The surest sign of the general betterment of the world's law is that woman everywhere is more and more being allowed her natural place in the community as man's equal and associate. That nation is most enlightened which treats its womankind the best. All the legislation of the past century bearing on the subject of marriage has elevated men by giving more justice to women. When the next Matrimonial Causes Act predicated upon the labours of the present Royal Commission on Marriage and Divorce is passed by the British Parliament, women will be given equal rights with men in our courts of law. The jurisprudence of England was not built for a day, and we are a people singularly bound by precedent, but when John Bull moves it is always in a straight line, and he never turns back. H. R. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION 7 II. ENGLAND 16 III. SCOTLAND 32 IV. IRELAND 36 V. THE FRENCH LAW 38 VI. THE LAW OF ITALY 46 VII. BELGIUM 53 VIII. SWITZERLAND 57 IX. GERMANY 60 X. AUSTRIA 67 XI. HUNGARY 72 XII. SWEDEN 76 XIII. DENMARK 81 XIV. NORWAY 85 XV. RUSSIAN EMPIRE 89 XVI. HOLLAND 100 XVII. THE JAPANESE LAW 104 XVIII. SPAIN 110 XIX. LAW OF PORTUGAL 117 XX. ROUMANIA 121 XXI. SERVIA 125 XXII. BULGARIA 129 XXIII. KINGDOM OF GREECE 132 XXIV. THE MOHAMMEDAN LAW 137 XXV. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 148 XXVI. DOMINION OF CANADA 199 XXVII. REPUBLIC OF MEXICO 209 XXVIII. ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 218 XXIX. UNITED STATES OF BRAZIL 223 XXX. REPUBLIC OF CUBA 227 XXXI. COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA 238 XXXII. DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND 250 XXXIII. THE HINDU LAW 256 XXXIV. THE CHINESE EMPIRE 265 Marriage and Divorce Laws of the World CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION. Marriage is the oldest and most universal of all human institutions. According to the Chinese Annals in the beginning of society men differed in nothing from other animals in their way of life. They wandered up and down the forests and plains free from the restraint of community laws or morality, and holding their women in common. Children generally knew their mothers, but rarely their fathers.