who are already married; and not one in ten of those who
are not married, will ever be apprised of the existence of the
laws by which they might be benefited. Few, if any, would marry a
man so incompetent as in their opinion to render it necessary to
avail themselves of such laws; neither would any spirited man
knowingly marry a woman who considered him so incompetent; hence,
instead of being a blessing, much labor and expense accrue to
those who desire to avail themselves of their benefit; and such a
step often induces the most bitter contention.

We are told "the Bible does not provide for divorce except for
one offence." Neither does the Bible prohibit divorce for any
other justifiable cause. Inasmuch as men take the liberty to
legislate upon other subjects of which the Bible does, and does
not, take particular notice, so likewise are they equally at
liberty to legislate and improve upon this, when the state of
society demands it.... A woman who has a good husband glides
easily along under his protection, while those who have bad
husbands, of which, alas! there are too many, are not aware of
the depths of their degradation until they suddenly and
unexpectedly find themselves, through the influence of the law,
totally destitute, condemned to hopeless poverty and servitude,
with an ungrateful tyrant for a master. No respectable man with a
decent woman for a wife, will ever demean himself so much as to
insult or abuse his wife. Wherever such a state of things exists,
it is a disgrace to the age and to society, by whomsoever
practiced, encouraged, or protected, whether public or
private--whether social, political, or religious.

A very estimable and influential lady, whose property was valued
at over $150,000, married a man, in whom she had unbounded, but
misplaced confidence, as is too often the case; consequently the
most of her property was squandered through intemperance and
dissipation, before she was aware of the least wrong-doing. So
deeply was she shocked by the character of her husband, that she
soon found a premature grave, leaving several small children to
be reared and educated upon the remnant of her scattered wealth.

Nearly twelve years since, a woman of a neighboring town, whose
husband had forsaken her, hired a man to carry