Evening star., 1933-07-19

The economic factor served to post
pone marriage" il the opinion of the
Birmingham Age-Herald, which finds
an important phase in "the way in
which women have poured into business
and industry and concludes thet the
climax came with the inexorabIe pow
erty of recent years" The Houston
Chronicle gives the explanation: We
have known that our school and col
lege graduates were not finding Jobs in
any satisfactory number. To find now
that they have not been marrying in
normal proportion is not, therefore, sur
prlsing. Nevertheless it is a warning
of the reconstruction that must be ef-
fected. We cannot long hope to main
tain healthy society if We cannot
foster a sound family life. Especially
Is unnarriageability a danger in this
day when all the older ideals of per-
Sonal morality and personal response
blllty to society are being assailed. A
long continuance of the economic OBJ
stacles to marriage would bring on us
the gravest moral evils of modern times.
Fortunately We have evidence that thesa
obstacles already are being removed:
that jobs and better wages are being
provided: that young men and women
are again to have the opportunity of
living normal and happy and useful
lives in sanely functioning society.
Most assuredly it is to be hoped So"
"One need not look far" advises the
DeS Moines Tribune. for the explana-
ton OF the fact that Iowa's marriage
rate declined more sharply than any
other State for 1882, a year which set
a new all-time low for the Nation IN
rate of marriages per 1000 population.
The record is correctly attributed to the
hYe-day license law. which was repealed
by the General Assembly this year after
hot fight. But it would be premature
to accept Iowa's unenviable leadership
in marriage decline as conclusive
argument against the five-day law. The
argument points rather to the need for
a uniform Federal code of domestic
relations. OF 10 States reporting high
increases In weddings last year, three
border on Iowa. Every one of the 10
adjoined other States with strict mar
riage laws"
Hard times operated to keep mar
riageS from being made as numerolSly,"
says the Danbury News Times. but also
operated to keep those together who
were already married" Quoting Clar-
ence E. Martin, president of the Amer
lean Bar Association, the Roanoke
Times states: He has very definite
ideas about what should be done to
curb tine growing divorce evil. He
thinks the marriage banns should be
published, migratory divorces prohibitei
and Gretna Greens abolished. Pointing
out that one-third of our divorces re-
marry he advocates limiting remarriage
to cases of annulment, on grounds exist
ing at the time of marriage. 1t is an
eloquent though pathetic argument
against divorce that orphan asvlums
find the greater number of children dc
pendent upon them are children of
divorced parents"
A plan for dealing with divorce
formulated by Charles R. Metzger of
Indiana University. is suggested by the
Dayton Daily News, with the provision:
He would have six months elapse be-
tween the filing and granting of al
open divorce based on mutual consent,
in the hope that husband and wife
meanwhile might find a more desirable
adjustment of their differences"
The San Jose Mercury Herald voice
the judgment: Prosperity gave over
emphasis to selfishness and trivialities
petty irrttations and trif1ing disagree
nents assumed major Importance: thn
fundamental basis on which congeniai.
happy marriage Is built was submerged
IN petty, unworthy emotions and resent
ments. Divorce offered an easy. selflsl
way out. There was money enough 10
be free Of bonds that irked. companion
ship that had stalled. Hard times have
taught them the lesson of adjusting
themselves to each other and to con-
ditions they cannot change. It has
taught them to bear and to forbear; to
overlook and to forgive: to be content
and reasonably happy with what thcY
have. And to this extent. at lssst, hard
! times have been a benefit