SHOULD WAR WIDOWS REMARRY?

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 257, 9 March 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

SHOULD WAR WIDOWS REMARRY?

THE PENSION DIFFICULTY. Will the surrender of pensions on remarriage result in young war widows becoming reluctant oil'e more to enter UK matrimonial state? This was tho question 1 have been putting to many persons likely to become interested in the matter, such -as registrars, ministers, Parish Councillors, and others whoso daily work provides them with experience for giving an unbiassed opinion, says a writer in the "Scotsman."

Tho subject affects every town and lillago in broad Scotland. It is a questlion, too, upon which much depends, for never has the birth-rate of our land j been so low. Scotland has been twitted I with this, and somo discussion has already taken place over tho pensions to widows', many members of Parlament contending that such pensions should not cease on re-marriage, as by cancelling pension-! they might put a ban upon marrtage. "You must remember," said a Scottish registrar, "that even before the Derby scheme, when Kitchener's clarion call was being anworod by thousands of young patriot*, there was an | unprecedented rush of war marriages. Many young girls the. light there was no liner way of showing what they thought of the.ir boys' sacrifice than to l>ecome his wife before he went out to face the. onemv. There cannot lie any doubt that many of these marriages, while brought about by the purest motives, worn ill-judged. A little moro thought by lxith parties would have shown them in most cases tho wisdom of waiting. But there was no use of preaching. It would have l>eon futile, and the result to-day is? that we have hundreds of girlwidows who have really never known what it is to bo a wife. Your question is rather a difficult one to answer. But T will do my be-it. ] ihintv you will find that the loss of money will never prevent ai girl from marrying i£ the man who offers .seems likely to make her happy. Already, in ninny cases, yon inirt have noticed the marriages of very young war widows. And the.se unions are not in one class, but in all classes of society. Many newer gave the pension a thought, and I believe the widow of a private soldier will think le«s of giving up her pension, than, say, the widow of a lieutenant or captain will, even although in the case of a private's widow money may be more needed. No, I do not believe that tho cancellation of the pension on remarriage wil 1 . keep widows out of the matrimonial market.

A minister in a district

remarked, "One of tho causes which wil Itnake'for re-marriage is this. Tho losses sustained by young girls has been so general—so pathetically general—that really tho public find themselves unable to mourn so deeply as would have been the case before the war. I have noted this fact at funerals when the men have been buried from hospitals. Each is only one of many. It is not that tho public have got hardened, but tho every-day ocucrren-e of such bereavements lnis begun to influence them. Tiii.-i is war-time, and 1 even our mourning must have a limit. '1 here are nnt.v <a.ses 1 can point to where young widows have married their husl*and s

chum. 1 must candidly say that whore the circumstances arc at all favourable 1 can see no objection to young war widows marrying again. But I would lain hope thta they will wait until tho war is over before they risk another big venture."

"1 think," said a Parish Councillor, "that in the present condition of Scotland, every encouragement should be given to war widows to marry. There might indeed be marriages where tho n.-w suiter is actuated, or partly actu-

r.tid, by tho thought of the pen-ion wen ii allowed to continue. It the arrangements are no altered that the pension is paid even after re-marriage, I would so tie up the allowance in tli-"* nanv.i of the wife that th,> second liusb.uni could not ton: h it. \e u , lam in favour of continuing the personal pension of the widow even on re-marriage if she has children. Ihe birth-rat.' is ai such a low rate- that every marriage • -provided circumstances are n>t against it —ought t > b,» em enraged. Already many young war widows are out iii Imsines.- —in munitions work, oil farm-, in 'hop, ite.—- and a good many have never given up their pro-nririiago work. If war widows are not tc, many again, think cf th* result. it would ."poll ruin to tho country, for if S-otland over required a ijig birth-rate it natto * piesent tuno. I have rreat faith ill the war wido'.v-i niy-r'f. '1 hev have every ne'ht. to marry a; am end only women who are inner •ought in will doerv tli an for dion r* >. Mh!e T am iu favour of ret. limn • th" i>ee-d'>n I am certain that, the he- < f 't " 'M n it retard second marriage.."