The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1907-12-30
Attorneys Symposium Upon
Causes of Divorce Is
Sensational
RAP FOR AFFINITIES
DR.. Tanner Says Choice OF
New Mate Is Common
in Club Life

OAKLAND, Dec. 2o.-That in half
of the women's clubs in San Fran
cisco cigarette smoking and wine
drinking are habitually INDUCED in and
that drunken women are frequently
taken to their homes at or O'Clock
in the morning, are two of the SEN
sational declarations made by an at
torney who responded to an invitation
from Rev. Walter E. Tanner of Mel
rose to take part in symposium by
lawyers on the causes of divorce.
Extracts from letters written by 40
prominent attorneys of the various
cities about ting bay were read and
commented upon. by DR.. Tanner at the
evening services of the First Baptist
church today. The charges which
some OF them contained aroused in
tense feeling. The letter relating to
the San Francisco women's clubs was
written by an attorney who has fig
ured In several recent and notorious
divorce cases. but his name was with
held by DIR. Tanner. The excerpt from
his letter which contained the sensa-
tional charges read
"A leading woman's club in San.
Francisco was responsible for six
divorces during the year. The club
woman in the highest social circles in
San Francisco figures twice as often In
divorce courts as does her sister who
belongs to no clubs, but who moves in
the same social clique. In half the
womens clubs in San Francisco ciga-
rette smoking and wine drinking are
habitually INDUCED in, and drunken
women are, to my knowledge, fre-
quently taken home at or o'clock in
the morning"
REFERS To TALBOT CASE
Commenting on this letter. the cler-
gyman said:
IF this is true it is obvious that
clubs have far more to do with divorce
than is generally thought. Such low
ering of standards of woman's morals
and such destruction of her modesty
must be productive of moral stencil in
courtrooms like that of the Talbot
case"
Nor did the masculine devotee of
clubs escape censure at the pens of the
writer's or the remarks of Rev Mr..
Tanner. The clubman is more than
likely to neglect wife and family said
one attorney, an opinion coincided in
by others. DR.. Tanner said: "The
clubman is not as rule a good father
or husband. lie is frequently too self
ish of his own pleasures to give his
society, az 1t should be given, to his
wife and children. Much of his pleas
ures, too, he would be unwilling to
have his wife or children know about
The doctrine of aff1nities" was the
outgrowth of the atmosphere of mems
and women's clubs, in DR. Tanners
opinion, and he characterized the idea
as only a mask for an easy shifting of
affections prompted by sated natures.
He said the discovery of an affinity by
either a club woman or man by no
means precluded the possibility of
similar discoveries at short Intervals
he'' ocSN oNNCAht cO1itdiy ueI6nQ-
er of clubs, said: 81 am a clubfnan nv
self, and my wife belongs to several.
and we are both greatly benefited by
The broadening of our horizon and tho
development of ourselves along various
lines"
In summing it up the pastor said: II
am not opposed on principle to clubs.
but If the facts align themselves so
that the issue appears to be the club
versus the home I am for the home
every time. And this applies to church
organizations as well as social and lit
erary organizations. There inevitably
viii be reaction toward simplicity in
the matter of societies. and we GER
tainly have too many of them now
PROBLEM PLAY, TOO
The problem play was censured by
some writers as tending, in the con-
struction placed upon it, to cause in
crease in divorces. Sensational novels
Continued on Page ., Column q