Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-11
ABOUT DIVORCES,
Why Women Figure Most Frequently aa
plaintiffs.

"AbOut two out of three Of all the di-
vorce suits brought are instituted by
women" said prominent lawyer.
land the causes for it are numerous
and curious. You wouldn' think. now,
that women would have more of the
aggressive spirit and pluck necessary
to go through with divorces than men.
but they have. Most people are apt to
imagine that men are the ones to bring
their troubles into court; that they are
by nature likely to choose bold surgi-
cal treatment, as it were, and get their
marital troubles ended completely. 1t
is easy to picture timid woman cow
ering at the thought of lawyers and
courts, and preferring anything to the
publicity of the Common Pleas. But
all that is sentiment and exactly con-
trary to all experience. 1t is the men
who shrink from the divorce courts"
How is that?' was asked.
First of all, explained the lawyer,
''there is the question of expense, which
to man in moderate circumstances
means q great deal. When a man
brings divorce-suit he does so with
his eyes open to the fact that be will
not only have to pay the fees and ex-
penses of the lawyer retained by him,
but also the counsel employed by his
wife. Now, when a woman resolves
upon a separation, if she has any good
reason for it, she has the comforting
conviction that it is going to cost her
nothing. In four cases out of five,
where the woman is the plaintiff, the
counsel exacts. say, a preliminary fee
of S25, and it is on the distinct under
standing that, in the event of the ap-
plication being successful and the hus-
band being mulcted in costs, the mon
ey is returned to her. So you see that
in the financial aspect of the question
the woman is at an advantage.
Then" the lawyer went on, "the
woman feels he. wrongs much more
than the man. Mr.. Blank bears the
situation sullenly, but very well. When
he leaves the house in the morning he
bangs the door spitefully after him, and
in few moments is wrapped up in the
thousand and one interests of the day.
Now, Mrs. Blank hears that spiteful
joor-bang and broods over it, and is
mad all the morning because she can't
reply to it. The house is her world,
and everything about it suggests MIR.
Blank. and, of course, unhappiness.
Now, Blank is devil-may-care sort of
a fellow. He gets drunk at his club.
and comes home or stays away just as
he thinks fit. The world says nothing.
When he feels mad he can go to his
home, break up the furniture, and
swear at his wife until he gets tired,
and then can rush out of the front door.
Bnt when his wife is aggravated and
feels like annoying Blank, where is he?
That's the question! In all probability
he is having rollicking time out some
where.
Now what does all this lead to-" he
continued, energetically. ''Well. I'll
tell you. The woman soon begins to
seek for sympathy among her feminine
friends, and she gets it every time-I
don't want you to make any mistake
about that. This sympathy-seeking is
responsible for half the marital ltiga-
ton. 1t doesn't take long for the lady
to magnify her troubles, and then her
friends make martyr out of her and
cause her to believe that she is the most
interestingly ill-used being on earth,
while in all probability she is nothing
of the kind. This ends, sooner or lat
er, in a visit to the divorce lawyer, and
that settles the business. Aman doesn't
go and relate his troubles to his friends
as a woman does. If he did the pro-
portion of masculine and feminine
plaintiffs would be more even. 1t is
the custom of the husband to let conf
dences about domestic matters severe
ly alone, and SO he doesn't receive any
advice which would bring him within
the grasp Of the legal profession.
Most of the divorce suits brought
are for the absolute annull-
ing of the marriage. The courts have
greatly dIscountenanced divorces with
alimony. In cases where the husband
has to pay the wife's counsel the fee
allowed by the court is S35 and $50
That's nothing. though, compared with
q case l know of, where husband
some years ago obtained a divorce
from the Legislature He was rich,
and it cost him $150,OOO. One men,
ber there, he told me, got $4,000 to
vo.e for the bill Seven months after
the passage of the act the divorced wife
died, and the husband didn't give up
kicking himself for year. His free
dom had cost him just $21, ,42S. so per
month. He had imagined that his wife
was going to live for years. Nova
days the Legislature can't grant di-
vorces for causes that would justify the