The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-31
LOVE IS GAINING
Decrease Shown In Divorce
Rate This Year.
Dan Cupid Was More In Evil
dence During 1920.
INCREASE Of So LICENSES
Month of June Was Busiest Fol
License Clerks.
Thirty-Nine Divorce Suits Filed
In May and July.
DIVORCES.

/ 1EdutSu 80
- Ills missed ...... 9S 90
| marriages -.......--.....-1son 1.0I7
| BY the great powers of reform.
There may yet be few happy homes
in Shawnee county.
For during the year closed today
Shawnee county's divorce rate took
islump-there were nineteen fewer de-
Heroes granted than in 1919 and there
Iwere forty-six fewer cases filed. 1t is
tonfy small decrease, but let the
tyoices of the people be lifted in glad
Iness, for it indicates reaction from
1.-THE madness of the past.
| Increase in Marriages.
Dan Cupid, too, seems to have
thrown away his union card and
worked little overtime. He also evil
Identity put an extra drop of poison
ION his arrows, for his medicine seems
| to have lasted longer. There was an
increase of thirty-six in the mar
iriages.
| The divorce figures do not include
separate maintenance and annulment
iof marriages, but these are few. Dur
ling 1919 seventeen suits asking for
separate maintenance were filed Two
were dismissed and four granted. The
others are pending. One marriage
was annulled. But the idea of wives
living apart on their husbands in
come seems to have become more
popular this year, for twenty-three
Epetitions asking for separate mainte-
missed and only four granted. The
lothers are pending. One marriage
was annu1Ied. Six divorces were de-
MED this year as compared with four
| in 1910.
june the Heavy Month.
| During the month of June, when
Cupid is busy shooting darts at the
1 - +yxy q
| married and trouble results. This
month in both years was marked by
| a large number of divorce suits filed,
altho the figures in neither case are
| as large as those of some of the other
months of the year. October was the
banner month in 1919. when fifty-six
divorce suits were filed. May and
July were the big months in 1920.
| when thirty-nine suits were filed each
month.
The petitions for divorce filed each
month during 1920 in the district
| court were as follows: January, %;
February, 27; March, IS; April, 20;
May. SO; June, SO; July, SO; August,
SO; September, So: October, 80; No
veinber, %; December. 81.
The 1919 record is: January, 20;
February, Is; March, So; April, sc;
| May, 81: June, so; July, SO; August.
| "a: September. 81; October, Sc; Mo-
vember, 22; December 81.
beaten by 1919 in marriage licenses is
sued. They were June. July, August,
November and December. June, the
month of brides, holds the undisputed
record in both years as the greatest
month for the matrimonial harvest.
Marriages by Months.
Marriage licenses issued each month
during 1920 were as follows: January,
IT; February, 10; March. 81; April,
IS; May, 80: June, 12S; July, u; Au-
gust, IS: September. 121: October, SO;
November, 80; December. 96.
January, 80; February. ca: March,
S.; April, Sc; Mag. "A; June, 125;
July, 81; August. 81; September, 113;
October. "a; November, los: Decem-
Der, 1928
In 1919 the ratio was slightly more
than one divorce to every four mar
riages. This year the average is some
what less. However, the number of
divorce suits filed during both years
indicates that approximately 20 per
cent of Shawnee county homes are not
as happy as they might be.
Many Cases in First Division.
During the year closed today. 140j
of the 271 divorce DEGREES issued were
given in the first division of the dis
trict court. The remaining 131 were
granted in the second division In
1919 the ratio was: First division,
Sc; second division, 124. This year
the decree was given the defendant in
twenty-on cases as compared with
fifteen the previous year. Ninety-nine
of the cases filed during this year were
dismissed. an increase of a bare three
cases over last year.
In the majority Of the divorce cases
the wives are the plaintiffs. In a
large per cent of the cases also the
husband fails to appear for trial and
the decree is granted the wife by de-
fault. Cruelty, non-support, neglect
and abandonment are the most COM
mon charges brought by wives. Where
the parties have been living together,
however, and go to the divorce court |
because of some misunderstan ding,
they frequently decide to try it again |
and have the case dismissed.
Cornell Loses Cross Country Race. |
London Dec 31-The Oxford Ca M