The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-11
By MARGARET DALE Special Correspondent of The Age-Hera1d

| tion from broken hearts" In these words Judge Jsseph M. sabath, the great doctor of the Chicago divorce courts, worn and broken by the strain of years of listening to thee marital trouble of others, told today why ha has asked for a temporary transfer to the civil bench.
 t'The wailing of children Is in my ears-the little ones injured by the separation of their parents. l must forget it for a time until I get strength to deal with them again. I will be ready to go back to 1t in Sep tember but for while I want to settle differences by pocketbooks and not hearts,"
 In the two years he has served in the divorce court, Judge Sabath has heard $500 divorce cases, and ave- rage of nearly ten day and three phases of them have unnerved him. he says. Attepmts to reconcile him cordant couples. custody of the chill dren when reconciliation was impos- sible, and the question of alimony. He points proudly to tho fact tha! out of matrimonial wreckage that has drifted into his court, he has been able to salvage the domestic happiness of $50 couples.
 Reconciliations Last
 These reconcyilfations have all lasted with not a single exception" he said today. T have followed them up and many of the couples have come back to me. with tears in their eyes. to thank me for saving them from disasters.''
 This quaint little old judge of 52 eventful years is resting from his lahors in the apartment he occupies with his wife at the Chicago Beach hotel. But he was not too tired to talk about his work, the work that has broken him. The room was fairly filled with flowers. mostly from those he had saved from themselves. The judge was seated in an invalid's chair but he did not appear i'll; neverthe- less he had the appearance of a man who was all tired out. And there was that air of judicial dignity about him despite his dark green yellow striped dressing gown he wore and rather squat figure.
 Judge Sabath came up from the people and he boasts that he under stands folks." Born in Bohemia In family of II children, he came to America as an immigrant at the age of 15. His first job was in a cloth ing store but he decided to become a lawyer He sold clothes by day and studied law by night. When he final ly was admitted to the bar he prac- ticed law with such success that 2,600 Bohemian citizens of Chicago petitioned him in 1910 to run for municipal judge Only the other day he was reelected by the largest vote of any of the other candidates.
 When 1 was transferred to the di- vorce court" Judge Sabath said, "my job seemed to be to wreck homes and I tried to turn it into one of building them"
 Thirty-four years of happy married q life have made Judge Sabath great believer in marriage.
 Marry young" he always advises He was married when he was IS and is the father of three children.
 "A judge must deal with divorce case as doctor deals with a case of illness," he continued. He must diagnose the cause of the trouble, not merely to treat the effect. If the root of the trouble Is found and means are shown by which it can be cured. the result need not always be disastrous. Most people will listen to reason.
 Long ago l ceased to believe that l was serving the best interests of the people by granting them whole- 0etlC ACSitSS. it6diulcSS Ol CiTCuul- stances. People leap into divorce courts as impusively as they leap into marriage. Sometimes. the sooner a couple can be separated the bet ter. but there are other cases where the opposite is true.
 Reconciliation Room
 Tt was for these latter cases that Judge Sabath established his famous reconciliation room" Whenever there seemed to be the slightest chance for the unhappy ones to conl- pose their differences he would send them to 'the room" Sometimes he had to send in an officer of the court to separate them, but many times they would emerge smiling, arm in arm. Often he would stop court and spend hours in there him. self in the role of peacemaker. From o'clock in the morning until 6 o'clock at night he worked for six days week without even stepping for lunch. T can't keep the poor people waiting," he would answer impatiently when urged to take a recess.
 Tt is the children upon which the greatest tragedy of divorces fall.' the judge went on. They suffer not only from the decree which makes divided home. but also from the notoriety. Their playmates in school point fingers of scorn at them. Other parents advise their ,it-