The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1907-08-02
FREAKS
)4iaer Gases Revealed by
iTiiis CENSUS bureau.
acAG0 IS CENTRE.

Grange freaks of Domestic InfeIicity
Brought TO Light by tho Divorce
y Courts. Tho Windy City Holds
the Record of 1872 to Every 1OO,-
900 Inhabitants Increasing i'm Ru-
raj Districts.
The divorce courts Of Chicago and
other cities of the United States re-
veal strange motives Of the martial
infelicity. 1t has remained for the
United States census bureau to col
lect the particulars Of these frank
divorces and compile them into a
government report. For two years
100 agents of the census bureau have
searched the court records of the
country for odd and unusual fcatur-
es to divorce suits. The results of
these two years labor are soon to be
presented in official form. With them
will be preser ed the usual statistics
revealing the growth of the divorce
evil in the United States.
Chicago, as the repnted divorce
center" Of the nation, will continue
to hold her unenviable record, with
1872 divorces granted for every 1OO,-
600 of population for the last twenty
years.
AS an indication Of how many APP
plicationS for divorce have been filed
and not granted, the second ten-year
period for Chicago will show 43, 658
applications as against BLISS de-
crees.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER CITIES.
To appreciate the proportion of
Chicago divorces from other cities
may be compared. Boston promises
GO divorces in the 100, 900 of popula-
ton; Philadelphia GO, and New York
so divorces. In these figures, how
ever, one may not read the story of
the comparative marital unhappiness
in these cities. Tie New York law,
for one, is such as to show smaller
proportion of divorces to the amount
of domestic ~infclicity. 1t is only
where virtue is conceded simply be-
cause a mar and his wife live togeth-
er the cat and dog life that Others
refuse to tolerate, that these com.
parative figures have a show at sug.
gesting community morality.
Although divorces are on the in
creas in the cities, they show a
greater ratio Of increase in the coun.
try districts, almost without eXcep
ton. Why this situation without
exists has been accounted for by the
possibility that the life in country
districts---in closer relation with the
life of the cities.--has caused tho
farmers wives to rebel more strong.
~ and effectively against the hard.
ships and monotony Of the farm.
In spite of the increase Of the mum
Der of divorces, Judge Robert Tay
Tor, of the federl court Of Ohio, re
Gently called attention to the fact
that before in the history OF
the country had it been easier for {
mar to have a plurality of wives with
less risk to his liberty. Under the
judges observations this might be {
condition tending to lessen the APP
plication for divorce, only that in the
divorce records now being canvasscd
it is shown that Of the applicants fol
lcgalized separation the proportions
two women to one man. The hus-
band by all odds is more content
with marital union.
In the opinion of Judge Taylor the
best 'routing" of a divorce tour at
the present time should begin in
South Carolina, where divorces are
not recognized at all.
The new husband should remain
with his bride in that state long
enough to acquire citizenship. Co
ing to some get-a-divorce-easy state,
the husband would file suit for a di-
vorcc on the ground Of dcscrtion.
These papers would be sent to the
sheriff of some other county in
South Carolina than that in which
the bride resided. Naturally, they
would be served upon his wife, and
returned unserved, the letter of the
state law would be carried out, and
the divorce granted without the
Wifc's knowing anything about it.
LEGALLY DEAD AFTER FIVE YEARS.
Chicago is another likely place if
the divorced mar seeks another ven
turc. When he tires Of this second
venture, the Judge advises his going
to Arkansas, which has a system of
automatic divorce accomplished by
dcscrtion. In this state the absence
of wife or husband for five years
makes the absentee member of the
family legally dead. In Arkansas
the nan married in Chicago and
leaving his bride there may sue for
divorce on the ground Of dcsertion,
fling the summons to the defendant
! n some obscure corner Of an obscure
weekly paper.
Thereafter this man on the mar
riage route may go from state to
state, acquiring matrimonial bonds
here and divcsting himself of them
there, finally after five years return
ing to Arkansas. There, il the first
wife be living, and without the pro-
cess of divorce court he is privileged
TO marry two sexes. Is man so much
more the part Of this first hclpmect.
Why the wife should be doubly dis
posed owe her husband to seek di-
vorcc is a question open to settle
mcnt from the two points of view Of
the two * Is man so much more
the intolcrablc brute that where all
is serene to him The finer scnsibilitics
of the wife suffer the agonics of the
lost? Or is the woman so ''uncer-
tain, coy and hard to please" that
the moor rrcot)Ira IF nno,cou Gb,Y