Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-28
.ecord extends there were 2,7sl petit

ItfOIu tAItnU1 IiltkO NOtD BNt-
tons for judicial separation and 1851
for divorce. OF the former, rnther more
than one third were successful, aud about
one eighth we're dismissed the rest,
that is TO say, moro than half. being ar
ranged privately. A much larger part
OF the divorce cases resulted successfully,
the number OF DEGREES pronounced beng
1921, an average OF 266 per year. and
nearly three quarters OF the number OF
petitions About 2. 428 cases never came
TO n hearing. but of those which were
brought into court only so. or one thlr-
tenth of the total, were dismissed. The
Queens Proctor interyened in 2J4 cases,
four times out OF five with with the re-
suit OF reversal of the decree.
But such general summaries give
very poor idea OF the actual state OF
things which this striking return reveals.
IL the various statistics are studied care
fully, it is at once obvious how very
greatly the number of petitions has in
creased in recent years. in 1850
forty wives petitioned for separa-
ton, and in only ten cases was it
granted. After that date there was
a steady increase, SLOW at first un-
til 1868, when a gradual decline
set in, continuing TO 1913. From that
date the increase mas been very rapid.
30 that the number had risen in 1880 SO
high az 1877. IN 1873; it Was still higher
namely, 142. Petitions of u similar cha
facter from the husbands side have
never been numerous. In 1869 there
WAS only one, and the largest number.
that for 1873. was only fourteen. Since
that date such cases have steadily de-
chned, until IN 1887 (the last year to
which the report extends) there were
only four.
The divorce cases show a similar Sc
ries Of ups and downs. On the whole,
there has been an increase, most marked
during the years between 1870 and 1915.
II matters not whether We take the
figures relating to petitions OF the hus-
bands or those in which proceedings
were originated by the wives They
follow much the same curves, rising and
falling together, and yielding about
the same high proportion OF sue
cesses. In 1860 and 1861 both
were at minimum, and egaIn
six wears later. But from that
date of perhaps tho following year the
numbers bound rapidly upward. Thus
in 1876 petitions were lodged by Z5l
husbands and ia wives, Of which 1874 Of
the former and 120 of the latter resulted
in the pronouncing OF decree for disco
luton OF marriage. In 1887 10 fewer
a.. o-o l,,.lauIa nv.J ODc vrivaa euad
for divorce. This enormous number OF
1853 forms tho maximum on tbs hus-
bands side, but in 1887 petitions made
by wives numbered 2j4, moro than IN
any previous year.
One curious fact is made apparent by
comparison Of the respective numbers
OF petitions originating from husbands
on the one hand and wives on the other
II is that while the proportion OF DEGREES
pronounced is about the same two OF the
mems petitions are dismissed for every
one Of the wOmen's. This is balanced
by the fact that for every one Of the
husbands cases which never come on for
hearing about two OF the wives petitions
are settled in similar way. Again, the
number OF petitions for divorce
brought by women is about three
quarters Of those brought by men, n pro-
portion which, if We bear in mind
tho different conditions Of the law,
implies distinctly far higher state OF
morality among women. Norris that all.
Practically the whole OF the petitions
for judicial separation are presented by
wives. and if we add these on TO tho di-
vorce suits we find that it has frequently
happened that more than half OF the
successful petitions have been lodged
by women.