The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-12-16
LEADS WORLD IN DIVORCES
ONE MARRIAGE IN EVERY 12
EVENTUALLY FAILS.
Statistics Compiled by the Census
Bureau Show More Separations
in United States Than in
Any Other Country.
Any Other Country.

Any Other Country.
WASHINGTON. d. C.-The di-
vorce rate appears to be much high
er in the United States than in any
of the foreign countries for which
statistics relating to the subject have
been obtained, not less than one mar
riage in twelve in this country ulti-
mately terminating in divorce. This
fact has been ascertained by the CEN
sus bureau, which has just completed
compilation of statistics of mar
riage and divorce covering the twenty
years from 1887 to 1906, inclusive.
Similar statistics for the previous
twenty years were gathered some
years ago.
The figures show that at the end
of the forty-year period divorces were
/ increasing about three times as fast
as the population, while in the first
decade of the period they increased
| only about two and two-thirds as
fast. In the six years from 1900 to
1906 population increased 10 per
cent. and divorces 29.3 per cent. The
divorce rate increased per 100000
of population from 20 in 1870 to so
in 1906, there being one divorce for
every 3,441 persons in the former
years, while in the latter there was
one for every 1,218 persons.
During the twenty years from
1887 to 1906 the total number of
recorded marriages was 12,S32,O44,
while the number of divorces grant
ed during this period was 945,625.
For the previous twenty years the
number of divorces was 328,716. At
the beginning of the forty-year
period divorces occurred at the rate
of 10000 year, while at the end
OF the period the annual number was
about $4,000.
A more significant divorce rate is
that which is based, not on total pop
ulation, but on the total married
population, since it is only married
people who can become divorced.
These statistics show that in 1870
the divorce rate per 100000 married
population was 81, while in 1900 it
was 200. This shows that divorce
is at present two and half times as
common, compared with the married
population, as it was forty years
ago
Only two states in the union, ac-
cording to the statistics, show de-
crease in the divorce rate between
the years 1880 and 1900. These
are Utah and Connecticut. In the
former the rate dropped per 100,-
600 of population from ia in 1880
to 92 in 1900, while in Connect
cut it dropped from 81 to so.
Six cases were discovered in Utah
in which the husband obtained a di-
vorce from his wife on the ground of
neglect to provide"
TWo-thirds of the total number of
divorces granted in the twenty years
covered by the investigation were
granted to the wife. Desertion is
shown to be the most common cause
of divorce, 1873 per cent. of the total
being for this cause, almost half of
the cases in which the divorce was
granted to the husband being for this
cause while about One-third of those
granted to the wife are for the same
cause. OF divorces granted to hus-
bands 28.S per cent. were for adul-
terry, while only 10 per cent of those
granted to wives were for this cause.
More than One-fourth of the divorces
to wives were for cruelty, and about
ten per cent. of those to husbands.
Drunkenness was the ground for
divorce in about five per cent. of the
cases in which the wife brought suit,
and about one per cent. of those in
which the husbands brought suit.
Only Is per cent. of the divorces
were returned as contested. Alimo-
ny was demanded in Is per cent. of
the divorces granted to the wife, and
granted in 22.7 per cent The pro-
portion of husbands who asked for
alimony was rs per cent. and per
cent. obtained it.
The average duration of marriages
terminated by divorce is about ten
years, so per cent. of them being less
than ten years. The number of
years from marriage to separation
was ascertained in the cases of 770,-
929 divorced couples. Of these 98,-
400, or 1878 per cent. separated in
the first year of married life, and
14.2 per cent. in the second year.
The surprising fact that was re-
vealed that 81 per cent. of the total
number separated and became di-
vorced after more than % years Of
married life.
Children were reported in 1913 per
cent. of the total number Of divorced
cases, children being present in 46.8|
per cent. of the cases granted to the
wife, and in 26 per cent. Of those
granted to the husband.