Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-21
SHE AND WALT AGREED TO PART.
Charlotte Perkins Stets0n Talks
About Her Divorce.
She Thinks Marriage Should Be Diff
ficult and Divorce Easy.
Tho Former Pasadena Authoress Dis
cusses Her Divorce Case-5he and
Her Husband Are Still
Good Friends.

Providence, R. l., says the San Francis
co Examiner, told the story of g. Walt
Stetson's efforts to secure a divorce
from Charlotte Perkins Stetson, a writer
OF renown, recently resident of Pasa-
dena, now residing in Oakland. The
husband, an artist and follower of jim
my McNeal Whistler and the other Sim
pressionists," accused his wife of not
wearing corsets or even waistbelts, of
going abont without heels on her shoes,
of devoting her time to the doctrines of
Bellamy, and Of running after fads and
fancies in social and dress reform-all
to the exclusion of sewing buttons on
his shirts and making wifely remarks
about his respiration upon his return
frem "the lodge"
He said she followed gymnastics until
she became very muscular. G. Walt is
not muscular man, and somewhat un-
dersized, 80 his complaint seemed to
hint that his wife was rather the head
of the household before she picked up
her dress reform duds, her Bellamy
writings and her muscular development
and put off for California, leaving in her
husbands memory nothing in the ma
ture of connubial bliss more distinct
than an impressionist daub.
DEVOTED TO THE CAUSE OF WOMEN.
Mrs. Stetson came to this state in
1888, and went first to Pasadena. She
says che came to the coast for her
health, and settled in Southern Califor-
MIA. She has busted herself with maya.
zine writing, lecturing, preparing books
which have not yet been published, and
doing various things in woman's behalf
ever since. She says her life is devoted
to these ends, and she has shouldered
the responsibility of earning her own
bread and butter, together with that of
her little daughter, from preference.
About a year ago she moved from
Pasadena. to Oakland, and one of the
honors conferred upon her has been her
election as second vice-president of the
Pacific Coast Women's Press associa-
ton, position she now holds.
Her testimony is that che has been
out of health during the greater part of
her married life, and that her health is
not good at present. She is slight,
frail-bodied young woman of medium
height, with strong features, pro minent
nose and chin, and luminous eyes.
Her Boston reputation as an exponent
OF reform and progressive ideas as well
as a competent writer followed her here,
and she has made the conquest of sew
eral feminine members of the Women's
Press club. The shining lights of that
extraordinary organization are her zeal
GUS admirers and coadjutors in all mat
ters that pertain to the presumable ele-
walton OF sweet woMankind.
The respondent herself, in the now
famous suit, was found yesterday at her
Oakland home on Webster street. She
entered the parlor dressed in blue
serge trailing house gown. loosely belted
at the waist. Over her shoulders light
shawl was wrapped, and her slippers
had no heels. In point of physique she
showed that whatever dress reforms she
hes applied to herself and whatever
gymnastic exercises che may have in.
dulged in, the. result has not been to
make her strong woman. But in con-
versation che soon proved that she had
viii of her own.
When asked about the divorce pro-
ceedings that have been begun against
her in the east she said:
when two grown persons conclude
that they cannot live together and want
to separate, that is sufficient, lie it not?
They can separate if they desire to do 30.
Further than that it is private matter
and no ones business.
'The fact that the proceedings have
] been brought is no news to me. It was
| understood and agreed upon between US
both. There are only six grounds, be-
lieve, on which a divorce can be pro-
cured in Rhode Island and California,
and it was necessary to have some speci-
fcations in order to get the divorce. Oh,
you see have looked into these mat
ters. There is not the slightest ill-feel-
ing between Mr.. Stetson and myself and
| there has been none. We correspond
constantly and have all along since
have been here. We are the best of
| friends and will remain 80.
NO UNPLEASANTNESS.
"The newspaper dispatches about the
filing of the suit have got the dates all