Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-08-05

Another man deserted his family
nine years ago. and has not been
heard of since, except In most pc.
culiar manner, Mach Friday even
ing since he vanished messenger
has come to his wife with an envel
ope containing 49, Not single Fri
day has been missed There has
neveF been a note or message In the
envelope. The most remarkable fea.
ture OF this case is that the wife
has been well satisfied and has ask.
ed no questions of the messengers,
Those who have followed ND the
subject say that the typical married
man who deserts his family is not
the kind OF man to excite much
admiration. but lie is generally fair.
~ good-looking. He iSus,ially able
bodied and young. u good workman
when he wants to he. but seldom
willing to exert HIMSELF thoroughly
selfish, especially fond of his own
comfort. and one who cuts decided
figure with wOmenkind.
Not All the Mans Fault.
II is not all the mans fault, The
statistical records prove that pretty
fully. The woman who Is deserted
may he well meaning. hut she has
been found to be ignorant. un,rain-
ed. and withon, any special faculty
for making a home AS n general
thing she is deserted five or six
years after marriage, and It has
been found that some time previous
to that She has been pretty much
the main support OF the family. This
has decidedly left its mark on her.
and IN many OF the cases on record
She has been discovered to he
"nagser.' complainer. either sullen
or Quick-tempered. untidy, and of
failing strength.
How these two types of men and
women are to be eliminated the ex-
Derts do not venture TO say But they
agree that legislation is not going TO
minimize desertion TO any extent II
Is question more than all else, of
building up moral stamina and get
ting man to assume respCnsibilitv
othersde of Picture.
Cases OF wifely deser,ion among PEG.
pie of means, are, however, quite
possibly counterbalanced by those of
husbands who become disguised with
the conduct of their wives and leave
them. making however some finan.
cial arrangement in settlement. Not
infrequently these difficulties are
eventually patched zip and the coup.
les are brought together. But there
Is very large and increasing nun.
her OF just such family cases. brought
about by the doing away in the big
cities of the American home, and
the substitution of several hand
somely furnished rooms In hotel
or apartment house, where neither
woman nor man has any home re.
sponsibility at all
With the rich people these cases
not only do not get in the police
courts. but seldom get into any court
at all. They are often settled in
secrecy before referee, or even
more times by the agreement be-
tween husband and wife, but as n
general thing settlement Is brought
n hone
like basis. The wife simply strives
for all the allowance she can get,
and the object Of the husbands law
yer is TO keep the payments down
as low as possible.
Where II is Felt Most.
The most pitifnl side of family de.
sertion. however, has not yet been
touched among neither the very rich
nor the very poor, but in the classes
In between. In these eases the wo-
men who are deserted almost never
make any appeal publicly, nor do
they seek relief from charitable or
CARNATIONS. They simply do the
best they can, either painstakingly
seeking out small incomes for them.
selves and children by the use OF
such abilities as they have-very
frequently by dressmaking. boarding
house keeping. renting rooms to LODI
gers, and a thousand other ways, or
they live upon the charity of their
relatives, generally doing more and
under severer circumstances than If
they were actually working for wag-
es. The chances are that these are