Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-07-04


The Vermont Chronicle in recent issue
presented some startling figures in regard to
| divorces in Massachusetts. Rhode Island,
| Connecticut and Vermont, collected, we be
lievc, by Rev. 5. ". Dixie of Royalton, who
has been giving special attention to the sub
| jcct. These show that Massachusetts las
within the last nineteen years granted seven
thousard two hundred and twenty three al
solute divorces. and more than half Of the
whole number WAS procured within the last
seven years.
The ratio OF divorces 10 marriages fiom
1869 to 1873 in that State was l 10 42.9 !;
ratio of divorces To marriages from 1874 to
1877, / to 23.; ratio of divorces To popull-
ZION in 1870, to 1885; ratio of divorces 10
population in 1915, 1 to 2.S5s.
Rhode Island statistics for the last nine
| years show one thousand six hundred and
seventy divorces to twenty-one thousand
seven hundred and fifteen marriages, giving
a ratio of one divorce 10 thirteen marriages,
with Il slight increase in the later years
There is, it seems, one divorce in that State
to about every one thousand and two hun
dred OF its inhabitants.
The statistics for Connecticut cover Il
period of nearly thirty years. In lS49 only
ninety-one divorces were granted in that
State. Under change made in the law that
year. the number was increased more than
one-third in 4 single year. In 1864 the
number Of divorces was four hundred and
twenty-six, and in 1877 it was four hundred
and forty which was about the annual
average for series of years. The ratio OF
divorces to marriages in that State is as one
to about ten and four-tcnths. The Chronicle
estimates that there must be one divorce TO
every eight Protestant marriages. Connectl-
cut is said to be the Land Of steady habits,
and this fact is illustrated in the uniformity
of her divorce ratio for years past Her
average deaths are not more regular than
her divorces.
The average ratio of divorces To marriages
in Vermont ia one to sixteen, which is better
than that of Rhode Island and Connecticut,
hut Hpt 81 Sbou ~ THAI VI -A'0'sAe
Taking these four States together, the num-
her of divorces in 1877 was one thousand
three hundred and thirty and if we add
Maine and New Hampshire and assume for
them about the same proportion of divorces
to population. we shall have not far from
eighteen hundred divorces in the New Eng
land State, for that wear
These statistics reveal an alarming state Of
facts as 10 the condition and stability Of
families in New England. Not long since in
"A two days' session of the Supreme Judicial
Court of Massachusetts, there were no less
than thirty-four applications for Il divorce
from unhappy husbands or wives, and in
most of these cases the evidence showed that
the marriages sought to be dissolved were Of
comparatively recent date. No wonder our
Judges and clersymen and legislators are
alarmed u, this condition of affairs. To
make marriage mere Copar,nrrship tcrmln-
able at will. is To destroy the family AMI &"
destroy the family is To destroy 4 most i'm
portaut factor in the scheme of civilized
social life. The State has m immense in
tcrcs; in preserving the family. and if it is
.-2iue 10 preserve it. it must throw addi-
lional safeguards around the rcrmanency If
marriage