Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-08-09
SOME EXPERT TESTIMONY ON UvoRcE.

Hon. John J. F.eschi. city magistrate
an article on divorce which, as j sum =
ming up of many years dealing jul
dicially with the domestic problem is
worth the attention students of the
divorce problem and Of those who ere
ate the problem. He notes that wild
ows and widowers who Iemarry near
ly always set an example of marital
felicity or at least refrain from di-
vorce court appearances; that the per-
centase Of divorce cases brought by
college bred women is negligible IN
comparison with those instituted by
women less educate ted. His statistical
statement is that one college bred
woman out of hfty-seve divorces
herself or is divorced by her husband
while one out of ten or twelve OF
women who have not been college bred
is divorced He argues that intelli-
That marriage is a compromise and
that trained intelligence arrives by
reason at the conclusion which the
widow and the widuw-r CANT IL thru
ak perience--that there is no such thing
as absolute compatibility and that
partners must give and take in diff
ferences Of standards. religious. and
business and moral.
Freschi comes to the defense of the
husband against the generally accepted
impression that he is usually wrong.
The fact that three-fourths Of the di-
vorces are granted to women does not.
as per his experience, establish con-
clusion that the man is generally to
blame. He calls attention to the d.
vorce court records showing that so
per cent OF the divorce suits were
brought by women and that 80 per cent
! grounds. while 10 per cent OF the
cases brought by men We're trivial
and 80 per cent alleged immoral con-
duct, desertion and other grave infrac-
tons Of the marriage tie. He also
notes that in the suits brought by men
the dura ton of married life had been
twice as long as in the suits brough,
by wives.
He concludes out of the depth Of his
| experience that men offer the mos,
cause and women supply most of the
row and dissension. Women, he says
nag more than men. are more prone
to petty vices than to big transgres-
sions. This he concludes is due to the
| fact that the wornan's code Of morals
| is Individually higher than that Of mer
and their tendency to hysteria muck
| greater.
| Rich people, he finds. are more likely
to get into the divorce courts thar
the poor. He observes-as who hat
not-rnany cases where either husband
and wife changed from model %
probi.y to an object Of criticism aftel
the family fortunes had advanced from
poverty to affluence. One. he notices
holds to decency: the other gives ven
to passions and tendencies previousl.
bottled up.
As the judge sees it the majority o
divorce cases spring from intolerance
and ignorance. Both parties seem t
expect that the marriage ceremony Il
an incarnation which will change tn
nature Of the other magically. cleanc'
Of all human fraiities and leave {
plastic being to be shaped as the othe
sees fit He hasn't a specific to ofYe
| which shall abolish marital dissen
sion and thus curb the divorce evil
The only suggestion he has to offer i
modification of the laws under whic,
marriage would be permitted.
Such modification would be more t
the Limitation OF divorce than in tn
interests Of morality There is bu
one specific Of the divorce evil, com
mon sense fathers and mothers breed
ing and training matrim onial candi
dates with common sense.
| - II IL