The sun., 1913-10-15
THE EIGHTH YEAR or MAR
M.4EE.
Is II the Critic ical Epoch. Like the fOrtieth
Year Of the Bank Employee?

To THE EDITOR or THE SuN-Sir; \
great many discoveries float about IN
conversation tor wears and years before
they go to form the basis OF "A poem. a
novel and the like Here comes Mr..
Philip Gibbs rsl8 with his statistical
novel in two parts Part l.. the statistical
proof that in the eighth year of marriage
more divorces occur IN England than in
all preceding years. and Part H., Mr..
Gibbs's explanation why this is so--in
England and more or less universally.
Now, years upon years ago we be-
lieved that every atom of a mans body -
and exc of Woman's--changed every
seven years. So that couple who Were
duly married in 1860 becanl. two entirely
new entities IN 1867 or 50. why should
one expect the couple OF 1867 to love,
honor and cherish uccurdln. 10 thu.
promises made seven wears earlier. The
total change that had come To- both OF
them really called for a new engagement
and marriage, but our laws pay no re-
spect 10 biology. and the tnow) III as
| sorted pair are still chained together by
custom, circumstance and habit.
In the ma jority Of cases they So remain
for the next seven years and So on To
seventy. y few Of the elite feel the bur
den Of the new yoke and resent il. And
a few Of the audacious after "A year or 81
spent in contemplating and resen,ing de-
eide 10 brave obloquy and 10 separat" At
'eo'N N'ul 10 I'tu'u lbT utttillA
brought up people to familiarize them
selves with the new idea and 10 harden
their hearts against the disapprovai OF
their little world They get divorces, and
In their eighth year or ninth wear of mar
riaee: Q. +. u. Why is not thi. con
versational explanation as good as an
other? 1t has been current and more or
, less received for a generation at least
and has blossumed into Nj. Glbbs's
recent book
Take another instance not Yet aj-
m!tted into literature. namely. that the
bank employee, at least In America ,nl-
bezzies, II so be that ne smbezzlrs at
ALL at about the fortieth year of his
age The statistics appear to bear out
this plain fact. Now why is this, if so
| il he?
The banker aud the bankers clerk
commence life with something like equal
hopes. And hope ohstinateiv persists
until. at last. the employee begins to feel
that he is beaten in the race. ms chill
drsn are growing older and dema nding
"A share Of life in their turn. new frocks,
good schooling, outings In the summer
and the like. They are nice hoSs and
girls and deserve what they are not
likely TO get Their father observes the
lack with grief. he feels that life has
somehow defruuded him why should not
his wife and children have all that they
so richly deserve and that there seems to
lie no prospect Of giving them" There is
in fact. u" legitimate way to give them
What they - richly deserve Fate is
against him. figures are against him
But figures can hc manipulated and fate
circumv6nted. Here begins. when II does
begin. the crooked course Of the trusted
employee Al forty-odd he is tr,ist te.i
and il is fairly easy to invent a jugglc
with figures that will escape detection
and will provide the cash required.
Let any business man ~ wide cXperi-
enre compare this theory with the facts
and say II the two do not agree. The
| bad action has its commencement IN n
good motive. O. Il. r.
WEST POINT. October a.