The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-09-23
THE "GETTING ACQUAINTED
PERIOD" IN MARRIED LIFE,

(Sioux City Tribune.)
Frequently an inquiring bachelor
man Or maid-will be told by a
friend who seems happily married
that cit was all in getting acquaint-
ed" Sometimes this information is
accompanied by a superior smile; oc-
casionally it is supplemented by rem
iniscences. If the latter, it is gen.
orally shown that the couple quar-
relied outrageously at intervals fol-
lowing their honeymoon until some
thing like a year after the marriage
ceremony had been performed. By
that time they had begun to "get &C
quainted," and 500 they were get
ting along as nicely as two bugs in a
rug. All of which may simply be an
amplifcation of the eastern proverbs:
"Heroism consists in hanging on an
other second"
1t is possible to find corroborative
evidence of the getting acquainted
theory in divorce statistics. That is,
evidence of a negative character. OF
the total divorces in the United
States for a period of 20 years the
maximum number was granted in the
fifth year of married life. After that
the number decreases steadily, altho
it does not reach the minimum of the
first year until after II years of mar
r1ed life. To be more specific, Of
more than 100000 cases, 1886
were granted during the same calen-
dar year in which the couple were
married. Each year thereafter tho
number divorced wa greater than
the first, until the 18th year, when it
dropped to 1901.
OF persons married one year, a..
1853 were divorced in the period men.
toned; married two years before di-
vorce, 61,481; three years, 1862;
four years, 73,913-decreasing
thereafter. Some captious critic will
doubtless observe that If the larger
number Of marriages held i've years.
then it must have taken considerable
time for the parties concerned to find
that they could not get acquainted.
But there's a reason.
1t will be observed that the regu>
lar figures refer to the lapsation oil
time between marriage and divorce.
In a great majority Of cases separa.
ton occurs a considerable time be-
fore a divorce is granted. For In
stance, in the 20 years included in
the figures here used 3,616 persons
were granted divorces after they had
been separated more than 20 years.
On the other hand, only about one
eighth of the total divorces are
granted in the same calendar year Of
the separation, while % per cent are
granted after the first year, 18 per
cent are granted after the second.
AID q decreasing per cent zach year
thereafter. Thus It will be Seer that
separations occur chiefly in the Arst
AID second years of married life.
From one to four years slapss IN q
large majority Of Instances between
separation AID divorce, which ac-
eo1ats for the large number Of d.
vorses recorded in the third, fourth
and Attn years after marriage.
Reasoning negatively. then, with
the getting acquainted" theory In
mfad, one may conclude that It 10
the inability to get acquainted which
csa.es this large number Of divorces.
Were the couples able to overlook
each others faults ana Csc. With
each others shortcomings for a year
or 20 longer they might then become
acquainted and Give happily ever
eftsrward."