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THE HONGKONG·

TELEGRAPH,

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1932.

MR. BRAGA CONDEMNS HONGKONG

DIVORCE BILL

Wells Williams, "Middle King

lom, vol. 1, p. 704, "are almost nullified by the single provision tunt a wonun cannot be put away whose parents are not 'living to re- ceive her back again." Again, ne

(Continued from Page 1.) [ing table gives the numbers of cording to J. Dyer Ball in hia of the place where the union was tive percentages to the total num- the Chinese) was not an official divorced persons and the respec-Things Chinese, Divorce (among contracted as involving the volunber of Inhabitants of cach race:-matter, but we loft entirely to the tury union for life of one man and ong woman to the exclusion of athors."

PROMOTERS' DEFINITION.

In the search for an acceptable definition of the insurmountable difficulty confronting the promoters of the Divorce Bill, the Govern-

British

Mules Females 12.350 4m 14% Other Europeane and

Americans.11 50% 10=1.04% Eurwakan Portuguer Invitaba

NJ1

NII =.07% 100% 1,04

NI

husband. All these duttorent ex- pedients and restrictions nullify or render unnecessary, the provisiona na to divorce, which, like thing Chinese, is theoretically easy of accomplishment, but in practica something very different

overy-

TIME WORN CLAIM. These are very striking figures, tained on divorce in China; but,

No reliable statistics have been ob ment has furnished an expressed tible argument against the time among the people is that divorce Indeed, and form an incontrover-the opinion of many long resident admission of the indefensibility of

cxin-

tence in Hongkong by no stretch

NOT CHARACTERISTIC.

that part of the Ordinance provid-worn claim of the hardship suffer is not any oftener resorted to than ing for a dissolution of marriage, cd by the mass of the population in England, probably less often by 1 nak for leave to lay special stress when denied facilities. for easy far." on the wording of this definition. claim I do not admit; its

divorce. The validity of this A "Christian marriage" is a mar ringe in the eyes of the Law only of imagination can be established. from authoritative opinion concern- I think, I have quoted enough it is a voluntary union for life, of ono man and one woman to the ex-

The Census statistica do not give ing the Chinese that divorco is clusion of all others. If the con- any information of the comparativo not a characteristic of the Chinese. tract is ong binding for life, in my ants classified under their respec-, but once legally married in China; numbers of the Colony's inhabit- race. We are told that "a girl is humble opinion, on act of human agency can be valid to sanction the tive religious beliefs. It is csti-ake rides in the bridal chair but interposition of a subsequent ar-mated that the number of Chinese once, and only if she is a legal, rangement destructive of the con- round numbera 14,000. I have no

Catholica in Hongkong total. In principal wife." tract as between one man and one means of ascertaining the correct figures I have quoted among the From the Hongkong Census Woman to the exclusion of all others. Granted, as we must by umber of Chinese of other Chria- European inhabitants of the Colony the definition of a "Christian mar-

tian denominations. On the na- there is not even one-half of one ringe," that the contract is a life sumption that it is equal to the per cent. of residents who contract, the very foundation for number of the Catholics we find the divorced. If, therefore, among the

total number of Christian Chinese Chinese the Divorce Bill la wiped out.

in their own country, to be: 28,000.

#divorce

is practically unknown, how can it be shown that those of the Chinese race who have contract-

PECCANT HUSBAND. The absenco of the usual "ob- jecte and reasons" attached to the' Bill fails to give any explanation

for the introduction of this

LUXURY FOR LEISURED.

Aro

OUR BRITISH CROSSWORDS

Acroen

1 A letter by the roadside raises a.

perfect volley.

9 Feminine name with an old-

fashioned measure.

10 I am caught in the set, in my

turn, and so have little te nay, 12 Sharper. 11 A one-armed agriculturist. 14 John is under a Russian spell., 15 Perfectly charning, though

there's little in it.

If from this total we leave out ed a Christian marriage in Hong-10 Ono who excommunicates may of count, men of the working kong should seek divorce to be re- classca, who in proportion form the teased, under certain circumstances,

deficiency has been rectified by the tians, there are left

a compara.

have a prominent place in the precession.

21 Ono chop (anag). 24 The very thing for a

soldier.

hungry

39 Considered to be of little value 20 Points on faces.

in the States when rei.

81 Changes for the man who mendi 32 Soak.

the roof.

came in colour.

33 Let off because the document 34 A destroyer of darkness, 35 Lectured.

ceptional legislative measure. The larger number of Chinese Chris-from their marriage engagements, 18 beep sox are now shown. Honourable the Attorney General tively small number to whom the MODERNISM IN CHINA. at the last meeting of the Council,doubtful benefit of divorce is The statement, on behalf of the sought to be granted by the proposed some changes into the social Modernism might have introduc- Government, contains nothing, ed legislation. Divorte is a Suxury however, that can carry conviction resorted to usually by members of structure of life among the Chinese as to the necessity for the new law, the leisured class. Chinese Chris-by their new Civil Codes adapted It only emphasizes the point that tians in the Colony belonging to from foreign countries. There are the proposed Ordinance is intended that class are so few in number many Chinese in Hongkong, how to affect persons domiciled in the that it is more than doubtful if ever, who, I feel sure, prefer to ad- Colony. The Bill is defended on they have ever hinted at a wish here to the traditions of their an- the ground that Hongkong has been such as is implied by the introduc-cient civilisation that will permit made an Alsatia by peccant hus tion of the Divorce Bill. There is of no laxity in matrimonial unions, bands, the inference being that to no denying the fact that a large This being the case it is very ques- obtain divorce in the past the pro- proportion of the Chinese have tionable whether the Chinese will ceedings would necessarily have embraced Christianity from con-avail themselves of the facilities been costly. Divorce legislation inviction. England has been defended on iden- tical ground, that of costly pro- ecedings before the Houses of Par- lamont which imposed great hard-

I ANE, CRAWFORD, LTD. hip on the mass of the popula

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tion hardship which, in the case of divorce petitioners in England, is supposed to have been deeply felt.

POSITION IN HONGKONG.

Now let us examine the position in Hongkong. Who form the mass of the Colony's population? The only source that one can reliably turn to for on authoritative answer

On the other hand, there must be a certain number, and women prevail in that num- ber, who have asked to be received into the Christian fold, and have subsequently contracted Christian marri ages in order to escape the disabilities and the harden- ships to Chinese women in separable from the practice of concubinage by their hus- bands..

offered them of relief in matri- {monial proceedings,

One serious objection against divorce proceedings in a small Colony like Hongkong is the op- portunity that will present it- self for domestic trials and tri- bulations to be publicly venti- Inted in the Court of Justice.

As it is, there are enough sor- rows and unhappiness in life with- jout their having to be accentuated in proceedings through divorco causes having to be heard in Court, They have sought under the pro- There will be the unedifying spec- is the admirable Report on the teetion of the lenets of the Chris. tacle of young men and women- Census of the Colony of Hongkong tian religion the safety unobtain-indeed, of people of all ages and taken in March last. According to able through the caprice and walks in life-crowding the Court that aport the total population (vagaries permissible by the custom precincts from curiosity to follow amounted to 849,751, of whom per- of concubinage according to the fruitlessly the recital of domestic sons of Chinese race form 96.67% whims of the husbands in the nc-differences and human frailities. and of the civilian populationquisition of domestic appendages in

MORBID CURIOSITY. 97.70%. The conclusion becomes the home that not always make irresistible that the Bill is framed for concord or happiness. Some This morbid curiosity is indulg- for the infinitesimal proportion of Chinese women seek to close the ed in at the expense of time that 2.30% of the Colony's population, door against conjugal Inequality by cou be more profitably employed in And if we consider the migratory recourse to Christian marringo; one's own home or in the perfor- nature of the population this small, they endeavour to retain their con-mance of duties paid for by em- proportion is still further reduced.¦sorts' fidelity to them.

ployers to be discharged and which The proportion of 2.30% is nasum-

are neglected because of a mor INEVITABLE EXPERIENCE. ed on the supposition that no Chi-}

bidity impelling attendance in Grant divorce facilities and of the Christinn communion

Hongkong of comparatively recent bound to be the sad experience of growth and that should have contracted a Christian mar- other countries with divorce made given opportunity for development. not bo riage or its civil equivalent. This easy, as Mr. Gilbert Chesterton If the Bill now before the Council is not so, however, as we are all says in his casay on "The Super is allowed to become law in its stition of Divorce," p. 137, "the Entirety it will, i rear, proving the Yet it is permitted to infer, in new liberty is taken in the spirit incentive which it should be the the ulisence of statistics, that of licence, as if the exception were duty of every citizen to check. Christian Chinese do not form an obvious effect of frivolous divorce.

to be the rule

The appreciable number of the Colony's will be frivolbus marriage. If peo- total civilian population. There

nese residents in the Colony are` Hongkong's inevitable experience is/Court. This is a feature of life in

Aware.

CENSUS FIGURES,

1930 on

11

POPE'S ENCYCLICAL, The London People hailed the are two tables in the Census Re- le can be separated for no reason. port detailing the conjugal condi- they will feel it all the easier to be ope's Encyclical of

Christian Marriage in the follow- tion of the Chinese and non-Chi- united for no reason." nese races, respectively.

recent ng terms:-"We hold no brief for From According to the most

................................ But we more the Vatican those extremely interesting con- statistics from the U.S.A. pilations it is gathered that, in than 100,000 children are affected now that the world wants

theso March last. there were

in the every year by the divorcee of their strong unwavering lead in Colony 97,356 Chinese men and parents. (The World 1932 Al-days. And, in that sense, we find women including 2,075 infant mar. This appalling number is a tragic logmatism hurled at the world manac and Book of Facts, p. 4443it refreshing to see much resolute ringen. Of this large total only 2

on the advocacy of from the seat of Christendom". It men and 1 woman were divorced. Commentary

is not my purpose to read copious Among the non-Chinese races we

divorce.

extracts from that remarkable find 4,051 married males and 3,156

CHINESE DIVORCE.

document. I will, however, con- married females, or a toin of! Among the Chinese "the seven clude by quoting not more than a 7.207 married persons. The follow-legal reasons for divorce," I quote

(Continued on Page T.)

FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS

Interruptions!

12 Rover-

8 French city.

Down

4 Though always more or less angry, he remains a gentleman. The depth of shade that may be your destiny.

|35

0 Reserved for Indian women. 7 Burning a letter that also put

an ond to a bird.

8 Niobe was an expert in the manufacturo of these, but that Was B→→→

11 story with a clover ending. 13 Sheep.

17 Make a likeness,

19 Touch the birda lovingly and·

they will be models,

20 Begonal and write it up.

22 Masculine name..

23 Went in with ■ Communist. 20 Unseen.

27 Sails the sea or after the voyage.

28 Frequently of great

travellers on foot.

use

to

20 Useful material for an over- coat, though one must confess it doesn't sound so.

+

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