MR. STEAD ON DIVORCE.

Colonist, Volume LIII, Issue 13052, 11 March 1911, Page 3

MR. STEAD ON DIVORCE.

Mr W. T. Stead took up a. characteristic attitiulc when ho insisted that until Parliament represented both sexes it had .no right to "ut into effect any recommendations of the Divorce Commission. The Church, lie, said, while attempting to compel the State to force on tho world ""Christ's law ot marriage—which was for Christ's people to he. voluntarily obeyed by them out of loyalty to Him—had practically abdicated, with f<w exceptions, its duties as teacher and moral director ol the nation. On matters poitnimng to marriage the Church neither instructed the young, exhorted their congrega-tion-s, 'nor rribuked evil-doers. J lie Stat" if possible, offended even more shamelessly, for the- State marriage was only a civil contract, and, while insisting that the contract should be life long, it took no steps- before giving its sanction to ascertain that both parties were fullj; aware of the conditions they were accepting. A good deal has been said about the equality of the law between the »exes. He went much further than to dema.ud equality. Much stronger bars were necessary to restrain a man-eat-incr tiger than to confine a mild gazr,Ue. Ho would give much greater liberty of divorce to wOme^i; than to men, for tho economic position and physical disabilities would operate as a more effective restraint on the women than the utmost the law could enforce on the man. When women attained full citizenship, and realised the corollaries of the doctrine that she had an immortal soul, din would refuse to marry unless assured of a legal right to ill) pose some check upon unlimited cohabitation, and an absolute veto at any time during her married life upon being made a mother against her fr«9 and full consent. The State ought to protect the weaker partner, and secure the interests of the children, and could best do this by frankly abandoning attempts to preserve the family upon the old basiri of male domination. Marriage as a civil contract might bo dissolved for—(1) Adultery; (2) desertion for a term of years; (3) failure or refusal to maintain wife and children- (4) incurable insanity; (5) penal servitude. All divorce casete should be tried by mixed juries of men and women.