Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-05
UNTYING THE KNOTS.
Allegheny Courts Crowded With Ap-
o.. plicatiOns for Divorce.
EVERY TENTH UNION A FAILURE.
No Reason Assigned for the Increase Un-
les 1t Be Natural Gas.
WHOLESOME EFFECT OF CEREMONY

Allegheny county is doing considerable
in the divorce line these days, twice as many
applications being filed as in Philadelphia
county. relative population considered.
If, as the elder Weller maintained: "Vidth,
wisdom and age travel abreast" it would
appear that experientia docet, and that some
thing more than 10 per cent of marriages
are absolute failure in this section. There
have been about 120 applications for divorce
| filed In the courts of this county since the
beginning OF the year, and as they are nearly
all from persons who married before the
marriage license law went into effect, 1t Is
evidence conclusive that they come from
people who have felt the matrimonial yoke
gall for considerable time.
Captain John D. Hieber, Cupid's gate
keeper, has been keeping a watch on the
applications and he finds very few appll-
cants among those who have taken
their credentials from him during
five years past. Captain Hieber hasn't yet
carried his investigation to the point where
he can get safe generalization, except the
conclusion that divorces are not all applied
for hastily. He thinks it possible that the
safeguards thrown about hasty, ill-considered
and clandestine nuptials by the necessary
publicity attending the procuring of Q
license may :have a deterrent effect upon
people who would otherwise
Don the Matrimonial Halter.
on slight provocation, in the hope that they
can easily get rid of it if it prove misit.
But it is also possible that the addition of
ceremony imposes more respect for the
marriage sacrament than the old slipshod
regulations that allowed infants, idiots, etc.,
to assume the relation with the same indif-
ference that they ordered dinner. The
most utilitarian of US are still clothed with
ceremony as with garment, and the church
that disregards it may have q very intel
lectual following, but it will be small one.
Even hard-headed lawyers, practical, busi-
ness ones, who ordinarily evinoe little more
sentiment than craven image. discourse on
the added solemnity of instruments under
seal, though that seal has, except In the case
OF corporations, degenerated into q mere
scrawl of pen, and its original significance
has been entirely lost. Promoters of
secret associations argue that without
the mummery of the ritual and the monkey
business OF initiation such organizations
could not be held together in force. Ac-
cordingly it is more than probable that the
marriage license law may tend to make the
nuptial moose hold more tightly by the ad-
ditional ceremony imposed.
Ex parte divorces in this county cost from
S75 to S1O0 when plain, generally the latter
sum unless the lawyer who manages the
libellant's case is favorably impressed with
his client. One of the profession says a
lawyer should not take one of this kind of
cases for less than $50 fee, as he says as
matter Of correct business he cannot afford
it. He bases his conclusion on the fact that
the case must be complete when 1t comes be-
fore the Judge, and says lawyer cannot
afford to take the chances of overdrawn
representations which will not pan out ON
Investigation.
Cases That Never Come Up.
Lawyers could tell some queer stories in
this connection if they would, and did not
regard it ss unprofsssional. Some people
have very strange ideas IS to what causes a
sufficient charge Of ''cruel and barbarous
treatment" A great many cases are
brought, but never brought to termina-
ton, the parties kissing and making up
after going little way. This puts some
lawyers to much trouble, as they allow most
lady clients considerable lee-way without
securing retainer in advance.
the writer listened to woman stating and
restating her case for over an hour. 1t
wasn't very strong one, but there was a
fighting chance for it. After she had con-
cluded the lawyer told her S15 were neees-
sary just at that stage of the game. She
protested, but he insisted, and finally she
tod him that she could not spare more than
SO that day, but would have the other IS
on the next visit, and the offer was ac-
cepted. After the woman had gone out the
lawyer remarked: "Well, I've got $40 for
listening to that nonsense" Being asked
why he insisted on retainer he
said he didn't believe the woman would |
ever come back, and he didn't propose to |
waste his time on her. There is no record |
that the case ever went any further, but the |
and doubtless felt as we'll entertained as |
though she had spent the day shopping.
One Couple in Ten Gets Tired.
1t appears that the applications for di- |
vorce are about one-tenth as many as for |
licenses here, which is larger
proportion o. the former than In Philadel- |
phia, where the proportion of divorce appll-
cations is to Is for marriage license.
Judging from the names the applicants are |
from nearly all nationalities here resident
but there are no Japs, Turks, or Chinese
among them.
Fully three-ffths of the applicants are
women and various reasons have been as
signed for the preponderance, but the OBJ
servant reader can probably explain the
situation as well as a sociologist. So far
Harry Armstrong; alleged solution has not
been controverted. He says the appalling
increase is to be attributed to the use Of
natural gas, which leaves SO little tor the
average woman to do that the devil finds
work for her idle hands. Mr.. Armstrong;
manner would indicate that he throws out
The lnsinuation more with the view of get
ting up discussion than of backing it seri-
,usly, but it is evident there are more than
,ither moral or immoral influences at work,
ind great many things must be taken into
recount before safe generalization can be
nado |