THE SCHEME OF THINGS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 11, 14 January 1928, Page 14

THE SCHEME OF THINGS

(By M.H.C.) • *' Companionatc Marriage): appears ; to be the last surprise from America, ' and comes before an astonished world ;, sanctioned by no less a person than ;: Judge Ben Lindsey, a noted Denver '■ jurist, and founder of the Juvenile '■ Court system.' This learned man may ~ be supposed to have studied the matter '.. thoroughly before giving his consent to '; it as a panacea for the failure of the :'■ present system to meet all situations * that arise in the world. That it meets ; many is.a fact, and that many marri- .:: ages, if not ideally happy, arc work- .': ably so seems to be generally recognisv ed; therefore any break in its continuity should I>e well considered, and ex- "* treme hesitation be shown before it is - drastically, altered. "Companionate ''. marriage" appertrs to be a pledging of . love and faith before a responsible per- :;, son. The.Eev. L. M. Birkhcad, Uni- " tarian Minister, of Kansas City, '." considers it a: "human agreement," ;. and admits the possibility of failure. ; The young couples who enter into such ; "marriages", (if they can be dignified >■ by the nainq) agree to continuo their ' studies or work,, whatever it may be, '• and to take holidays togother. They * will continue this life together on ">' equal terms, and later, if they decide ■'„ that they are really suited to each , other will enter into "final voivs." It '.: is urged that this course is far more ,; likely to lead to ultimate happiness and ,V decency of life to both parties than aa ; if they married irrevocably at once, ;« and, perhaps, repented at leisure. Judge |; Lindsey, addressing several of these I;- "companionate married" couples, con- < gratulated them on their courage and * frankness in the matter, and added, ;" "Make your partnership for life if you '■", can, but if it fails do not frame up :.: lies, frauds, and collusions against each ;," other, as is now done in 90 per cent, of ■\ our divorce cases, but insist in your |; honesty, on divorce by mutual coni; sent." This all sounds well, but the [\ outstanding objection to such a course •• is the possibility of children—how ~ would they stand? Would they be legi- ; timate and belong irrevocably to the • father, as in English law, and the heart " of the mother be broken at parting with £ them if it was decided to annul the Z "companionate marriage"; or would * they be illegitimate, and be the whole £ responsibility of the mother, no matter |, how unfinancial she might be? An- ■ other point of view is the "mutual" part of the divorce. Migkt it not be, ;' not only possible but likely, that the i' girl would lose some.of her charm of ''-', appearance, manner, and influence, and while still loving her partner solely and . devotedly, be forced to part from him '■'. aa he was attracted by a fresh face !': and younger woman? The "shoe might !v be on the other foot," but the possi- :.. bility is less likely to occur. There ■; is no doubt that the institution of mar- .; riage is, apart from the religious point, ■ ;-. the great safeguard of women and the • home, and it looks like the extreme of • folly for any women to consent or advor cate any other bond as possible or „ Tight. It-has been suggested that Miss i Hoyden is an advocate of "companion- ': ate marriage," but it would bo well to .: withhold any certainty till her opinion has been definitely ascertained, for she . has suffered before from isolated say- ■' ings of hers being taken from their ;■; context and badly misrepresented, and "it is more than possible that this has -occurred on the subject of marriage. It is certainly possible to wish that all ;™men; and women would endeavour to ':, know each other better before entering \ , into marriage, for the custom of only 'i seeing each other "at their best" means '.. that neither knows the real nature and I .opinions of the other, and sad mistakes ::: are made. These mistakes lead to di- ;; vorce, and the opinion of the judges (naturally inclines to a method which 1 > would lead to better acquaintance bey I fore marriage. But it behoves all sen- :. ; Bible women and girls to watch this '£ :. latest idea with care, and deprecate its .. ( spread to another country. :. An interesting point has arisen in .;'connection with the book written by ;Miss Mayo, entitled "Mother India." ■"The Women's Indian Association ap- '". pears to think that the book was writ- ; ten in the interests of the Western ■•« domination of India, and is accordingly J very angry and upset %vith the writer. .v A couple of resolutions were passed for -publication at recent meetings, and the > second clearly admitted that some of \l 'the abuses mentioned in the book were ,';j facts. The first resolution is as foli;':lows: "That this meeting denies that ;;;; Indian womanhood as- a whole is in a :* ; state of slavery, . superstition, ignor:*i»iiee, and degradation, as Miss Mayo•falsely concludes from individual circumstances, and from statistics unpro- , portioned to other balancing figures; it i.ijpointa out that the men of India have 1 given their Indian sisters political uleqnality and enfranchisement on equal I terms with themselves, and in advance :.": of the status of British women; it also '",. maintains that illiteracy does not con- ■* ;note ignorance in India, whore the wo- * jmen have, an ancient culture derived i: -orally from their religious literature r! and through their indigenous arts and .. crafts, and those have given the womanhood of India intelligence of a high .border and the virtues of a religious , ;charaeter.'V The second resolution ; premises that there are certainly social ■', evils in the country which need reform, ■; and for which they are keenly work- ■;• ing. "This meeting," it proceeds, '->'calls upon the Legislative Assembly ■« .and the Legislative Councils to enact -«.Mich - measures ;is will prohibit child- :.'. iinarriage, prenialure parentage, child-' ,'.: widowhood. dedication tif girls to .'.temples, and commercialised vice," and ", 3t concludes with tlio suggestion that ; Indian women shall be required by law ; to record their votes and to study the ■■■ problems of their own country. The " matter is one of great interest, and ■•"■ though the book may contain debatable ■ ". Inattcr, it has accomplished something 7 in drawing wide attention to the dis- *?;' abilities of millions of women. The :" Women's Indian Association is appar- ", ently a political organisation, and is • pledged to social reforms. However, * it is on* thing to try and clean up one's own "Augean stable" anil another to have a person come in from outside -t and offer criticism. Judging from some - of the remarks-made, it looks as if the '.association is very anxious that all re- ; form should come from the women t themselves, and not from the British . part of the Government. The little ,"; "sting in the tail" of the first resolu- :■' tion about the that the franchise ■ - given to Indian women by their men is in advance of that conferred on British •women is amusing. It certainly points "J a moral, and should make British poli- . ticians aware that their actions are .'noticed and criticised by ;i world of '; onlookers.