A BRAZEN BAGGAGE.

NZ Truth, Issue 73, 10 November 1906, Page 5

A BRAZEN BAGGAGE.

A WIFE'S " LIGHT CONDUCT."

A "Light" lady Levants with "the Lodger."

She Abandons Five Young Children.

Do Magistrates Favor Women?

A writer m a London newspaper is much exercised m mind about those .whom he terms "wives who won't obey ;" and he makes the novel suggestion that if a man or a woman goes every month for six months before a magistrate, and states that he or she is living unhappily m married life, this complaint, thus six times repeated, should be considered sufficient grounds for a divorce. This is what he has to say about the matter : — "I am one who, unfortunately, throueh a set of oircumstances which it would take too much of your space, to detail, made what is called a bad marriage. I' am now separated from my wife, and was given the custody of our only child when it was eleven months old. I am makingv my wife an allowance of

A FIFTH OF MY WAGES, and as she is also working, she is now better off than ever she was m her life.i 1 < ! "I was conscientiously' satisfied that my wife had committed adultery, and -decided to see a magistrate who told me hers was light conduct, which the law recognises and allows ; but if I could 'prove' adultery, he would release me from my monetary obligation to her. So much for that phase of the question. One point on which J am perfectly satisfied is that our Judges do, as a rule, lean too much to a female on account 1 of her

SUPPOSED PHYSICAL INFERIORITY. "For example : Suppose a man goes to court and tells the magistrate that his wife has an Ungovernable temper and is m the habit of striking him, the magistrate will, as a rule, hold him un to" ridicule, and, amidst the laughter of the court, tell him to go home and manage her.

"On the other hand, suppose a female complains that her husband has brutally ill-treated her, the magistrate's eyebrows will rise, and m the sternest and most judicial accents he will tell the poor, misguided fool of a 'husband that he is a brutal fellow, and unworthy of the name of man.

"The marriage ceremony is hundreds of years old, and when it was first devised no doubt answered the purpose. Woman then acknowledged man- as her lord and master, and when she promised to love, honor, and 'obey, 1 probably kept the compact to a certain extent ; but now, women are quite satisfied that they are the equal of men, so that when they go to church to' be wed they do so with

A LIE ON THEIR LIPS. Judging from their conduct afterwards, very few of these women ever intended to obey their husbands.

"What I should suggest is that when a couple marry it should be on the following terms : That if one of the contracting parties declared : before a magistrate once a month, tor six consecutive months that they were unhappy, this would be sufficient grounds for ' a divorce ; and that the case should be tried before the nearest stipendiary magistrate ; the expenses to be on a reasonable scale, and to be borne by the husband.. Any children of the marriage could, as at present, be handed over to the parent most likely to make them into good citizens, and m the, event of neither parent being eligible to take care, of the children, an institution could be built m each country where these children could be brought up as

WARDS OP THE STATE, the fathers and mothers, wherever possible, 'being charged with the cost of their .maintenance."

Another writer has something to say about the "lodger" question. The "lodger"— what sins he has to answer for ! However, here is one man's experience of a married woman, the mother of a considerable family, who levantad with the lodger" :— i

"I took an interest m a very bad case recently where a shop assistant's wife

ELOPED WITH THE 'LODGER,' leaving tbei husband, her five children, the eldest eight, and the youngest two years of age. He could not trace his wife for eighteen months, when he found she and her paramour were livinnr m Glasgow. He (the husband) was unable to provide the usual costs. I introduced the matter to a private society, which under certain circumstances grants relief, and had the satisfaction of hearing that the marriage was dissolved. In another case, where a wife was deserted, similar help was afforded 'm forma pauperis,' but very few lawyers; will give their services free."

woman suffered terrible agony from the ointment, but, convinced that she had been cured, she brought proofs to the Committee m the form of the tissues which had constituted the cancer. Fortunately, there were scientific men on the committee who analytically examined these tissues and they found that she had simply suffered from a disease which any ordinary physician could have painlessly cured m a week. Moreover, it was conclusively proved that the chemicals employed m compounding "Aesiab" could be purchased at any druggist's for , sixpence. It is to be hoped that the authorities m N.Z. will be on the alert to guard against allowing any of this "Aesiab" muck to enter New Zealand. Cancer victims are only too willins; to try any "new" specific, but the cancer patient has been exploited too long already. Science has done her best for him ; but the Quack will do the worst.

A Navvies' Union is to be formed m Wellington, and all navvies are requested to communicate with Mr Bernard ILuks, who is acting; as secretary pro tein, at his residence, on the new Karori tram route, above the viaduct.