The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-03
Newspaper Reports Of Divorce Cases.

Newspaper Reports OF divorce Cases.
Reports Of divorce cases and other cases
involving matrimonial infelicity have occu-
pied an unusual amount Of space in The Sun
Of late; but In the interest OF good morals
and OF sound philosophy as to the conduct
of life. the publication Of these judicial pro-
ceedings is desirable and profitable.
AS compared with the whole number OF
marriages. the divorce cases are very few
Even as compared with the weddings stimuli
taneously advertised and reported in THE
sun. these divorce suits Of recent occur
renee are numerically insignificant. The
matrimonial failures brighten nobody from
marriage. The institution is as deeply
rooted in society as ever, and it Is as popu-
lar as ever. Statistics seem to show that
there Is growing tendency In civilization
to use more prudence in assuming matrimo-
NAL responsibilities. and that consequently
the average age at which marriage Is con-
tracted Is growing somewhat greater.
This may be 30. In some communities. un-
Questionably. there Is an actual decline in
the marriage rate. but no indications ap-
pear that it Is due to any increase Of dis
taste for the welded state.
Its cause seems rather to DO the increase
OF tho impediments to marriage produced
by the exigencies Of modern life, with its
great migrations. its new employments In
terfering with fxity OF residence and the
relations dependent on 1t In 30 large meas
sure. and the growing ability OF women
to support themselves In many employ
ments. Undoubtedly there is q self
ish indisposition to marriage among
some young men. who fear to share with
a wife incomes which enable them to enjoy
bachelor luxury; but these are 80 few that
they make q scarcely appreciable impression
on the marriage rate. The great body OF
men are eager to get married. and are not
debarred from matrimony by any such mar
row and selfish considerations. They are
single only because their circumstances
oblige them to be single. or because they
are afraid they can't get wives.
So long as marriages are legally dissolu-
BILE for any cause or causes. OF course
divorces will occur. The race would DO
more than human II the marriage contract
alone was always obeyed. among the many
contracts into which men and women enter;
but history and experience show that OF all
institutions marriage Is the most successful.
though it is the one wherein human nature
suffers its severest and its most constant
test. The very circumstance that divorces
provoke particular attention Is proof OF its
usual endurance. The great mass Of litiga-
ton Is over breaches Of contracts other than
the matrimonial. The disastrous marriages
are only small fraction of the whole. Con-
jugal differences may be frequent. but they
are healed In all except relatively few in
stances by the very affection which Is
usually their cause. Some cynical philoso-
pliers have propounded the theory that II
this affection. with Its consequent jealousy,
did not exist In marriage. the welded life
would be more harmonious; but the expe-
rience Of other contracts into which it does
not enter. disproves their theory. Men
and women get on as husbands and wives
because they love one another. because
they have q common interest. and because
there Is bond between them In their COM
mon love OF their children. Marriage. also.
is the most successful Of human institu-
lions. looking at it In the secular light.
because 1t is the most natural. Singleness
is unnatural; only the mated live in accord
ance with the law OF nature.
In nearly every one of the divorce cases
recently reported. 1t has been made appar-
emit either that tho marriage was foolish In
its beginning, or that both the parties to it
were at fault 1t began In some sort OF
deceit or compulslon. or the clashing selfish
ness OF the mated had not been overcome
by natural conjugal and parental affection.
1t was a union in which one or both OF
the partners were disorderly characters.
It was not a typical marriage but an
exception to the rule. It showed that
where confidence. respect. aud affection are
lacking in marriage. the inevitable dis
agreements between two people thus living
together are liable to grow into desperate
enmity. Any wife who became the malig-
nant critic of her husband. could find enough
In the intimacy OF married life and the
weakness Of human nature to furnish fuel
for her rancor: but mems wives usually are
their friends. not their enemies. The raro
cases OF coDjugal enmity appear In the d.
vorce courts. The prevailing conjugal affec-
ton and fprbearanco are kept for the de-
light Of maititudes OF homes.