Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-10-21
OCTOBER 21, 1863.

: as topic to be treated in the joker's
column than as serious question of
+ national morals. Until quite lately we
do not remember to have seen any
q attempt to take into thoughtful consid-
GRAFTON the growing disposition in this
country to sever the marriage tie. The
frightful ease with which the marriage
yoke is shuffled off "out West" has
been illustrated by the good old Indiana
couple, who, after living together with
out an unkind word passed for fifty
years, were Mortified on reading paper
to find themselves by some mistake or
practical joke. solemnly divorced by act
of the State Legislature. r-r.i lr..s
1t is related that the worthy old
couple wept on separate pillows that
night, and the next day trudged off to
the nearest magistrate, and after. fer
vently renewing their marriage vows,
took the earliest train for State of
stricter divorce law, and where honest
married folks could go to bed at night
without the risk of breaking the com
mandments, by being divorced before
morning. 1t would appear, however,
from recent statistics, that the West has
received rather more than its share of
odium for the facility of its di7
vorce Legislation. The. last number
of the Nea0 Highlander has an ar
ticle on divorce Legislation in the
United States" by President Woolsey,
in which the subject is treated with the
grave consideration which it merits
The article is based on a careful exam
ination of the statutes of. twenty three
States, including nearly all the older
ones; and the facts brought out are start
ling, and deserve respect and thought-
full consideration of all good citizens
The causes of divorce are given in the
various reports presented to the :Legis-
latures. In Vermont, out of 571 di-
vorces in five years, there were for adul-
terry, 154; willful desertion, 1Ss; deser-
ton, 6; intolerable severity, 126; for re-
fusal to support. 13; with 20 others, in
most of which more causes than one are
mentioned. In Massachusetts,o ,out of 1894
divorces granted in about five years,
there were for adultery, SAG, or i42,3 per
cent; for desertion, $50, or 45,6 per
cent; for cruelty, 122, or 9.4 per cent;
Is for intemperance and 21 miscellane-
Gus. Here the large ratio for adultery
is startling. Can this represent the real
state of the case2 In Ohio, out of
2,6S1 cases, of which the causes are
particularly assigned, there were granted
for adultery, 945; for absence and neg
lect, 1000; for cruelty, 44O; for intern
perance. 196. In Vermont, the ratio
of annual divorces to annual mar
riages foots up for seven years
total of 73O divorces to 1910
marriages, or ratio of to 81. In
Massachusetts,, for period of four years,
there was total of 1922 divorces to
45,372 marriages, ratio Of to Al.
In Ohio, in 1866, the divorces were
1,169; marriages, 30,579, or ratio of L
. to 26. In Connecticut, in period of
eight years, the divorces foot up 2,9lO;
marriages, 33,227, a ratio of l to IL.
There are absolutely more divorces in
Connecticut on the average. by los
+ (viz 1854 every year, than in Massa-
chusetts, State with two and half
times asmany inhabitants. There were
in 1866 more than half as many as
in Ohio, State with almost five
times the population. It is stated in
this connection that the. divorces in sew.
eral of these States were unduly great
in the year 1864, and have been so since
the war. The reason must be that many
hasty marriages were contracted by SOL
diers, the motive being, on the woman's
part, to get share of the bounty, or the
pension, if the husband should be killed.
But to counterbalance this, the mar
riages, as always happens in similar
cases after war, have increased quite
perceptibly. SO that the ratio is not much
affected