MORE DIVORCES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 6 February 1928, Page 2

MORE DIVORCES

ALARMING INCREASE

AMERICA ANXIOUS

Divorce is increasing fasteu than marriage in die United States, according io a report issued by the Department- of Commerce, which shows that marriages increased 1.2 per cent, during 1926, as compared with 1925, while divorces increased 3.1 per cent, in the same period. The marriages performed in 1926 numbered 1.020,079, an increase of 13,745 over the number for 1925; and the divorces for 1926 numbered 180,868, an increase of 5419 over the divorces for 1925. In 1926. the first year.that statistics of annulments were collected by the Census Bureau, 3823 marriages were annulled, making a total of 184.691 broken homes.

In comparing the increases in marriage, and divorce with the increase in population, the Census Bureau estimates the population of (he United States on Ist July, 1926, the beginning of the Government fiscal year, at 117,136,000, as compared with' 115,378,000 on Ist July, 1925. On the basis of these estimates, the number of marriages per 1000 of population was 10.26 in 1926, as against 10.30 in 1925. On the same basis of estimating, the number of divorces granted in 1926 was 1.54 per 1000 of population, as against 1.52 in 1925.

DECREASE TO HE EXPECTED This increase in divorce is, no doubt, in harmony with the spirit of the times, says the Boston "Transcript" in commenting soberly on the situation. The childless marriage, we are told, is now a common thing, arid the easy divorce is the concomitant, the co-partner of the childless marriage. As the "Transcript'' looks at it gravely: "We have a great many theories on the subject of marriage and divorce, but the condition recorded is the thing that all have to face. Step by step, year by year, this country, once the most rapid in the world in its increase, approaches the stationary condition. The yearly increase of population has now fallen to 1.5 per cent. It will fall still further. Religious leaders like Bishop Manning preach most earnestly against lax ideas and practices with regard to marriage and divorce. Thev sepni to le but slightly heeded." The. problem is much too big and complicated to be met by any single expedient, thinks the Kansas City "Star," which believes "it is quite likely that as long as human beings remain imperfect there will be many divorces; or that, if (he divorces could by any mean? be reduced to a negligible number, evils just as great or greater would remain." Of course, the reassuring feature, in the present situation, points out the Dallas "Morning News," is that, even with the relative increase in divorce there were still seven marriages for every divorce. Bid "the optimism to he reaped from this phase of the statistics is not great. Ji is easier to say that our, divorce situation is bringing into light jvhal we have always had in secret than 'if is to wax happy over such a situation either in disclosed or undisclosed state."