The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-01-06
HOLDS DIVORCE REC.
ORD.
United States Leads All Other Coun.
rites According to Statistics.

United States Leads All Other Coun.
rites According to Statistics.
The divorce rate appears to be
much higher 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 marriage in twelve in this
country ultimately terminating in di-
vorce. This fact has been ascertain
ed by the census. which has just
completed a complication Of statis-
tics Of marriage and divorce covering
the twenty years from 1887 to 1905,
inclusive. Similar statistics for the
previous twenty years were gather
ed 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 The divorce rate
increased per 100000 Of population
from 2s in 1870 to 50 in 1905, there
being one divorce for every 3,441 per-
sons In the former year, while in the
latter there was one for every 1,21s
person..
During the twenty years from 1887
TO 1906 the total number of record
ed marriages was 12,SS2,O44, while
the number Of divorces granted dur
ing this period was 945,625. For the
previous twenty years the number of
divorces was s2$716. AT the begin
ming of the forty year period divorces
occurred at the rate Of 10000 year,
while at the end Of the period the an
nual number was about $4,000.
A more singiicant divorce rate is
that which is based, not on total pop
ulation. but on the total married peo.
pie who can become divorced. These
statistics show that In 1870 the di-
vorce rate per 100000 married pop
ulation was 81. while In 1900 it was
200. This shows that divorce is at
present two and a half times as COM
mon. compared with the married
population. as it was forty years ago
Only two States in the Union, ac-
cording to the statistics, show q 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, 900 of popu-
lation from 124 in 1880 to 90, 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 1913 per cent
while in Connecticut it dropped from
61 to so.
Six cases were divorced in Utah
In which the husband obtained 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. 3S.9 per cont 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 for the
same cause. OF divorces granted to
husbands 2Ss per cent were for
aultery. while only 10 per cent of
those granted to wives were for this
cause. More than one-fourth Of the
divorce to wives were for cruelty,
and about 10 per cent of those of
husbands.
Drunkenness was the ground for
divorce In about five per cent of the
cases in which the wife brought suit,
and In about one per cent Of those
In which the husband brought suit
Only fifteen per cent Of the divorces
were returned as contested. Alimony
was demanded in Is per cent of the
divorces granted to the wife and
granted to 12.7 per cent. The proper
ton of husbands who asked for ali
mony was 2.S per cent and per cent
obtained 1t.
The average duration OF marriages
terminated by divorce is about ten
years. sixty per cent OF them being
less than ten years. The number of
years from marriage TO separation
was ascertained in the cases of 7,77O,-
929 divorced couples OF these 9S,-
ago. or 1878 per cent. separated i'm
the first year OF married life, and 14.o
per cent In the second year The sur
III.