The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-08

Connecticut, where the whole number of mar
iiages was, as before stated, 1878 in 1885, the
marriages, in which both parties we're OF foreign
birth, we're 1908. Now, OF these IL ls safe to say
that two thirds say eight hundred, were Catho
lies, who rarely petition for divcfce IN this
divorce TO less than eight and half so-called
Protestant or rather non Catholic marriages.
Prussia, in 1865. Marriage OF non-Catholic3,
s4.9l4; divorces, 29S7; ratio, to 20. -.
'Thus Connecticut is at the bottom OF the list
altogether. The ratio of divorces to marriages
Is here double what 1t Is in Vermont, nearly
four fold that in Massachusetts, aud much more
tn an double that in Prussia. There are abso-
lutely more divorces in Connecticut, on the
average, by l0S (viz: 364 every year, than in
Massachusetts, State with two and halt times
as many inhabitants. There were in 1865 more
than half as many ss IN Ohio, State with almost
five times the population. ...
THE WAR AND DIVORCE. D..
ut ought to be said that the divorces in seve-
Ial OF the States wero unduly great In the year
1864, and have been so since the war. The
reason must be that many hasty marriages were
contracted by soldiers; the motive belng on the
woman's part, to get a share of the bounty, or
the pension, II the husband should be killed.
But to Counterbalance this, the marriages, as
always happens in similar cases after a war,
have increased quite perceptibly, so that the
ratio is not much affected.
DIvc 1eEs IN GERMANY.
'In Prussia the comparisons are made be-
tween the number oil divorces aud the whole
number of married couples, or between the
divorces and the whole population. The statis-
tics which have fallen under our notice are the
following, pertaining to 1s3e-1S4O:-
Judicial dis of Berlin, 81 divorces to 100 900 in,
Frankfort 30 {"
Mag1eburg, 35 "
Konigsberg,35 " /"
" stettin, S6 "" ""
''ln the Rhine provinces, among 100000 Pro-
testants, there were four divorces to 100, 900
souls, which last item shows that in Prussian
province, where the general code is not used,
but the legislation is based on the Code Nspo-
leon, and the people have had different jurstic
training, the divorces are very few. Or In
other words, the Prussian divorce law encoura-
ges and multiplies divorces. This is shown also
by the tables for other parts of Protestant Ger
many. Thus, in Saxony, in judicial districts,
containing 100000 inhabitants, taking the ave-
rage of lSS6-1s40, there were not quite 10
divorces to 100000 souls. In Electoral Hesse
there were IN 1885, "a; IN 164l, %; in 1851 16;
in 1852, II; in 1858, IA divorces. which point to
ratios varying between less than and 2 to
100000"
CAUSES OF DIVORCE.
"The causes of divorce are given in
the various reports presented to the Legisla-
tures. Some of the information we annex. In
Vermont out of 57l divorces in FIVE years, there
were for adultery, 1G4; wilful desertion, 1888;
desertion co. ntolerable severity, l26; for refusal
to support l3; with 20 others, in most of which
more causes than one are mentioned. In Massa-
chusetts out OF 1894 divorces granted in about
five years there we're for adultery, 546, or 42'3
per cent; for desertion, $50. or 45'6 per cent. ;
for cruelty, l22, or ga per cent; Is for intem-
perance, and FL miscellaneous. Here the large
ratio for adultery is startling. Can this repre-
sent the real state of the case? In Ohio, out OF
| 268l cases of which the causes are particularly
| assigned, there were granted for adultery, 035;
Tor absence and neglect, 1899; for cruelty, 440;
| for intemperance, 196.
"Of the origin OF the applicants for divorce
| we have no items furnished to us, save that in
| Ohio the counties where the Catholics form a
| considerable part of the population fall below
| the ratio while the Western Reserve counties
! have a much larger proportion OF divorces than
| the rest of the State These counties consti-
| tute New Connecticut the settlers of which
came from the old State The fact is signif.
| cant.n
*"From strlppemann's Ehesch eidungsrecht, an ex
cellent work written by lawyer at Cassel in HesS
| and published in 1854 Our authority for the other
lished in 1862. The American authortlc5 the
nual reports of the Commissioners OF Statistics in
Ohio for ls5557; report submitted Legislature
OF Massschusetts In 1885, emb racing five years,
1860 1854; the state Librar ans annual repors In
Connecticut, which for several years by law
braced divorces also aud for Vermont the public
ports for lSGo-6 and msnus cript detailed statement
kindly furnished by Henry Clark, Esq, OF Rutland
Clerk of the Senate of that State. Rev, w. W. An
drews and others have rendered us important assist
| anCe,D