626 



The Review of Reviews. 



by the questions of Suffrage and anti- 

 Suffrage, Socialism and anti-Socialism, 

 and the shoal of other red herrings 

 trailed across the path of the voter. 

 The political effect is practically nil. 



The Report of the Royal 

 New Divorce ' Commissiou ou Divorcc 

 Law Wanted, appeared last month. 

 On five points the Com- 

 missioners are entirely agreed and on 

 five they are divided. The five points 

 commended by their unanimity, and 

 probably ripe for immediate legislation, 

 are these : 



1. Equality of the sexes as to grounds 

 for divorce. 



2. Nullity of marriage if either party 

 is at the time of marriage and unknown 

 to the other party (a) of unsound mind ; 

 (b) suffering from epilepsy or recurrent 

 insanity, or (c) venereal disease ; or 

 {d) if the woman is with child by 

 another man ; or (e) if there is a 

 wilful refusal to consummate the 

 marriage. 



3. Presumption of death after not 

 being heard of for seven years. 



4. Local courts and cheaper pro- 

 cedure before County Court judges 

 selected specially for the purpose. 



5. Restriction at the discretion of the 

 judge of the publication of reports of 

 cases tried before him. 



Of these the first is by far the most 

 important. Many people are surprised 

 to find that up to 1857 the equahty of 

 the sexes was recognised by the only 

 law of divorce then operative in this 

 country. The nation has badly lapsed 

 for 55 years, and should lose no time in 

 wiping out this blot upon its statute 

 book. 



The five points of differ- 

 Five Downward eucc are the five addi- 

 steps. tional grounds of 



divorce, proposed by 

 the majority and emphatically rejected 

 by the minority (who are the Arch- 

 bishop of York, Sir W. R. Anson, and 

 Sir L. Dibdin) — viz. : 



1. Wilful desertion for three years. 



2. Cruelty imperilling life, hmb, health 

 of body or mind. 



3. Incurable insanity, certified after 

 five years' confinement, if the woman is 

 under 50 or the man under 60. 



4. Habitual drunkenness after three 

 years' separation and reformatory treat- 

 ment. 



5. Imprisonment for life in commuta- 

 tion of a death sentence. 



These are subjects for discussion, not 

 for legislation. The first is by far the 

 most serious suggestion. The Commis- 

 sioners require that the desertion be 

 proved to be " without the consent or 

 against the will of the other party, and 

 without reasonable cause." But to 

 prevent collusion would be difficult, if 

 not impossible. The minority fear that 

 the plea of cruelty would also be used 

 for collusive suits. They point out that 

 there is no clear proof of demand for 

 divorce on the third ground, which is 

 also opposed by experts in mental 

 disease. They hold that the decrease 

 in drunkenness makes the fourth ground 

 unsuitable. The fifth is so rare a case 

 as to be negligible. The majority would, 

 though not intending to do so, open 

 the door to divorce by consent, perhaps 

 at first leaving it only ajar, but certain 

 sooner or later to be pushed wide 

 open. 



