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Show I Disclose Some Inter-. Inter-. esfiDg Phases. Early. Years of Married Life 3 Is Hymen's Crucial Statistics Justify tho Declaration, That Dlvorco Is Rapidly on tho Increase irIIBy Annie Plko. ? S DIVORCE on tho Increase? The minis min-is latcra say "yea," and so far as Utah $ la concerned, this state of affairs ccr-talnly ccr-talnly seonin to bo true. Not only hns It Increased In Utah during the past four years, but It has done bo at a Gallop, and I there Is no lncrcaso In population or mar- rlapes to Justify this result. It Is alBO a 1 fact fow people have had tho opportunity I to dlficovor, that the greatest number of I divorces arc applied for by those married I not more than Tour years, and who havo I but one child, or nono at all. I Biggest Year of All. I In 1501 there were ICG applications for dl-I dl-I vorco in tho courts of Utah; In 1902, 203; I In 1903, 2C9. Tho year 100-1 Is not yot com-I com-I jiletecl, but already promises a much larger I number than any horetofore, for, llgurlng I simply to September of .each year quoted, I the end of September of 1!4 gives a larger I total than tho others For 1001, at the end I of September, are found 117 applications; I 1902 ban 1J2; 1903 shows IDS; and for 1904. I tho number Is 207. The total for 1901 till I the end of , September Is already larger I than the total number of applications 1 made during all of 1902, and almost as large as tho total for the wholo of 1903. I Tho following table Is proof of this: I Applications for Divorce. 1901 1902 1903 1J-M I January 10 13 15 17 February 10 IS 23 23 March 11 12 IS 21 April .... CL IS 13 . 22 May 15 13 26 ' 23 Juno 10 IE 23 24 July 13 21 25 22 August 17 14 22 32 September 10 IS 23 31 October 17 19 20 November 21 23 21 December 11 13 29 Total 1M 203 KB 207 There Is nothing In the number of mar- ringc licenses, taken during these years, to explain the Increase, there having been no Increase from year to year, but less In 1902 than In 1901. being 11C7 for 1901, and 1165 for 1902. There wcro about one-sev-i cnth as many applications for divorce as for marriage licenses In 1901, and onciflfth us many In 1902. ! ' Marriage licenses Issued. The marriage record makes this show-I show-I lng of licenses Issued: ! 1901 1902 1903 1901 January 78 C7 100 95 February 01 72 132 74 March ' 71 4C 53 S3 April .. S3 105 109 170 May 75 85 59 101 June 185 1S7 241 1C9 July CI 71 79 8-1 August 79 107 100 103 September 103 41 50 1C3 October 148 141 IK November S2 109 10S December 135 132 14S Total : 11C7 1155 13-7) .... Not all divorces applied for are granted. Out of ICG for 1901. 113 wcro granted and 53 refused; for 1902, 172 wcro granted and 91 refused; for 1903, 222 wcro granted and 4G refused. The Increase per year, however, how-ever, continues even under these restricting restrict-ing conditions, as will bo' seen by tho following: fol-lowing: , Divorces Granted. . 1901 1902 1903 1901 January 20 S 12 17 , February . 8 22 . . 13 11 March 9 17 17 14 April ".. S -18- 19 IS May . C 15 10 25 June 10 11 1G ; IS I July .... C .5 15. 13 August 14 16 11 20 September : 5 12- -17 IS October 9 It 19 ' . November S ,17 14 December 10 11 17 Total ...113 172 ' 222 ... Of course, tho real reason for the divorce di-vorce is not necessarily staled In the complaint, com-plaint, for '"desertion", and "falluro to , provide," like tho cloak of charity, cover a multitude of sins. In theso complaints, - the plaintiff has had cruel treatment, "which has been without causo and without with-out provocation on plaintiff's part, and without his (or her) fault, by reason whereof, and of all tho acta aforesaid, tho v plaintiff has suffered bodily Injury and great mental anguish." Theso mro often the words In which tho complaint Is - couched, but the real reason Is away back I of tho words. ' Manifestations of Cruelty. If Utah hod the samo law as that which exists in somo States, criminal Infidelity being the only ground on which a dlvorco I can bo obtained. Instead of 419 divorces granted this past year, only eight could I havo been secured, four of those by wo-I wo-I men and four by men. So far as com-I com-I plaints of cruelty without drunkenness are I concerned, husbands and wives stand even, but tho fifteen drunkards were alBO accused of cruelty, which brings a greater charge of cruelty against tho men. These charges, against both sexes, range all tho way from unkind words to displays of butcher-knives and'rolllng pins in unusual and threatening positions. Following lo a tablo of "causes," compiled from an Investigation In-vestigation of Individual complaints. Tho tablo includes tho period from Decomber, 1903 to December, 1901: CauGo of Dlvorco. Falluro to provldo (dofendant, husband) 94 Desertion (dofendant, huBband) 15 Desertion, (defendant, wife) 33 Cruolty (defendant, husband) 11 .-fruelty (defendant, wtte) 11 Drunk (delerdanl, huaband) 15 Infidelity (defendant, husband) 4 Inlldelltv tdefendant, wife) 4 Insanity (defendant, wire) 1 Criminal (dofendant, husband) 1 It will bo seen for insanity of five years' standing, declared In tho complaint to bo hopeless, ono dlvorco was secured, and that of a man from a woman. Ono woman wo-man was set free from a husband languishing lan-guishing In Jail on a charge of forgery. "For better or for worso" of tho marriage contract should havo added to It. "until Insanity or crime doth us part," although It would appear to somo that there could bo very few things worso than these exceptions, ex-ceptions, and few greater needs of a faithful partner. Hymen's Crucial Period. 1 ' fP Jt I8 "a astonishing fact that thcro aro C I ; more people divorced at tho end of one ., month's marriage than at tho end of slx-! slx-! .niJiearB "r ,,ovcr- What the result U"??l woula u were these people compelled to koop tholr contrnqt for sixteen yoarn bo-foro bo-foro nppllcallon for dlvorco, might offer a subject for speculation, wouljj they become- more agreeably acquainted, or would they retain their feelings of aversion? aver-sion? If you nn newly wed, or expect to be, here Is a fact to ponder well upon: Moro pcoplo aro divorced during tho llrst four years thnn at av other period of matrimony. matri-mony. There nro twice ao many :ih during dur-ing thp kucec'-duig four years, and moro than three times as many ns from tho eighth to the twelfth year. After tho first four yours tnerc lb a gradual decrease until after forty years dlvorco Is almost unknown. Tin- crucial period, thou. Is the first four yonrs. If a couplo Hvo through this period without dlvorco, the probability probabil-ity of legal separation grows leia each year. Iloro arc the actual facts revealed by complaints: Time Till Cause for Action. Never lived together 1 About ono week 1 About ono month S About six months 4 About one year 24 About two years , 45 About four years 13 Total from ono to four vcars 94 Total from four to eight years 48 Total from eight to twelvo years 2C Total from twelve to sixteen ycar3 .... 20 Total from sixteen to twenty years.. 7 Total from twenty to thirty years 5 Total from thirty to forty years 4 Divorces Crowd Marriages. Another proof that dlvorco Iti Increasing In Utah Is found In a comparison of tho number of marrlngo licenses and applications appli-cations for dlvorco during the last few yonrs. For 1901, 1902 and 1903 tho licenses snow a majority over tnc uivorces, respectively. re-spectively. 1001. 932. SI. Tho proof consists con-sists in the fact that tho licenses hnve kepi the same yearly average, and yot the difference In number between divorces and licenses has grown nppalllngly less. For 1903 tho excess licenses over dlvorco was one-twelfth :is great ns for tho preceding pre-ceding year. If this should also bo the case for 1501, tho excess would be 7, and for lOCo, the divorces will outnumber tho licenses. Divorcees Often Hemarry. The numbor of marriages would probably proba-bly fall even lower In futuro comparisons with divorces, If all divorcees wero barred from remarriage and would even bo materially ma-terially affected If tho law In this State should forbid the marriage of tho divorced "it i ui jvuu uiiu instead in-stead of one second, as tho law now allows. al-lows. Tho birth rate does not seem affected by the changes wrought through dlvorco, continuing, ns It does, at about tho samo rate from year to year. It Is somewhat curious that the greatest birth month In the last four years was December, 1901. which month wan also ono of the, lowest In divorce, and one of tho hlglieat for marriages. Birth Rate Is Interesting. 190L 19D2. 1903. 1901. January in ioi 100 131 February CO 102 122 101 March 109 103 1G1 191 April 103 97 1GI 174 May oi in i3i ics Juno si 93 114 13S July 73 101 130 1 30 August 117 ICS 134 1C9 September SC 13S 145 132 October in 122 115 ... November 92 93 115 December 129 109 147 Total 1213 11S2 1575 Children Aro Affected. The most pltlablo part of theso divorces is the number of children whoso IIV03 must necessarily be affected by this act of the parents. This year's divorces had for their innocent inno-cent victims. 207 children, tho majority of them mere babes. Tho average was two children per couple In divorce suits, but In reality the 'greater number had only ono child, the number being swelled by a 7,".1Tanil,,;? wllh sevcn or 'K"t n them. Of the applicants. 103 couples had children and 9 rone. It is not surprising that with two exceptions, the children were awa-dod to the mother, to bring up, or drag up, any way sho can without tho nsslstancc of the father unless sho happens to choose a new mate with a talent for step-fatherhood. step-fatherhood. Tho averago ago of theso children was 3 years. I Causes in Doubt. But behind nil this Increasing separation separa-tion and trouble, is a reason that no divorce di-vorce court ever reaches. So far It can be a matter of speculation only, as cold figures very glibly show results, but not the single cause. "Whether four Is the result re-sult of 2 plus 2. or 8 minus -i. or 12 divided by 3, c;innot bo detected by tho result pure and simple. If a strong sense of honor could, on the day of marriage, be hypodermlcally injected in-jected Into tho contracting parties, it is safe to say lawyers would havo to use mycroscopes for hunting up divorce cases. And then there Is a large class of humanity human-ity which objects to having anything obtained ob-tained under false pretenses even lives ?in!Ldftlon, ln, marriage. To change Burns, 'Could others see us as wo somo-tlmefl somo-tlmefl see ourselves." there would probably proba-bly be less marrying alid giving In mar-nag", mar-nag", and, conscquently less divorce. Back to the Bargain Counter. "ITi- isn't -what I thought ho was, and what he promised to be" Is tho refrain, and so. like a damaged artlclo which tho customer thought good, he. or she, Is sent back. Co oc again placed upon tho matrimonial counter for some nearsighted near-sighted person to purchaso with tho coin or life, aa a bargain." n,V Is an ,nt?,rvstlng question which S1' reached by ordinary methods: hat proportion of those divorcees be- i?,urchis- and t0 wh,ch churches? Does religion play any part In this drama 1U S? Cai2 lnSn'sters of Utah lessen It in their power, wli: they? |