The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-01-27

From the baltimore SUM-

From the Baltimore SUM-
The frequency Of divorce, a subject
which has been again raised, in connec-
ton with the late miserable Richardson af-
fair in New fork, Is a greater scandal and
peril Of this country than Mormonism,
which is mostly a local nuisance, and
practically outside of the social influences
of our country. The article of President
Woolsey, Of Yale College, ON divorce
Legislation In the United States" to
which We some time ago referred, contains
startling facts, which deserve to be re-
peated and urged upon the consideration
of all good citizens The article is based
on careful examination of the statistics
Of twenty-three States, including nearly
all the older ones. The causes OF divorce
are given In the various reports presented
to the Legislatures. In Vermont, out of
571 divorces in five years, there were for
adultry, 164; willful desertion, 1873; de-
sertion, so; intolerable severity, 126; for
refusal to support, 10; with twenty others,
in most of which more causes than one are
mentioned. In Massachusetts,, out of l.,
294 divorces granted in about five years,
there were for adultry, 546, or 423 per
cent; for desertion, $50 or 1875 per cent;
for cruelty, 122, or "a per cent; ID for
intemperance, and q miscellaneous.
Here the large ratio for adultery is start
ling. Can this represent the real state OF
the case In Ohio out of 2, 681 cases of
which the causes are particularly assign
ed, there were granted for adultry 935; for
absence and neglect, 1,030; for cruelty,
40; for intemperance 1856. Of the orr
gin of the applicants for divorce We have
no items furnished us, save that in Ohio,
| the counties where the Catholics form
considerable part of the population fell
below the ratio, while the HWestern Re
serve counties have much larger proper
| ton of divorces than the rest of the State.
These counties are composed of the ST.
mon .Pures of the Puritan stock, and the
leaders in all manner of isms. In Yer
mont the ratio of annual divorces to an
nual marriages foQts up for seven years a
total of 730 divorces to 10, 10 marriages,
or ratio of l to p. In Massachusetts,
for period of four years there was total
of ,022 divorces to 1912 marriages, a
ratio to A. In Ohio, in 1866 the di-
verces were l, 1859; marriages, 80, 479, or
ratio of 1 to 26. In Connecticut, in a
period of eight years, the divorces foot up
2,910; marriages, 80, 227, a ratio of l to
H. From Prussia we have some materi-
ais for instituting comparison between
that country of loose divorce laws and the
States named above. We exclude the
Catholic population, which can not be
done with accuracy in the States, and
thus the story the tables tell is unfairly in
favor of the latter. For instance in Con-
necticut, where the whole number of mar
riages was 4,978 in 1866, marriages in
which both parties were of foreign birth
were l ,208. Now, of these it is safe to
say that two thirds, say 800, were Catho-
lies, who rarely petition for divorce in
that State; Deducting them, we have the
ratio Of one divorce to less than eight and
half so-called Protestant, or rather nom
Catholic marriages. Prussia in 1865
Marriages of non-Catholics, "a, 914; di-
vorces 1887; ratio, 1 to %. These sta
tistics go to show that bad as the West is
in the facilities it affords for divorce, it
has received rather more than its share of
odium. There is a general looseness on
this subject in the legislation of most of
the States, which is discreditable to us as
a civilized people, and inimical to the hap
! piness and virtue of society.