Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-27
Still They Are Increasing in England
and Wales at Rapid Rate.
OPINION OF MARRIAGE TIE
Some Women Hold 1t in Less Esteem
Than Do Others of Glass.
TWO NOTED MEN ARE DEAD
interesting News from London Set
Forth by Correspondents Who Are
I'm Touch with Live Affairs
Of EnElnnd's Capital.
BY PAUL LAMBETH.

BY PAUL LAMBETH.
LONDON, March 26.-(Special to the
Publishers Press D-There is no divorce
for the poor man in England. This has
been emphasized repeatedly during the
sittlngs of the royal commission on di-
vorce, which, by the way, have developed
some very interesting facts.
THE position Of the poor is a shocking
one" Sir George Lewis, the famous So
licitor who has just retired and who, per
haps, has handled more divorce cases than
any man In England, said in reply to
Lord Gorell; "As the law stands, there is
no divorce for them. The poor cannot ar
ford to bring their cases to London" All
that can be done in case OF domestic
disagreement is to obtain an order of
separation, and to these, Sir George said,
replying to Lord Guthrie he was strongly
opposed looking upon them as an odious
poor Of punishment"
But while divorces practically are con-
fined to the rich, they are increasing in
England and Wales at a greater rate than
the population, as was shown by figures
produced by Sir John Macdonnel master
Of the supreme court The statistics showed
that in a very large proportion of dis
solved marriages there we're no children.
Witness also produced figures showing
that two-thirds of the divorces took place
when the parties had been married from
five to twenty years. There were hardly
any divorces in the first year OF married
life. very few after couple Of years,
whilst the number increased after five
years Forty per cent Of the divorces oc-
CURED when the parties had been married
between ten and twenty years.
-,
the consensus is that the poor should have
increased facilities for freeing themselves
from undesirable partners. i. t,F I.
ResponsiBiIitY of Sexes.
Sir John Blgham, president of the d.
vorce court. made several statements dur
ing his testimony which created some
sensation.
Questioned as to the subject Of sex
equality Sir John said, II do not think
that an act of misconduct on the part OF
a man has anything like the same sig.
nificance as an act of misconduct on this
part of woman. Most men--I think al
men-know it perfectly well. An act oi
misconduct on the part OF a man may b,
more or less accidental. It does not dimin
ish-very freqeuntly, at all events, and l
am not talking of continuous misconduct
| II is not inconsistent with his continued
| esteem and love for his wife. On the Other
| hand, an act of misconduct on the par
OF woman is quite inconsistent with con-
tinued love and esteem for her husband. "
A similar position was taken by T. S
| Griffiths, a solicitor, who quoted from
Boswells Life of Johnson" to show that
johnson thought an act Of misconduct or
the part of a wife more serious because
confusion of progeny" might result
whereas misconduct by a husband, al
though it might be criminal in the sigh
of God, did not do the wife material in
jury,
This extract led TO questions by Lady
Frances Balfour, who is a member o.
the commission. do you consider that in
fidelity on the part of a husband with a
servant In the house would be cruelty?
! she asked
! do you mean cruelty in the divorce
court sense or actual?" the witness re-
piled. 1T would be actual cruelty of a
gross kind"
DO you think such an act would make
| the wife feel that her own vow of fidelity
was loosened2" was Lady Balfours next
question. and the answer was, 1T de
pends very much on the wife. With good
many wives yes; with a good many wives
no. 1t depends on how high an opinion the
wife has OF the marriage tie"
OId-Time Visiting.
Mr.. William Lowther, the father of MIR
! Speaker" is In London for the season
Mr.. Lowther, who has reached the ripe
age OF 80, was in the diplomatic service
for twenty-seven years. He Is the younger
brother of the third earl of Lonsdale, and
the son of Colonel Henry Cecil Lowther
brother Of the second earl, who represented
Westmoreland in the House OF Commons
from 1872 until 1858, when Mr.. Lowther re
| placed his father. and he held the sea
until 1892, when Ire retired.
Two Noted Men Dead.
Two men who have recently died at ad
vsnced ages are interesting because o
their associations when young men
William Johnstone, who died in a Sydne!
religious institution at the age of 1O6 wa
J a cabin boy in 1915 on H. NJ. 8. Northum
berland, the British warship that tool
Napoleon to St. Helena. He remained oi
the island for some time as one Of tn
fallen emperor's attendants
George Parr, formerly OF the royal mar
ines. one of the few survivors of Sir James
Ross Antarctic expedition of 1899. died a
Gnlingham, Kent. at the age OF a.
Veteran CartOOnist.
Sir John Tenniel, Punchs veteran car
toonlst, who is just entering his ninety frs
year, is one OF the paradoxes OF the Lon
don art world. There is no artist who's,
name is so familiar to every class Of whom
so little is known. Even when at tn,
zenith OF his fame, Sir John shrank 81
much from the glare OF the social worl,
that the lion hunter who succeeded II
attracting him to his receptions grew Il
be something OF lion" too.
This modest attitude Is not a pose. Tn
four-lne biography in Who's Who" 4
sufficient proof OF Sir Johns personal re
| ticence
When the interviewer Of an importan