Evening star., 1924-07-27
THE DIVORCE PROBLEM
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

Continued agitation of the divorce
problem, back of which is the move
ment for uniform marriage and di
vorce laws. is developing the fact
that there is no substantial agree
ment among experts as to the real
causes of the domestic infelicity that
leads to the divorce court. There is
practically no consensus of opinion
among the lawyers, judges. psychol-
| ogists, psychiatrists, sociologists and
other students who. presumptively.
should know why the matrimonial
bark is wrecked so frequently.
There is d wide distinction between
! the causes of divorce and the legal
grounds for divorce. The latter are
ascertainable by reference to the
| statutes of the several States and il
| is found that 4S different laws rec
ognize as many as 35 grounds for di-
vorce. ranging from the New Hamp-
| shire law which recognizes IA grounds
| for divorce, to that of South Carolina
which recognizes none at all.
Plaintiffs who appear in divorce
courts enumerate the legal grounds
| upon which they ask d dissolution
of the marriage tie. They do not
| necessarily reveal the real causes of
marital infelicity. Indeed, it is well
! N
secured for alleged causes while the
| real causes are concealed deliberately
or are never developed in the course
of the court proceedings.
| Statistics show that one marriage in
| every ten in the United States as a
whole ends up in the divorce courts.
| At the present rate of increase of di-
vorces it has been figured that by
| 1850 one-fourth of all marriages Will
end thus unhappily, and that by the
No
| have increased to one in two.
This prospect alarms many students
! of the problem of domestic relations,
who call attention to the fact that
| in one State, Nevada, there are actu-
| ally more divorces than marriage
and ask where this sort of thing is
! leading.
Other students say that the divorce
evil is exaggerated and point out
that there are only about 100000 di-
vorced people in the United States as
| against a total population of more
! than 200 times that number. These
| observers cite statistics to show, in
contrast with the Nevada record, that
| in the District of Columbia the mar
riages outnumber the divorces 35 to l
| in New York % to l, and in Georgia
| 19 to 1. and that in six States there
was a decrease in the number of di-
vorces last year, the greatest de-
| crease being in New Hampshire,
which has the most liberal divorce
law.
| National Clinic Suggested.
| However. it is generally conceded
that it is difficult if not impossible
| to cure an i'll or remedy an evil
| IL it's courses are not known. If di-
vorce is increasing at such a rate as
! to be a social i'll or evil, it has been
suggested that some sort of national
clinic be held in which it will be
studied scientifically. Let the experts
get together, compare notes, make
| common observations and endeavor tc
arrive at conclusions that will be
sound and helpful to Congress and
| to the legislatures of the several
States in their consideration of the
| question as to what should be done
| Offhand opinions as to the reasons
| for the prevalence of divorce are
almost all inclusive. They embrace
| everything from the increasing cost
spirit and regard for the law of God
| The movies are blamed by some peo-
pie and the World War by others
| while to jazz music and the dance
craze are also ascribed share OF
| the responsibility.
Strangely enough, perhaps. prohi-
| bition is blamed by some observers
and commentators. They say that
the effort to abolish drinking by con-
| stitutional amendment and statute
| has brought about disregard for
| and disrespect of all law, tending to
promiscuity in sex relations and lead
| ing to laxity in the observance OF
| marital obligations, and at the same
| time has increased drunkenness among
| both men and women to a degree thai
| it is inevitable that the road to di.
| yorce should become well worn
trail Formerly it was held that the
| saloon was the antechamber to the
divorce court and it seems some
| what paradoxical that the abolition
of the saloon should now be held re-
sponsible in large degree for the
very evil that institution was for
merly supposed to aggravate.
What the Experts Say.
| Most of the experts who are or
record appear to have been governed
| in their, opinions by a study of one
phase of the subject. A psychiatrist
| for example, says that the funda-
mental causes Of divorce. are emo.
| tional insanity and feeble minded
1 ness, one or the other, or a combfna-
/ tion Of the two. A leaf must have
1 been taken out Of his book by the
| humorist, who had the wife say, "Yor
/ know you were crazy to marry me,
and the husband answer, mus
Another authority who. gives COM