| Show polygamy in massachusetts A startling story comes from boston A petit petition ln has been circulated in Low ellone of the lar largest q es t manufacturing towns in massachusetts massa flu and signed by bt 1 nany many of the best married marred I 1 women in the state for the enactment of a law legalizing marriages the petition states in efrece that the tile law now 1 inmany many women cannot be married tile the census shows that the women now largely outnumber the men and the tile inevitable result is that a large largo number of females are compelled rolled to live single that prejudice lee iee and custom have decided to restrict the husband to a single wife though as the petitioners petition ers believe without justice find and authority that the law requiring the husband to have but one wife in it cases where the wife does not object and where the means mearis of tiie the husband are sunni sufficient elent clent for the support of more should be abolished and that this proposed action will ultimate in tre tro the suppression of much of the social evil now so prevalent this is a strange epoch wonders em accumulate to see the tile descendants of the puritans petition for polygamy asat is at least a novelty and yet this petition is said to be si signed nd by some of the best wives in the tiie state we be so much surprised if tilo the old maids or oi even younger ones who despaired of being wedded should have united in such a petition for half a loaf is better than none atall at all ali but we confess ourselves nonplussed nonplus sed when we hear that it is signed 0 by married w men there is one saving clause in the tile document however which we noted on first reading in it Itis it is this the law which they rray fray pray may be passed is to provide t that I 1 lat the husband shall have more than one wife provided the wife does not object this is a very good clause and if the law should be iye passed of which happily there is not the ghost of a chance its provisions on s would be appropriated by ve very ry few fow people in massachusetts there are in all the most eastern states large numbers of women who have no opportunities of marriage two things conspire to produce this result first the numerical superiority of the women and second and greatest the extravagance of the present day few young men can afford to marry the style of dress and living is BO so expensive that few have sufficient ent income to support the establishment lish ment required by society people and young men who unmarried can upon moderate salaries dress well live well have a pew in church and mingle in the best society shrink from the tile prospect of being deprived of these by marriage when the cost of living shall be lessened the extravagance of the present be succeeded by in a period when to live within ones ones income will be popular there will b be e more marriages and fi appler happier ones gold hill hlll kems news |
