The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-09-28
DOMESTIC INfELI0ITY,

Ii is quite remarKaDle HOW luahN
husbands and wives there are who
cannot get along amicably together.
Recently there have appeared IN
the papers Of this county number
of notices stating that my wife
has left my bed and board without
Just cause or provocation " and the
husbands who sign give notice that
they will not pay any bills OF the
wife contracting. 1t has teen the
custom for many years to publish
such notices III similar cases, and
as this is a matter which greatly
affects the marital relation the legal
effect of such a notice ought to be
understood by the public.
In the first place. it is sufficient
to put the public on its guard, as it
shows that the husband will not
pay any bills of the wife's contract
ing, at least not unless he is COM
pelled to do so, and whether he can
be so compelled depends upon the
circumstances of each case. Very
often the wife who is alleged to
have left her husbands bed and
board without just cause or provoca-
ton, has very different story to
tell. By long series of neglect
and ill-treatment she may have left
her home in fear of great bodily
narm. No man has the right to
drive his wife from his bed and
board by his own misconduct, and
then seek to deprive her OF the
necessaries of life by advertising
that he will not pay any bills OF her
contracting. If she has left her
home through his fault, he may be
compelled to pay by law, notwith-
standing his notice, for what might
be considered reasonable as the
necessaries of lite according to his
means. What would be reasonable
in the case Of laboring man with
out property, would not be so in
the case Of man of wealth.
Where the woman is at fault, and
for any reason abandons her home
without just cause or provoca'ion,
the notice is undoubtedly good, and
any one who gives her credit does
SO at his own risk, prouided he has
knowledge of such notice. The
publication of these notices is not a
thing which every one is bound to
know, and unless it could be shown
by the husband that the person ex-
tending credit had actual notice,
the husband would be liable for the
bill.
The unfortunate fact in connec-
tion with these notices is that even
where the wife is entirely innocent,
and is practically driven from her
home by a cruel husband, she is un-
able to make any purchases on her
husbands credit, because dealers do
not care to be forced to law to Sc
cure their pay. This gives the ad-
vantage to the man, and forces the
woman to return to her home to
endure more ill-treatment, or to
stay away and earn her own living.
The above is the law OF the case
as we understand it. If it is incor-
rect in any way, THE COLUMBIAN
will be glad to be corrected, and
therefore invites communications
from any one who holds different
view, especially from lawyers.
The number of divorces seems to
be on the increase everywhere, and
the marital relation is a subject that
is receiving much attention. An
effort to have uniform divorce laws
throughout the country is being
made, and will no doubt succeed in
time, but even these will not stop
the growing tendency to domestic
infelicity until matrimony shall be
regarded more sacredly by those
who rush into it.