Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-13
DIVORCE COURT JUDGE
SPEAKS OF MARRIAGE

faults as we'll as virtues; each others
families, each others point of view,
each others ideas about money and
a standard of living"
The Money Question
How much money should they
have to marry on?" I asked Judge
SABBATH al this point.
Il believe that money is the root
OF much unhappiness in marriage"
he replied. 81 like to see a young
couple begin at the foot of the lad
der. When he has to work hard {
his job, when she has to plan how
to stretch a dollar as far as it will
go, they share most important in
terest. They have something to
think about besides their own moods
and tantrums, besides pleasures and
the temptations that may accompany
them. Poverty, provided it does not
descend to sheer restitution, is one
of the strongest bonds for keeping
husband and wife together at the
start"
Then Judge Sahath spoke Of the
cause which he considers basically
responsible for most unhappy unions
neglect by one partner or another.
perhaps the man neglects his
wife-he is responsible for 65 per
cent Of the unhappy marriages. Per-
haps he doesn't give her a fair per-
centage of his pay envelope or gets
to drinking bootleg stuff, or CANDLES.
Or just grows surly and careless at
home-never taking his wife any
where or giving her kind word
Perhaps she neglects him-doesn't
get mis- breakfast in the morning.
puts a delicatessen dinner on the
table at night, goes around the house
in a wrapper none too fresh, whines
and complains because he isn't max
ing enough money.
''In either situation the way is
made clear for the vamp outside the
home to get in deadly work. But
don't make any mistake-the trouble
began in the home, first of ALL"
''How far have you found the
mother-in-law responsible for I'M
happy marriages." I asked.
"Now. I'm not going to say any
thing against other-in-law-I've got
one myself" laughed Judge SABBATH.
Then he became serious and added:
II will say, however, great
deal of trouble is caused between
young husbands and wives by fami
n-law-the father-in-law is like
ly to be quite as responsible as the
mother-in-law It is absolutely
wrong for a young couple to live
with either family; they'd better in
habit their own home, even if it's
two by two. And when either one
goes home with condolences and COM
plants the people there should be
exceedingly chary about offering adj
vice or interference. Two can work
OFT a difficulty by themselves, where
as the interposition of third or
fourth or fifth person spells deas
ter
Divorce Program
told Judge SABBATH about the pro
gram FOR marriage and divorce the
General Federation Of Women's
clubs is probably going to indorse at
it's convention now meeting at Chau-
tauqua. The chief provisions are
that no girl shall marry before eight
cen, no man before twenty-one,
without parental consent; that a GER
tif1cate of good health shall be pre-
scented by each when applying for
the license; that the banns shall be
called twice before marriage; that di-
vorce be allowed for proved unfaith
fulness, physical or mental cruelty.
desertion and drunkenness; that all
divorces shall be interlocutory and
the divorced allowed to marry only
after the lapse of a year; that these
provisions shall be made a part of
our national law.
II have been advocating practical
ly all these changes in the present
situation for years." said the judge.
81 have always said that fifteen or
even thirty days should elapse be-
tween granting the marriage license
and performing the ceremony-a pc
riod which would give time for the
calling of the banns. And I con-
slider it an outrage that man or
woman can be divorced one day in