SELFISH INTENTIONS - K-REx - Kansas State University

these judges were upset about the perceived collusion in divorce suits, most particularly that
women filed so many of divorce petitions to which men failed to respond. They deplored the
fact that so many marriage unions seemed simply to be simply tossed away by many couples
without cause. Most of all, these judges abhorred the fact that societal order was upset by these
divorces. Women were stepping outside of the virtues of true womanhood and petitioning for
divorce. The judges were upset that no one was stopping these women from forsaking their
marriage vows. The marital union was in trouble with no one to help it survive. The opinions of
these judges represent the varying public opinions about divorce at this time, except perhaps for
one prominent, if unspoken, viewpoint: the opinion in favor of easier divorce that increasing
numbers of Kansans took to the divorce courts.
The divide over divorce law was even expressed in two very different reactions to the
same government report. The question was whether the Kansas divorce rate was high or whether
it was low. One’s perspective was clearly central in answering that question. In a November 28,
1909, article from the Kansas City Journal entitled “Ratio of Divorces is Remarkably Low,” the
author examined a recent study the Secretary of the State Board of Control, Fred W. Knapp.
This study of the previous year’s statistics revealed that the state had approximately one divorce
for every eight marriages. In the past year there had been 17,107 marriages and the number of
divorces was just over 2,000. After reading this article and especially from the article title, it was
clear the author did not find the number of divorces to be a problem for the state.
However, an article reporting on the same study found this result to be cause for alarm.
An article in the Topeka Capitol, also dated November 28, 1909, entitled “One-Eighth of
Marriages are Failures,” outlined the statistical information found in Mr. Knapp’s report. Not
only did this reporter examine the ratio of marriages to divorces, but he also examined the
50