The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-07
RECORD OF BROKEN VOWS
MARRIAGE IS VERY OFTEN A FAIL
uRE IN THIS COUNTRY.
me United States Grant More Divorces
Than All Europe-Facts From Com
missioner wrights Report-The Chief
Causes OF Marital Infelicity.
ra,h,nc,on cortcspondence New York Times

* VOft ilaL has utth DA'B"iNN -
b. Wright she would have found in 1t much
material in support of her thesis. IL the
elaborate tables Of statistics accompanying IL
do not prove that marriage is failure, they |
ehow nj least that the number OF cases in |
which IL is not success is very great, and |
what Is still more alarming, they show that |
the number Is constantly aud rapidly in |
crcasing To those who regard the integrity
Of the marriage tic as one of the safeguards
If civilization Mr.. Wrighfs statistics are an
Urgent appeal to bcstir themselves for the
32s ZIG divorces that were granted in the
United States from 1857 to 1887 are not to
be regarded with indifference, innsmuch us
they mean that while the population OF the
country increased about 60 per cent during
that period the broken VOWS increased 1863
per cent
In divorce this country stands pre-
eminent Mr. Wright has not been able 10
obtain full information from foreign coun-
tries for the two decades covered by his
reports but he has collected enough TO indi-
cate that there is no other land In the world
that Is so hospitable as ours to the dissolu-
ton of the marriage tie. In fact more
divorces are granted in the United states Ia
one wear than IN all Europe. Take the last
year OF MI W fiEuA 0tAVhN h''hN'l W
Example In 1856 our courts released o03o
eoupfes from their marital obligations. The
courts of Great Britain and the continent
rrlcascd only 22,0S0. The records oil other
years would not add materially TO the repu-
tation of the United States.
The European countries that showed INC
slightest tendency to follow our illustrious
exannlc in 1885 were France, with GIL,
and The German Empire with Co.'s. But OF
tl,. number belonging Ia the German EN-
pirc 3, sos must be credited 20 Prussia alone.
Illinois with 20O6. Indiana with 1868, Iowa
with ,l27, and Kansas with Si1 lacked only
seven OF equality with France. Ohio with
$50. Texas with l,32G, Pennsylvania with
l,i51, New York with l000, and Wisconsin
with 700 come within one OF equality With
Germany. Although one Of the smallest ui
tl,e European nations, Switzerland II among
the first a. q manufacturer OF divorces.
During the year in question her courts
granted $50, bnt this number Is only ninety
eight more than Tennessee. Then comes
Austria with 7t3, only three more than Ken
fncky; Great Britain, l75, only twenty'four
more than Colorado; Italy, as, only two
more than Connecticut, aud Belgium, 3oi.
only twcnty.nlne more than Georgia. All
the other European countries are below the
go limit The best records are those ol
srutland (o6L Finland (02l aud ireland ca.
An examination ~ some Of the States of
Che Union for the twenty years ending with
1876 Is more than Interesting. II II startling
In several Of them divorce appears Ia have
run riot. Reaching It's maximum force In
lliuois Il rugged with almost equal fury In
die adjacent territory. In that state the
divorces reached the enormous number OF
1902, an average OF over 500 year or
six for every week day, or more than hall ns
many rs IN France aud more than five times
A. many rs Ia Great Britain during the
same period. The State that comes nearest
a s.TII 4 NssN
The buckeye State can boast Of only 1856.
lndianE0s good third, -, 1903 divorces hay-
ng been granted In that State. Michigan II
credited with ls,i5k Iowa, ia 30. Pcnnsyl-
vunia, lG02e New York. 1880, aud Mis-
sour. 1878
Leaving the East tho domestic storm cen
Yer crosses the Rocky Mountains, wrecking
the happiness Of ~. IFS couples IN California,
and, passing down towurd the Rio 0randc,
u works the same -sles.stas...A ~hh ll4'L
couples III Texas Making IT. way 10 the
North and East, il oyerwhclms ~. 2is couples
in Kentucky aasJ IN Wisconsin, aud =, soj
IN Massachusetts,. Tennessee, with hO2o, IN
fourteenth on the list Of devastated States
Connecticut, with = at2, II fifteenth. Maine
with S4l2, sixteenth Kansa4 with dlhl,
seventeenth. Arkansas, With twl, ciFh-
teeuth. Alabama with a.2u4, nineteenth,
and Mississippi, with b.OiG, twentieth. New
Hampshire, with 4.y7p. aud Rhode Island,
with 4. iO2, may. perhaps, be added 10 this
Hat Of diyorce.iniccicd States.
While those remarkable aggregates show IL
agcneral way the surprising prevalence %
divorce In the several States they do not o
course Indicate the relation oi the increase q
divorce 10 the incruss ot population Nj
Wright has not considered this phase ot IA
subject In his special report; hc has pfobahl
reserved Il for treatment IN his full rcpor
which will not he published ior sever
mouths yet. The only means Tor mnkit
Instructive comparisons that he has ~
visled are his u srccntngcs for the dcccnnt
periods aud also the ratios VI diNorc Ia ma
flngc In 1870 aud 1850. While they rclc'
somewhat the startling character OF u
aggregate already given, they do not In q
slightest degree 10 away with the deplorah
fact that the bridal path Is morc aud nae
deeply stfcwn every year with the wrecks
lovers dreams Considered from the pol
Of dctcnnial percentages 1cNas makes Z
worst showing OF the Siatrs above me
tioncd. The increase Of divorces in the 10
Star Stale during the Econd dcca
over the lrst u $40 : per cent Arkausag
sccond with an increase oi 22l Der cent a
INCREASE ln Alabama. the next State, i %.
Der cent, Ia Mississippi, 2ni, IN kansl
Dos. IN California 1854; IN Wisconsin, 7,
Ia Michigan, s1.2 Ia Tennessee 500
Missouri III. in Iowa. coz and In ~
ntky 6s2 Other states may be named
Hnmpshifc, btS Illinois, 6iw lcnnsyl
mia. az Massachusetts,. R.p. Indiana y.
Rhode Island, ~ !, and New York -.
only States that have the honor u showi
an absolute decrease w divorce during
twenty Year, arc Maine, S8 per cent, q
ne,ticui ~. Vermont us aud nclaw
%. All thc oihs' States and Tcrniul
show an increase during this period IT r.
Ia0 pcf cent in Nevada a. us in Oak lth.
Nj. whghfs statistics With ftgari Ia
number of marriages IN 1870 aud is,u
estimated IN the former ycnr ! cou
ont OF every 90 could not ret content al
lh,y hal b,cn judicially separated.
Year, were Sufficient 90 reduce the uti'
divorce 90 every 40 marriages
distance from the altar a. tie divorce g,
uus grcaicr in the Souih 10 1870 than In
other section. but In the next ten yea
was. asa ullc. more rapidly closed q
than elsewhere. The miio iu South e
lnn in 1870 was ! divorce 20 1880 y
narcr No Gguru are given for ls,l.
hclnNaw marriage out Of every a3hii
Dissolved in 1870. aud cut 1T every hAi
lso0 The ratio " divorces to marriage
he other Southern ftatcf furthrsc two q
is o. follows Nuuh Carolina. / 10 iu.f
Ailh Louisiana. ! 10 i,is1 and i,G51
sinin. To- .. 90 and i5lj Georgia to
anil i.ij2. Misie ppi Ia i,slo aud
Naeyhud, 1 to I.1N and as. West Wig
fhol.nll nnl n7E Texas I TO 90 aud
fCnnc.sfc a. api Andl iiN Arkansas.
80 and hu. Kentucky, l 10 0ls and
finfida g. ~ end 80.
II an d. - II i;.,t M.rYt.,d