WISDOM
666
WISDOM
other, or of a guardian of the non compos, or at his
own suit upon regaining reason, unless after regaining
reason he has confirmed the marriage, provided that
the party compos mentis, being the apphcant, shall
have been ignorant of the other's mental condition
and shall not have confirmed it subsequent to such
person regaining reason; (6) at the suit of the wife,
when she was under the age of sixteen at the time of
the marriage, unless she has confirmed the marriage
after arriving at such age; (7) at the suit of the
husband when he was under eighteen at the time of
the marriage unless he has confirmed it after arriving
at such age.
Divorce. — Divorce is absolute or limited. Absolute divorce may be granted for any of the following causes : (1) adultery; (2) impotency; (3) when either party, subsequent to the marriage, has been sentenced to imprisonment for three years or more and no pardon shall restore such party to conjugal rights; (4) for wilful desertion for one year next preceding the com- mencement of the action; (5) for cruel and inhuman treatment of the wife by the husband, or the husband by the wife or when the wife is given to intoxication; (6) when the husband or wife has been an habitual drunkard for one year immediately preceding the commencement of the action; (7) whenever there has been a voluntary separation for five years next preceding the commencement of the action. Limited divorce may be granted for the fourth, fifth, and sixth causes above specified; for extreme cruelty of either party; or on the wife's complaint when the husband, being of sufficient ability, shall refuse or neglect to provide for her, or when his conduct towards her renders it improper and unsafe for her to live with him. In all divorce suits the county is to be repre- sented by counsel. Under the amendments of 1911, when the matter is determined judgment is entered, fully determining the rights of the ])arties, but the same is not effective, except for the purposes of an appeal, until one year from the date of its entry. At the expiration of one year the judgment becomes absolute unless meantime reversed, modified, or vacated, or unless an appeal be pending or the court otherwise orders. Sentence to imprisonment for life (there is no capital punishment in Wisconsin) dis- solves marriage ipso facto, and no subsequent pardon restores the felon to his marital rights.
Sale of Liquor. — Local option prevails in Wisconsin. There is a Sunday closing law which is not enforced. No saloon may be located within 300 feet of a church or school house, or within one mile of a hospital for the insane; a recent law restricts the number of saloons in each community and makes it unlawful to open saloons in certain new locahties without the consent of a specified percentage of the neighbours.
Pri.'ions and Reformatories. — The state prison is located at Waupun, and there are several reform schools conducted or subsidized by the state. In Milwaukee a juvenile court has been established, before which are brought delinquent children, as well as dependent children, and in many instances delinquent children have been placed upon probation with good results. In the criminal courts the proba- tion system has recently been introduced, particularly for the benefit of first offenders, and while it is too early to tell what the results will be, the prospects are very hopeful.
Wills and Testaments. — A will (except a noncupative will) must be in writing, signed by the testator, and published and declared in the jiresence of at hast two attesting witnesses who must sign in the presence of the testator and in the ]>resence of each other; but beneficial devises, Ieg:ici('s, nud gifts given to an attest- ing witne.-o or to the husband or wife of an attesting witness are void unless there are two other competent witnesses to the will, provided that if such witness or the husband or wife of such witness would have been
entitled to a share of the estate were the will not
established; then such share, or so much thereof as
will not exceed the legacy or bequest made in the
will, shall be saved to him. No particular form of
attestation is required. The power of aUenating
real estate may not be suspended for more than
two fives in being and twenty-one years thereafter,
except when granted to (a) a hterary or charitable
corporation organized under the laws of Wisconsin
for its sole use and benefit; (b) a cemetery corporation,
association, or society, or when granted (c) as a
contingent remainder in fee on certain conditions;
but there is no statute against perpetuities in personal
property. There are no other restrictions upon the
manner in which a woman may dispose of her estate
by will, and the only other restrictions upon a man's
right of disposition are the privileges reserved to his
wife as specified above. Devises and bequests to
charitable corporations organized under the laws of
Wisconsin are exempt from inheritance tax, but such
a disposition to foreign charities receives only the
exemption and is subject to the same tax as though
left to an individual, a stranger to the blood of the
testator.
Cemeteries. — Cemeteries may be owned by cemetery associations, churches, or individuals. If o^s-ned by such associations any lot therein is, after one inter- ment, inahenable, without the consent of a majority of the trustees, and on the death of the owner descends to his heirs. In some cases an absolute deed to a lot in a Catholic cemetery is refused, and simply a certificate is issued giving certain rights to the holder of it.
Thwaites, Wisconsin (Boston, 1890): Wisconsin Blue Book (1911); Howe, An Experiment in Democracy (New York, 1912); Statutes of 18BS, Session Laws of 1890, 1901-11: Catholic Directory (1910); the University Bulletin (Mav, 1911); Manufacturers Bulle- tin (1911).
Paul D. Carpenter.
Wisdom, Book of, one of the deutero-canonical writings of the Old Testament, placed in the Vulgate between the Canticle of Canticles and Ecclesiasticus.
I. Title. — The oldest headings ascribe the book to Solomon, the representative of Hebrew wisdom. In the Syriac translation, the title is: "the Book of the Great Wisdom of Solomon"; and in the Old Latin Version, the heading reads: "Sapientia Salo- monis". The earhest Greek MSS.— the Vaticanus, the Sinaiticus, the Alexandrinus — -have a similar inscription, and the Eastern and the Western Fathers of the first three centuries generally speak of "the Wisdom of Solomon" when quoting that inspired writing, although some of them vise in this connexion such honorific designations as y] ffeia Zo<pla (the Divine Wisdom), nai-ti/jeTos 2o0ia (.\11 Virtuous Wisdom). In the Vulgate, the title is: Liber Sapienti.'e, "the Book of Wisdom". In non-Catholic Versions, the ordinary heading is: "the Wisdom of Solomon", in contradistinction to Ecclesiasticus, which is usually entitled: "the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach".
II. Contents. — The book contains two general parts, the first nine chapters treating of Wisdom imder its more speculative aspect, and the last ten chapters dealing with Wisdom from an historical stand- point. The following is the author's train of thought in the speculative part (chaps, i-ix). Addressing himself to kings, the writer teaches that ungodliness is alien to Wisdom and courts pimishment and death (i), and he sets forth and refutes the arguments which the wicked advance to tlie contrary: according to him, the frame of mind of the ungodly is contrary to man's immortal destiny; their present life is only in ai)pearance Ii.'qipier than that of the righteous: and their iilliiiiate fate is an unquestionable proof of the folly of their course (ii-v). He thereupon exhorts kings to seek Wisdom, which is more needful to them than to ordinary mortals (vi, 1-21), and describes
