The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-08

| world. Belgium averages 1888 marriages to
| l divorce; France, from 13S marriages to
| 40; England, us. In some years Catholic
| Ireland averages over 20 900 marriages TO
divorce. Berlin, in 1885, had 10 marriages
| TO divorce; while Stockton for the same
| year had "a TO !. In 1885 there were 40
| marriages in Russia to divorce; in Swift
! erland, %; in Belgium l3S; in Prussia, 81.
Italy grants her welded sufferers no abso-
| lutte divorce. ~
J The greater individuality and desire for
| freedom in the United States, as well as the
fact that she has no state religion forbid
| ding absolute separation. would lead one to
| expect more divorces. Besides, women are
here more independent and able to make
| their way in the world.
From the government Report on Mar
| riage and Divorce, " the following cases are
taken verbatim. They are given to show
those who are fearful Of being unable to OBJ
tain divorce that there is hope for them.
The original numbering is preserved:
Cruelty, or extreme cruelty, or cruel
| and inhuman treatment, when alleged, af-
| ford wide field for judicial discretion. In
| the course of this investigation some OF the
| facts which have been offered as substan-
| tiating these causes have been furnished the
| department by its agents. The following
are few of the instances under these causes
where divorces has been granted TO the
wife:
80 Defendant does not speak to plaintiff
| for months at time, thereby making life a
| burden
"d30 Defendant got drunk day after the
marriage, causing this plaintiff Co con-
| ceiye a violent disgust for him. Divorce
| proceedings begun on day after marriage.
"Q9O Plaintiff says that when she was
| sick in bed the defendant, for the sole pur-
| pose OF harassing her, said he meant to sui
| eide, and did then and there drink a bottle
- Job ,.NN 30
ant sorely grieved plaintiff In body aud
| mind.
"23D When defendant suffers financlal
| loss he lays 1t to plaintiff, aud censures her
in bitter terms. he treats her as a child,
! claiming the right to do 80 because of his
| age and sex.
"(27) Plaintiff says she is subject TO sick
| headaches that grow worse when she smells
| tobacco. Defendant uses tobacco and thus
| aggravates her headaches.
I'D. Plaintiff says Immediately after
marriage defendant began importuning her
| to deed him her property. which said i'm
| portuntty caused plaintiff mental anguish.
'(34. Defendant threatened TO knock
plaintiff cold as "a wedge whereupon he
did clutch her by the throat and pound her
| head against the wall.
"(3S). Defendent quotes verse from New
| Testament about wives obeying their hus-
| bands. He has even threatened to mash
| DlaluLlU anu drew DICK MS mana 10 90 IL.
| In the decree granting this divorce appears
the following: L find that when plaintiff
| was sick and unable to work, defendant told
| her the Lord commanded her to work; that
| he was also In the habit of frequently quot
| ing scriptural passages in order to show her
she was to be obedient to her husband
"49 Defendant cut off my bangs by
| force
$50 Defendant was cruel in this: He
| caused a letter to be written, saying he was
| dead. Plaintiff ordered a mourning garb,
| but at last learned the letter was a fraud,
and that defendant was not dead.
"(6S) While defendant was confined to his
| bed by lameness, he threw cups and saucers
| at plaintiff and threatened to run his
| crutch down her throat"
THE following Instances says the above
| report, 'show the Interpretation of courts
as to cruelty where this has been alleged by
| the husband as coming from the wife"
In these cases the husband secured his
| divorce:
80 Defendant violently upbraided
plaintiff and said TO him: You are no man
at all, thus causing him mental suffering
| aad anguish
10 Husband saws: MY wife refused to
| keep my clothing in repair; she refused to
cook, and never sewed on my buttons A
witness testified that he had seen plaintiff
| with only one button on his vest. Plaintiff
| further alleged that his wife would not let
| him go to see fires at nights; that IL he went
she would keep him awake until o'clock
| quarrelinR.
40 Defendant pulled plaintiff out Of bed
| by his whiskers.
"Q2l Defendant took all the covering of
| the bed leaving the plaintiff to shiver until
morning On one occasion she jumped on
him with her knees and ran knitting
needle four inches in his arm.
| "QA Defendant struck plaintiff a violent
| blow with her hustle.
| "(2D Husband says: My wife would not
| walk with me on Sundays. Once in a tan
| trum she heaved teapot at me. She hit
me on the side OF the jaw because l refused
to be worked into passion; once she pulled
out quite quantity of my hair Among
! the papers was a tuft OF hair marked
| Exhibit A.
1870. During the last years the defendant
has struck plaintiff with poksrs, fat-lrons
and other hard substar ces."
Lest those in search of divorce may be
| misled by the above cases into thinking it
! as easy as marriage, it is well TO remind
! them that judges insist that proof of the
| allegations must besforthcoming. 1t will
not do to allege sufficient cruelty to all for
| a divorce unless there is proof.
| In summing up the divorce statistics for
all the states, the report says: ''Our courts,
instead Of being careless in the matter OF
| granting DEGREES, weigh well the causes
alleged and do not grant DEGREES unless the
allegations of the libellants are fairly sus-
tanned. In about 30 per cent. OF the cases
of petition decree has been denied.n
| The judges are, however, compelled to
render their decisions in accordance with
law where the statutes lay down a slight
cause as suffl cient. Whenever that is
proved to exist, the judges must grant the
| divorce ID, ". VORgE,