Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-03-02
ROMANCES OF WAR
ENDING IN DIVORCES
Increase of Fifty Per Cent of Mar
ital Unhappiness Reported
Last Year Over 1919.


Last Year Over 1919.
Once Il was ssmarry in haste and repent
In leisure Now it's marry IN war and
repent in peace.
That al least. seems to be the consensus
Of opinion of authorities on divorce when
commenting on the revelation OF William +
Schneider, county clerk oil New York
county, that the number OF divorces IN
Manhattan had increased % per cent IN
1919 over 1918.
Several months ago American news
napers were carrying stories about tho
large number of divorce suits which have
been begun in England and Wales. Dur
ing the new term Of the English and Welsh
divorce courts. which opened last October,
the record number of 1000 cases Of di.
vorce was filed, which is more than double
the number which Merrie England had on
its last divorce list.
Thirty-eight thousand applications for
divorce were made in Petrograd alone
soon after the Bolshevik government an
nouhced that divorce could hereafter be
had'for the asking in Soviet Russia.
30 the movement Is not local, but the
county clerks announcement shows that
the city is holding its own and living up
10 the ttHutfiNh WHICH, tfliS tptllftfN HIS
long held as the greatest divorce market in
the world.
The man who can speak with great
authority on the reasons for this increase
in the number of New York divorces--an
increase which he believes alarming-is
Bishop Charles Sumner Burch head OF
the Episcopal Diocese of New York. For
nine wears, both rs assistant to the late
Bishop Greer and as bishop of this do
cese, B;shop Burch has been Interested in
divorce in this city. He is interested in il
because he regards the problem of di-
vorce as a problem of the church and also
because he has been continuously consult
ed by parishioners concerning their mar
ital difficulties.
al am very much surprised TO hear that
divorces have increased so per cent IN the
last year." said Bishop Burch. II am in
clincd TO doubt the accuracy of that
figure very much, but If the county clerk
says that there are more divorces by 80
per cent than last year, | am not the one to
dispute his figures.
"To my mind the most important
rca son for this increase in divorce cases is
easy marriage. And yet there Is no State
in the Union that is more careful about
making marriage difficult than New York.
4 clergyman who marrles couple with
out n license in New York is liable TO
stringent punishment, and | believe that
the punishment cannot he too severe.
However, what | mean by easy marriage is
not the technical ease with which two
persons may be married, but the ease
with which they decide upon marriage
and the lack of thought behind that de
cision.
''In this connection, LET me say that
k.,,
email increase in divorce is the hasty war
marriages, of which we had so many in the
last two years. The uniform was a,glori-
Gus attraction, and justly so, and de
parture for France was a strong incentive
TO marriage, but since the return of our
fighting men there has been much time for
the leisure necessary for repentance.
"Of course another explanation for the
situation is the contention that many
wives who would have sued for divorce in
1918 but for the fact that their husbands
were IN the military service are bringing
suit now. Patriotism did not allow many
wives TO bring action while their husbands
were in the military service. However, do
not think that reason is of major import
ance.
"The economic independence of women
NAV be another reason for the increase IN
AlNOttt. AOtsttAA AT cAAFbti"
ing themselves, even though they are mar
ried, than ever before. Not being de
pendent upon their husbands for support
they naturally would not wish to continue
TO live with those husbands who proved
obnoxious. This argument carries more
weight when one considers that In MORE
than fhree-qllarterS Of the cases of Oh
vorceL the action is brought by the wife.
iii divorces have increased 80 per cent
in the last year IN New York the situation
is particularly alarming, because of the |
fact that New York and South Carolina
arc the two States in the United States /
which have the most stringent divorce |
laws In South Carolina no grounds what |
soever are allowed for divorce, and in /
New York the only ground for divorce is /
the statutory ground of adultery. We /
have the highest standard, and If we have 4
an increase of 80 per cent what must be 4
the ratio of increase In good old Puritan
Vermont. where there are Ia grounds for
divorce?"
what do you believe is the remedy for
the increase in divorced"
THE remedy is a uniform divorce law
throughout the country on the highest
and most stringent plane A uniform di-
vorce law that would prevent migration
from State to State IN search OF freedom
from the responsibilities of marriage would
decrease the number of divorces through
out the country, but Of course, such a law
must not bring down the level OF New York
to the standard of Vermont with its IA
points, but it must raise the standard of
Vermont TO that of New York. Such a law
we Episcopal clergmen have been urg-
ing for many years. should be in favor
Of such a law by Constitutional amend
ment, but I think that, if possible, it