
form everyone in the simplest Ian
guage what it is all about.
To Make Marriage Convenient
THE striking fact about the who'll
L Soviet approach to marriage is tina
It does not treat It as a sacred mystery
to which man must submit his indi
vidual will, but as a human relation
which the law must make as orderl,
and convenient as possible. concern
ing itself only with protecting tn
weak and safeguarding the Interest,"
Of children. No law sets out to pun
lsh personal immortality as such
There is no Mann act, following sweet
hearts into hotels to discover If they
have certificate. The law merely
holds everyone responsible for thu
results OF his acts and for the supper
of all his children and for the care o.
any woman with whom he may have
been In relations. The law sets on
to make sex relations responsible, bu
not necessarily OF any one pattern.