The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1905-11-02

y
not even indicate this exception save by
implication.
This divine law is set forth in no un-
certain sound on the pages of Gods
Word: and the disobedicnce Of it must
entail sorrowful results to the lndl-
vidual. the family, and the community.
Second-A social disease. Divorces
are more numerous in the United
States in proportion to marriages than
in any other country Of which we have
any record. This social disease IS con:
tagious and spreading. In lS!o, 90
per cent. of marriages ended in divorce
In 1880. 4.S per cent. In 1880, 6.2 per
cent. In 1900, 81 per cent. In 1o9O
the percentage of the divorced to the
married was O.5. In 1900 it was o.1.
According to the census of 1900 there
were 2457 divorced women in the
United States under the age of twenty.
and 1915 divorced women between
twenty and twenty-five years of age.
South Carolina is the only State IN
the Union which grants no divorce.
New York is the only State Ill tne
Union which proposes to grant divorces
only on Scriptural grounds; yet New
York grants, annually, more than
thousand divorces.
Illinois gives a fair illustration OF
the laws of almost all the States. Al
ter reciting a long list of grounds upon
which q divorce may be granted, the
law concludes by empowering the court
to grant a divorce upon any plea wnlch
it thinks justifiable.
The Western States, in order to IN
crease their population, are making
omen and shameless bids for those DIS
satisfied with the married state to come
to them and have it dissolved.
Statistics given by the Chicago Dally
News Almanac, 1903, show the follow
ing number of divorces granted in lead
ing cities of our country in 1901:
Providence, 327; Cincinnati. 4Oo: Bos-
ton. 4O6; Cleveland, 454; Philadelpnla'
1872: st. Louis, 573; New York. SIT; San
Francisco, S46; Chicago, 1908.
The statistics of Carroll D. Wright,
Commissioner of Labor, for twenty
years from 1867 to 1885, show 32S,712
divorces granted in the United States
in those years. In 1867, 1881 divorces
were granted, while in 1886 25,5S5 dl-
yorces were granted, making an In
crease Of 157 per cent. The increase OF
population was sixty per cent. during
the same period.
In 1867 Ohio granted 901 divorces,
and in 1900 the State granted 32l'
divorces to every eleven marriages
solemnized in the State. Indiana
granted, in 1867, 1895 divorces, and in
1900. 4599-one divorce to every six
marriages solemnized in the State.
Only a short time ago the papers were
telling Of woman in Indiana VINO
had eight living husbands, from whom
She had been divorced, and this same
woman was then preparing to be mar
ried to the ninth victim. Michigan IN
1867 granted 449 divorces, and in f9OO
granted 241S divorces-one divorce TO
every eleven marriages solemnlzed III
the State.
A table of divorces in the Christian
world in 1855, as given in STUDIES III
History, Economics and Public Law,
issued by Columbia University, gives
the following interesting fact: CANADA.
Great Britain and Ireland, France
Italy. Switzerland, Belgium, Holland,
Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Austria,
Roumania, Russia and Australia grant
cd a total of 2O,111 divorces, while IN
the same year the United States grant
ed 23,472 divorceS-an excess over an
other countries in the Christian world
of 1861.
Forty-ive States and several Terri
tories have various and contilchnG
laws, and more than 5000 courts Fave
Jurisdiction of divorce cases. A
learned essayist says of our legislation
that it ..presents the largest and strang-
est.and perhaps the saddest experiment
in the sphere of family laws which
free. self governing countries have ever
tried" It was published in recent
journal that divorces were granted IN
Chicago for the following causes: Snor-
inc. cold feet. eating with a knife, IN
sisting upon going to bed in MS over
coat and boots. smoking clSarettes'
failure as q COOK.
During recent years divorce has de-
veloped into an industry in the united
States, the legal profession and the
bench have done much to encourage
this terrible traffic.
For GIL divorces in France in a
given period, the United States offers
%, 1000, the United Kingdom showing
AS and the German Empire 6O1S 1or
the same time. For a period of twenty
years in Maryland the rate of marriage
to divorce was 61.94. Massachusetts
averaged 31.2S to every divorce.
Some Of the popular theories are that
divorce is due to the conflicting and in
harmonious statutes Of various States.
Thus as Colonel Wright, in his report,
informs us, it is the belief that persons
residing in the State Of New York,
where the law is strict, are in the habit
Of seeking divorces in Rhode Island.
But the statistics show that of 1852
divorces granted in Rhode Island only
ninety-seven were to parties married
in New York, and of 6020 granted in
PENNSYLVANIA. only 765 were to parties
married in New York, while OF the
2S9.546 couples whose place Of mar
riage was ascertained, 231, 1867 were dl-
vorced in the same State in which they
had been married.
Third-A fatal danger. The attack
upon the integrity of the family is an
unmitiGlted evil and a crime against
social order, which can only result IN