The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-03-21
HUSBANDS D
TODAY LOSING
Their HONOR.
Few Men Fight Divorce Suits,
While Women Make Wig
orouss Defenses.


orous Def lenses.
NEW YORK, Mar 13.-Are mod
ern husbands losing their honor aud
rs the double Standard esponsible?
Divorce records just complied in
the suprein g court show that few len
sued for divorce defend themselves
against the charges, while almost
every Wife charged with marital
wrong doing defends herself TO. the
limit of her resources. 1890
The question doomed up as an af-
ternlath of the divorce suit tried last
week before Supreme Court Justice
IGreenbaum, wherein Mrs. Edith Os-
tend Goldman, a chorus girl bride.
thought uniformed in the laws Of
the land affecting her rights as a wife
Fought divorce suit with all the en-
lergy at her. command, although she
had been caught, as the police would
say, red handed and with the goods
on Her husband is the son of mill
llonatre banker who had resources
and an imposing array OF legal talent
on his side. The odds were greatly
against her. Her honor was at stake.
She lost.
Would the, average husband, hailed
- u440SI
have made the same kind of fight.
And would other accused wives, simi-
lariy placed, have made the same fight
that shetdid, in defense of honor? The
records Of New Yorks divorce mills
for the last four years answer the
af1rst question negatively; the answer
10 the secor.d IS in the affirmative.
Few Men Defend .Honor.'
James 3. f.. Smith has been for
more than % years the calendar clerk
IN part Of the supreme court
His figures say that more than SO
per cent of the undefended divorce
suits are brought against husbands
who make no defense Of their hon
or. and the record of the court
brands them as wilful violators OF
the marriage vow. The wife defend
ant invariably takes her case before,
= jury and fights against the eternal
damnation supposed to be her lot il
the verdict goes against her.
MI Smith says that manly gallan-I
try and complaisance and not a loss
of the sense of honor make the hus-
bands Indifferent to the outcome Of
suits brought against them
Blanies Double Standard.
Inez Millholland Boissevain. the
lawyer and advocate of woman's
reputation. When we have single
standard for husbands and wives, then
says Mrs. Boisseyain, there will be moi
Great Inequalities between the sexes
and woman will get her just dues
and no more, and so will the men.
The 1914 season for divorce hunt
ing was especially productive Of big
bags OF DEGREES for sinned against
wives Records for the year com
piled by Mr.. Smith, are as follows
defended divorces. 557: men
plaintiffs, 100; women plaintiffs, 402;
defended divorces. So; men. Sc; wo-
men, q; undefended separations, Sc;
men, .; women, 81; defended separa-I
tons, Or men, 81; women. So; unde-I
tended annllments. 70; men, Is; wo-
men. GO; defended annulments, Is;
men, 3; women 10.
Calamity by Husbands.
Il do not think that men have lostl
their sense OF honor said Mr.. Smith.
They predominant as defendants inl
those uncontested cases because OFF
two things--complaisance and gallan-
try.
There are many men who appear
as defendants and do not defend bel
cause the native allantry or Am err
lean manhood and have come to the
so often urged conclusion OF many
that when the Glamour that
induced the marriage is dimmed, the
best interests OF the parties are serv-
ed by a olution Of the marriage.E
Mrs. Boissevain expounded herf
sense Of Justice" theory while shell
was sitting In court waiting to try a [
case. She saidc TT is a sense of 2ius-l
tfce in the men-the ideaSo squareI
deal---7the American idea--that impelsi
men to do 1T, / might say, too, that It'll
is gallantry, for men, the most of them
realize that under existing conditions!
Women are already overburd ened and
handlcappe and th e#men do not wish
TO handicap them further. III
Not on Equal Footing
The men know. too. that il theyi
are not complainant they cannot seek
other ways out Without making the
woman an ortcast for certainly a wo-t
man, under the cloud OF divorce. ssnott
on an equal footing with hei: sisters.
Men are conscious of all this.
iissM en- know tina women cannot get
away with things men get away With
under the double standard that exists;
When we have one standard forSmenl
and women then woman and man Wilt
know exactly. wheel. they stand and
TO- what they are entitled and mani
will not attempt to crudely right the
INEQUALITIES under which the woman
is handicapp =
II sp 81! tai