THE DIVORCE MILL

NZ Truth, Issue 890, 16 December 1922, Page 13

THE DIVORCE MILL

Tarns Steadily ia Englud

THE HORRID SCANDALS OF HIGH

SOCIETY.

Where. Publicity Comes In.

A committee of serious-minded conservative English men and women has started a movement to suppress the vast mass of scandalous divorce details that are now being spread before the British public, and which these reformers fear are "destroying the morals of the Commoners." There are now 5300 divorce cases awaiting trial m London. In many of j them the persons involved are of the ! highest rank* as they were m hundreds of other cases that have occurred since the end bf the war.. Every rank of the British peerage, from dukes and duchesses down to barons and baronesses, has made its,appearance m the divorce court. Every section has been represented. A Prime Minister's niece has been divorced, a noted medical specialist has just been sued, and even the families of bishops have been drawn into the divorce net. The revelations m these divorce cases m high society have been even more startling than they used to be m the old .days, when the parties were usually of- lower social standing. The younger element now go into court and confess their actions with a frankness and callousness that shock the older generation, who feel that the titled and educated olassea should set an example. -j of •refinement and dignity to the community. . The action of the committee> has undoubtedly been hastened by the revelations in -the Russell divorce suit. In this case, Lord AmpthiU's son and heir sued his wife for divorce. While denying misconduct she freely admitted that she nad gone home from a dance, and not, being able to find her key, had spent all night m a bachelor's nat, had travelled} to Paris alone with another baohelor| : and so forth. The husband's father was Viceroy of India and his mother is a "Lady of the Bedchamber" to the Queen. They are people who not only occupy tho highest position m society, but represent a very conservative and refined element. It was felt that when such doings as were described m the divorce court had touched even the fringe of such an element that a dangerous revolution had occurred m English society. The committee has appealed to the Lord Chancellor, who is the head of the Courts of Equity, asking that arrangements be made to hear certain DIVORCE CASES IN SECRET, where the testimony might be considered "prejudicial to public decency." , As matters stand, there can be no secrecy m divorce cases m England. No Orders to refer a case to a referee, as is done m America, are permitted by English law. The Judge may order that certain evidence of a technical character be heard m secret, or "m camera," as it is called, but this evidence really has ' little appeal for the curious layman. On the other hand-, ordinary colloquial descriptions of misdoings are spread before the public without the least restraint. The reformers wish some arrangement by which all the objectionable details of a divorce suit can be withheld from the public. While many of them are undoubtedly actuated by motives of morality and decency, some of them are also moved by a desire to conceal the misconduct of the upper classes from the masses. Many, probably the majority, of the English newspapers will oppose secrecy m divorce cases on the ground that It would be an Infringement of the liberty of the press. There is m fact little prospect that the secrecy demanded can be secured at the present time. Meanwhile, the number of cases coming before the divorce court THREATENS TO BREAK DOWN the machinery of the law. It must be granted m England on the New York statutory ground, and the wife must, m addition, prove oruelty or desertion. Every case, therefore, calls for proof of serious misconduct. Lord Buckmaster, a former Lord Chanoellor, has been drafted as an extra Judge to relieve the pressure on the divorce court. In the first week he disposed of 189 cases. But that was not enough to save the court from being swamped, and he announced that be would dispose of sixty cases m a day and not ieave the court until that number had been heard. Even that was not enough, and the Judge proceeded to dispose of a hundred cases a day. But these were undefended cases, and the rapid method of disposing of them did not satisfy those who advocate secrecy m contested cases. The Earl of Lanesborough is one of the latest to experience THE INCONVENIENCE OP PUBLICITY In divorce cases. He was named as co-respondent m a divorce brought oy Captain Guy Watkins and his wife. The earl and Mrs. Watkins then planned to be married. Tho bride wanted a church ceremony. It is a general rule with Church of England clergymen that they will not marry the defendant ln a divorce suit, but they cannot refuse a "benedictory service" after a marriage. They stipulate, however, that there shall be no publicity In connection with such a service. The earl and Mrs- Watkins planned to he marred at a civil registry oltiee and then to Have a "benedictory service" at the Chapel Royal, Savoy, with full choir, flowers and- all the features of an old-time wedding. But on the day of the wedding some kind friend of the bride announced In the newspapers that they were going to have a brilliant church wedding. Tire clergyman thereupon refused to perform the simple ceremony he had promised. The bride and groom were then compelled to spend several wooks m quietness and obscurity before thoy could carry out their little plan. The Earl of Egllnton and Winton, head of ono of tho most ancient families m Scotland, has been divorced by ills countess. Her detective caught him m a London hotel JUST LIKE A COMMON PERSON. In passing on the suit of a Mrs. Powell, Lord liuckmaster held that a man had deserted his wife when he lived m the same house but romained a strangor to her. Her counsel cited the case of tho Duchess of Westminster, who lived m the same house wllh her husband for two years after ho deserted her. but m that case the huiisi) was ko large that thoy could easily avoid sccinp one another. That dashing young woman, tho Hon. Kl.sio Maclmy, known In the films as Poppy Wyndham. hat* obtained freedom from hor husband. Donnls Wyndham. the actor. Ut.sk' Maekay is tho favorite daughter of Lord Inchcapv. i ho richest man m the British Empire.' Her father objected to her marriage, but she dolled him, nnd not only manled but wont into the movies. Her father's wealth, however, seems lo have had too much allurement for her. aw* this year she obtained a nullification of her marriage on the ground that she had not resided tho requisite number of days ln Scotland, whore It was performed. Perhaps the most sensational divorce cubo wns that of tho elderly Earl Calhcart against his middle-aced wife. He named as co-respondent tho young Earl of Craven, who will Inherit the immense wealth •of the multimillionaire Bradley Martin family, of New York, through his mother.

The Countess Cntheart and young Cnivon openly travelled to Franco together and- flaunted themselves at Doauviilo. It happens that young Lord Craven a few years ago eloped with nnd married a very pretty girl ot poor parentage. What tho young: Counte»»

of Craven will now do is an interesting problem. The attitude of another young countess is interesting society. Colonel Ross-Hume obtained a divorce from his wife on account of her relations with the Earl of Wilton. The earl has a pretty young wife, who was an heiress of great wealth, Miss Peterson. The countess has decided that she will take no action for* the sake of the children. Mrs. Ross- Hume, by the way,, loved her husband. She was sadly mistaken m Lord Wiltons chs.rd.ct6r The Duchess of Westminster gave an IMMENSE SHOCK TO HIGH SOCIETY when she divorced her husband, the richest duke m England, who had long neglected her. The duke promptly married a Mrs. Violet Rowley, a divorced woman, who did not belong to the same exalted set as himself. His divorced duchess married an obscure actor named Fitzpatrick Lewis. The American Duchess of Marlborough recently divorced her husband after many years of unhappiness. The duke made no attempt to disprove a stay at a Paris hotel which the duchess alleged against him. A rather startling case was that of Lieutenant Adrian Bethell against his wife, who was the Hon. Clarissa Tennant, daughter of Lord Glenconner, and niece of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Asquith. She had been married barely two years when she had an affair with the Hon. Lionel Tennyson, grandson of the famous poet. They *re now married. M . _ , . Lady Victor Paget, a former Gaiety girl, has obtained a divorce from her husband, who 1b heir to the exalted title of Marquis of Anglesey. The Gaiety girl's boy still remains the eventual heir to the marqulsate. Admiral Paget Sinclair, of the British Navy, divorced his handsome <but rather mature wife on account of her relations with Jean Nouzaret, a young French prizefighter, who waa once a humble sparring partner of Georges,. Carpentler. A Mrs. Nield, wife of a mere decorative artist, obtained a divorce from her husband because of his infatuation for Lady Ada Wilmot, daughter of the Earl of Lauderdale. Mr. Nield used to decorate Lady Ada Wllmot's mansion. , , -. Captain Charles Chetugnd asked for a divorce on account of a grotesque episode that happened ln his house. He found his wife m a compromising position and summoned a woman guest to witness -the fact. He then withdrew to his room with the guest. The court rejected his request. Some of those who are seeking to reform divorce procedure ask not only that there shall \be secrecy hut that the causes of divorce shall be 'made easier, so that it may not be necessary to prove demoralising details. Here they come m) conflict both With those who uphold the rights of publicity and with the religious authorities, who wish no relaxation of the grounds of divorce.