Evening star., 1928-03-25

istence IT. is actually very much like
an acquaintance seen for the first time
in 20 years-changed so you would
hardly recognize IT,
In fact, several scores of American
divorce seekers whose petitions have
been curtly denied in the last few
months were at first amazed, then en-
barrassed then frankly angry They
have been able to recognize scarcely a
single feature of the French divorce
procedure. as 1t was painted so glow
! ingly to them by friends Action in
their cases was not nearly so lax as
the blissful early comers to the Reno
on the Seine" had portrayed IT, And
the court was far from careless about
details Instead of being swift in dis
| pensing freedom, 1t was swift only IN
| its prompt denial of petition that did
not conform absolutely TO the letter Of
| the law
| And the innocent searchers for mar
| ital freedom came back home as legally
Knotted as when they reached France
/ ana keenly disappointed in this trans
atlantic Reno which Renoed no more
They know only too we'll what a ter
bile thing has happened to the for
merly ultra-fashionable Partisan di-
/ yorce.
headJuStment Ordered.
| II all began in a most unassuming
manner on the first of last October
! The only announcement made was that
there would be a readlustment in
/ French judicial procedure. A decree
! issued by the French minister of Justice
( created a special court IN Paris 10 de-
/ vote all Of its time to the constantly
/ rising flood of American divorce peti-
tions. Things were TO be simpIi1ed
Instead Of American petitions cropping
out IN every court in the city they were
1 to be filed at one tribunal and passe.;
on by one magistrate. There was moth
+ ing radical about that. 1t seemed quite
/ a logical step toward efficiency.
/ And now sufficient time has elapsed
/ for us to see that without a doubt the
/ step was both logical and efficient. And
without doubt everything has been
| mplifed--Simplifed in fact. to the
extent that American divorce DEGREES
/ have dropped from 90 to 80 a month
/ to an estimate of less than 10 DEGREES
/ IN the last three months.
Which means that American divorces
/ In Paris have suddenly fallen from the
/ highest peak they had ever reached TO
/ the lowest figure on record in at least
| five years. If not since the war. In
| other words, Paris as a transatlantic
/ Reno Is no more.
/ There were weeks in succession last
/ year when American divorces averaged
/ one each day in Paris Rarely a week
1 passed without four TO eight or ten
DEGREES being published Newspaper
/ correspondents habitually received them
/ III lists OF several at time. But that
/ was before October. which. as II TO dem
j onstrate the capabilities of absolute ex-
/ tremes in the Gallo temperament.
+ passed with one solitary American di-
{ vorce Something had very evidently
+ paralyzed the divorce market Like
/ Robert Herrick's roSebuds. Partisan de-
/ creeS should have been gathered while
/ you may"--now they are no longer TO
BE- plucked AT random.
EarneStneSs Shown.
/ II has required several months. how
i ever. to demonstrate the extreme ear
! nestneSS OF the French authorities IN
their move TO curb the wholesale ana
/ faeile diyorcing OF Americans in Paris.
( To begin with II might have been re-
I garded as merely gesture. But the
/ gesture has now assumed much in COM
/ mon with the firm grasp Of the pro-
| voked teacher upon a naughty boy s
! collar There has been no SlacSening
of the reins. and the new system for
handling the American petitions seems
/ 10 have come to stay.
just what has happened to the
| former free-and-eaSy methods Of the
French courts? How has 1t happened,
and whv2
The last query Is answered quite
LAWYERS In Paris. Charles c. Loeb
The American newspapers killed
+ swift and easy divorce for Americans
in the French courts" ne SAYS, The
new regime Of strict application TO every
detail OF the laws requirements Is the
result OF an ineeSSant campaign waged
by the American newspapers about the
so-called Partisan Reno. The attention
OF the French officials was finally called
10 the situation. which they were COM
PEELED 70 recognize as rejecting upon
the dignity of the French courts. The
natural result has been to correct the
cause of this bad impression abroad,
There Is more than s passing reason
In Ioeb's explanation. for few people
are more jealous Of their good name
and their institutions than the French
And there we're many glaring examples
OF divorces granted 10 prominent Amer
leans within space OF two or three
weeks. which could not fail To attract
wide attention I'm America The point
was finally reached where but one more
notable case Was reQuired~-Such as that
Of Jack Pickford and Marilyn Miller,
who obtained Anal decree I'm a few
dayS~to bring the situation 10 snow
down.
Previous 20 last october mere lease
or certificate Of domicile presented by
one of the parties Was accepted by the
-
dence IN France No check-upS were
made hy the courts. no action was taken
to prove that the peutioning parry o.
parties had lived in France for several
months. The natural result was thar
certificates Of domietie could easily he
dated back 10 the necessary period even
though the American In question had
landed at Havre or CheTbourg the
week before,
EaSy to Get Papers
II was not dtfficult 70 find lawyers not
So careful about their legal reputa lions
who would guarantee 20 arrange this
matter of domieile Ii was easy. In
fact to secure certificates. signed hy
enneiergeS, saying that monster OF
madame had lived AT their apartment
for several months AS consequence
some OF, the hberty~Ssekins Americans
remained IN Paris only long enough 90
attend the preliminary hearing required
by the French Law. when the Judge
must be satisfied that the parties cannot
be seeoneilcd Then they sailed for
New York. assured that rlnal decree
would he fortheomlng two OF three
weeks henee
80 large became the tiood ot AmeFt-
cans seeking a quick and sure sever
ance of their marital ties that new
and profitable industry Sprallg ur IN the
French capital l-~that Of ''eaNtleg dlv
vorceS The divorce hootleggerS gaag-
anteed a decree Within three weeks
The fees charged by these diNofee
hootleggerS we're high averaging trom
ST., ,uOn np, depending On the means ot
- :.