The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-12-29
DIVORCES AND THEIR CAUSES

~'11A Lei haSss Has ACo0A-S 11A@. ~ -
trite to say that our leading actors
and actresses are resourceful in the
art Of matrimony. They are scarcely
of with the old lore before they are
on with the new.
Why is it?
1t ought not to be a marvel. It is
because they rarely lead real lives
They assume and live the part of the
play that they make famous, and II
turn that makes them famous. To be
come real actors they must get them
selves out of themselves, and in the
doing of which they lose their indi
viduality. They are living in a ere
ated atmosphere. As a rule the wives
do not understand this. The house
becomes divided against itself. and, OF
course, cannot stand-not very long
at least.
So it is with authors. They are al.
ways living the lives of their heroes
and heroines. Eating, drinking and
sleeping, the plot of their stories is
ever being formulated, and is run
ming through their minds They are
oblivious of the real things going on
around them. For fear that some.
thing connected with the plot of the
story that suggests itself to them at
the moment may escape them, they
dot it down either on a real or an inn
aginary tablet. The clinging young
wife does not understand this, and
feels that she is neglected. She feels
that hers should be the first place in
her husbands affections. The VOWS of
the marriage altar are ever before
her. The husband does not realize
her struggles, the things that are
passing through her brain, nor, on the
other hand, does she have any concep-
ton of the entirely total trend of
thought that is passing through his.
So a GOODNESS springs up between
them. She feels that she is being
neglected. that his ardor is cooled,
and that she has been supplanted by
some more subtle or tangible force in
his affections. His thoughts, being
entirely on other things, cannot un-
derstand it, and attributes to her a
peevishness and want of regard for
him that is so freely accorded to him
by others. So they get further and
further away from each other, and all
too frequently their domestic infelici-
ties end up in the divorce courts.
See what voluminous writer Dick
ems was. One, somehow. does not
seem TO realize that an author is a
toiler-that he must burn the mid
night oil. That while he is not busy
with his pen he is busy formulating
the plot, and laying out the ground
work for his stories. Deyoting so
much attention to his stories, Dick
ems could devote little attention to
his wife, and she naturally felt that
she was neglected. So their lives
were one of domestic infelicity.
See what tremendous strain held
Carlyle always in its grasp. Here is
another case where the wife thought
that she was neglected.
So we very often Judge these au-
thors wrongly and wrongfully. They
hold no grievance against their wives,
but it is simply case of misfit. The
wives do not enter into their manner
of life nor modes of thought, and
travel along entirely different and di-
yergent paths, with a misunderstood
ing of each other all through life
We are appalled, at the number OF
divorces among the rich, and marvel
that there are so few among the
poor. Why is it?
1t is not because there is more hap
piness among the poor; it is not be-
cause they do not have their quarrels
and infelicities, but it is because di
vorce is a luxury. the price of which
is very often beyond their reach. The
children must be considered. Poverty
means dependence, so the poor, ii
mismated, must make the best of a
bad bargain because they cannot af
/ ford to do otherwise.
1t is different with the rich. They
have ample means. They can provide
for the welfare of the children, and
are not compelled to swallow their
differences, and bear their marital
burdens in meekness and silence
Their riches make them independent
So they rush off to Reno.
So these are the things that make
for divorces.