New Britain herald., 1919-12-27
THE OBSERVER
 MAKES
 RANDOM OBSERVATIONS THE CITY AND ITS PEOPLE.
RANDOM OBSERVATI

Hartford county Is violently re- minded of the increase in divorccs by the announcement that on two days of this week the courts granted abso- tiffs, twenty at one session and six, teen at another. tI is noted that the majority of suits were based on the habitual intoNication of the defendant and abuse resulting therefrom,
 Thlrty-siX divorces in two days is enough to stir the people in this so- called Land of Steady Habits.". To those who observe the trend of hu-. man events it is alarming, more so be- cause in a number of cases children had been born of the marriages and in the future will be deprived of the guidance or support of one parent
 Before long som ct hing must be done to decrease the number of mar riages which end unhappily. Divorce does not entirely solve the problem; in some instances it is simply the be- ginning of new problems. The state must take cognizance of the situation because it has a vital interest in the domestic felicity, being a foster par ent in granting consent to all nuptial unions and being intensely concerned with the happiness of home life.
 Publlcists among laYmen and ;l> great many individuals who wear the cloth dodge the issue, hold up their hands in snug hcrrCr-and then close their eyes. And all the time the can- ce~ is eating it5 way into human so- ciety
 There are ot least two ways open by which the evil may be correctcd--- marriage must be made moro difficult to contract or Civorce more difficult to procure. UnGer the present regu- lattons, if they may be described by that term, any little tlaxen haired thing with not a serious thought be- hind her pretty hlue eyes, equipped with anything in trousers can obtain a license to marry provided neither is married nor under ago and both have contol of q minimum amount of gray matter cullcd brains. And either of the two. if marriage becomes mon- otonous or burdcnsome, can fly to the courts and through the thinnest of pretences secure a divorce.
 Here is an example. One of the petitioners for divorce this week was granted a decree on the ground that his wife had become permanently in sane and was confined to an institu- tion. That man was a rank cad and a qultter. If any person ever needs considerate attention it is person who has lost his or her mental facul ties. Yet this petitioner easily slip ped away from his responsibilities and escaped from the obligations he assumed when he vowed to love and cherish the woman he made his wife. Does the phrase ''until death do you part mean anything, or is it hol { low m ockery uttered mealy- m outhed and with the fingers crossed? The Injunction is emphasized in most marriage rituals of the Christian church Whom God hath joined let no man put asunder" but 1t IS often forgotten after the wedding day. It is becoming a meaningless part of the | marriage ceremony.
 Time was when divorce was a lux ury enjoyed only by that wltless class known as 1he idle rich. Now it is making inroads into the greatest of all classes-the working class. The braWn and blood of the nation is be- ing undermined and right here in Connecticut the effect is making itself [ felt.
 i It is time We took warning from the signs of the day we are living in When the home is destroyed the state goes too and when the state goes the nation crumbles It is necessary only to tnrn to the history or other ages to learn that la-zity of morals and fail i ure to recognize the home the 1 Foundation if tl,c state caused mighty V