The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-30
Two Cases OF Ribs.

Last week was a great week for ribs
In the Missouri Court Of Appeals Judge
BLAND, Judge BARCLAY and Judge
GooDE concurring. affirmed the judg-
ment of the lower court in GoRMAN
against the 81. Louis Transit Company.
The plaintiff is 90. He fell from car of
the defendant conpanys in 1901. Ac-
cording to the declaration, one of his ribs
vas broken and two others sustained
green stick fractures. 4 green
stick fracture occurs when one side
OF the rib or bone is fractured and the
other SIDE remains intact The de-
fence asserted that it was impossible for
a man of the plaintiffs age TO have a
green stick fracture. Medical ex-
pcrts supported this theory. The jury
believed in Mr.. GoRMAN's green stick
and stuck the company to the tune Of
500. In the upper court Judge BLAND
gave the opinion. Ii drips with poetry,
history and philosophy. 1t traces ribs
from the side Of ADAM to the SIDE, of JOIN
GoRMAN. We had not supposed that
there was another man in the world, ex-
cept Judge SIDENER Of st. Louis, with
such genius for clothing the dry bones
Of the law with beauty. We can pluck
only few flowers:
RIBS are OF ancient origin. ADAM had an eI-
perencc with one. which, II he had no, had we would
be In Paradise to day free guileess and Joyous
a singing bird In Edcn's bowers instead OF sitting
here hboring and sweating over this rio question.
Ribs are no, only ancient, but common We
all carry them about with US and have them on our
bin Of fare every day ard 1, seems Ike their quail
ties would be a matter OF common knowledge.
But we must confess tina, until We read It IN
the bill OF exceptions We never thought there was
any sympathy between ribs. green sticks OF dry
ones. But the experts say that In case OF an
injury TO the rib there Is II Is said that great
calamity makes all the world akin. Perhaps this
explains the action OF the rib In initiating the stick
when visited by calamity.
There Is no controversy about the fact that
agree 20 this
The dispute IL about the nckeness of the rib.
Defendants experts cay that after the age OF six.
teen she will no longer regard green sticks with
a favorable eye but turns to the dry stick and will
syrnpathi,e with I, only
Plaintiffs experts maintain that she will not be
so peversely nckie as 70 withdraw all her favors
from the green stick and bestow all her srectlc NJ
upon the dry. but even at the advanced age o: ~
years she has been known. as In this Instance, TO
initiate the green stick.
1t has ever been thus. for are told In ancient
writings that Eve turned from ADAM. the lord OF all
creation. and the proprietor of Paradise. and lis.
tened to the Establishments OF the devil. But We
are not going to SANDER our grandmother. and We
hate the cowardly hypocr,es who lay all the sins
OF the world at her door VIC all know tina, In the
vicissi,udes OF fortune and the succession of time
all things change-ribs not excepted.
But We do not think these changes are. 10 the
OF ribs. uniform to time. but are dependent
upon the strength. character and en-
vironment OF the particular rib or ribs. and ust
decline 10 lay down an ironclad rule 10 settle for
all ages when. II a, ALL rib under the process OF
fracture will not initiate green stick under.
going the same process
Thus did the learned Judge do justice
to Grandma EVE, ribs, green sticks and
JOHN GoRMAN. And now to Detroit.
Mr.. MILES and Mrs. MILES once had a
business college. The gray mare was
the better horse. Mr.. MILES felt that
Ire was governed too much; that in both
his house and his business there was an
excess of rib. He sued for a divorce.
As became a prudent business woman,
Mrs MILES asked the Court for alimony.
Judge DoNovAN's decision may have
surprised her little, but it was high
compliment to her sagacity and business
ability. The testimony showed that she
was the better business man Of the two,
so to speak, So the Judge disappointed
her alimonial intentions. She was or
dered to take the business. and from the
profits thereof to pay her husband, that
was. $50 80 a month for four years, pro-
vided his conduct is good during that
period. Women have been having a
perhaps excessive amount of privilege
in the matter Of divorce and alimony has
rained upon them in bucketfuls Judge
DoNovAN's decision should teach them
caution. Matrimony may be gate TO
alimony, but what il the Tyrant Man is
to be payee instead of payerH