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Am "IiiisiliK:" ' Is Eeouadta to "Give a
Amy Period of
and' Secrecy .
Is Asspred
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Lira. Rita Lydig, Another Paris Divorcee. This Noted
Painting of Her by Boldini Helped to Establish :
. ' Her as a Parisian Resident,
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOtJRNAIi, ' .PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, j- JUNE 13, 1920.
"Residence Will Do .'.
The Mam Street of Reno, Nevada, Whose Crudities Lead Ou
Fashionables to Choose 'Paris as a Divorce Centre. '
I
T 1b a significant tact that some of the
most fashionable women in New York
society have recently gone to Paris,
France, for their divorces, rather, than, to
Xieno, Nevada, or some other popular
centre of the American divorce industry.
During the past few 'months Mrs. Ogden
L. Mills," daughter of Mrs. W. K. Vander
bilt, and Mrs. Leonard Thomas, the noted
heauty, hare obtained divorces with re
markable secrecy in the French capital.
A few months before that it was thd dis -
tineuished Mrs. "Phil". Lydig who
ob-
talned her freedom in the same city. 5
In the early years of the war the equally
distinguished Mrs. Clarence Mackay, now
Mrs. Joseph A. Blake, divorced Mr. Mac;
kay from i the "vantage ground of a Paris
residence.! She appears to. have been a
pioneer in the movement among the smart
set to secure matrimonial relief from the
French courts. ; -' ' ' " .
Other names could be added to the list,
but the four women mentioned represent
In the highest degree the beauty, brains,'
wealth, smartness, distinction, cleverness
and originality of , New York society.
Their example sufficiently proves the
statement that there is a tendency In the
fashionable set to so to Paris for divorce,
rather than to Reno or any other Ameri
can resort. -. .'-. .
Shall we see ' Paris entirely supplant
: Reno as the home- of easy and pleasant
divorce? r Social authorities say that more
women will still ga to Reno, but the
smartest i will prefer Paris. A divorce-
originating in the latter place will have
the cachet of supreme elegance and dis-
Miction.
' Investigation has proved that French
laws offer; attractions to those seeking
easy divorce fully as great as those of
Nevada in some respects greater. The
most Important point about the French
divorce law is that the Judge may con
eider any period as establishing a legal
residence for the petitioner, whereas Ne
vada requires a residence of six months.
. The French judge may decide that a
woman who has been In France for a
week, or even for a day, has acquired a
.legal residence enabling her to sue for
divorce. ' It is not believed -that such a
decision has been given, but it' is possible
.in principle. The point Is left entirely to
the wisdom of the judge.
It is not necessary for the parties to be
citizens of France, for the French code
lays down as a general principle that for
eigners resident in France shall enjoy the
same benefit and protection from French
laws as citizens of the country.
. - Service of notice to appear and defend
a suit tor divorce may be made by publi
cation in the newspapers if the judge de
cides that it is the only reasonable pro
cedure. - , " ; . .
After the first filing of a divorce com
plaint the judge issues a "requete en con
ciliation," which is a - demand that the
parties shall appear before. him and en
deavor to settle their differences with his
assistance. If they tail to respond or fail
to agree the suit proceeds.
The testimony may . be taken by depo
titlon if the judge so orders, thus insur
ing perfect secrecy and the minimum of
- distress and discomfort to a woman plain-
tin, if the judge is satisfied that the plain-
tiff Is entitled to a divorce, he grants an
Interlocutory Judgmentas in England and
In some American States. This Is for six
months,' at the end of which time it maybe
made absolute. The judgment is promul
gated so quietly that in several cases of
American applicants it has escaped public
knowledge for many months after It was
given. .
The grounds for -divorce ia France are
not dissimilar: to -those of Nevada,-where
"cruelty is listed as a cause and has been
construed by Judges to cover such offenses
as speaking unsympathetically to a wile
or not speaking to her often enough.
The serious grounds of divorce in France
, are Infidelity, and conviction of an infa
maws crime. The lighter grounds are
classed together under Article 231 of the
CO 1920. InUrnatlop!
- Decree
French Civil Code as "ex
cesses, cruelties and - grave
injuries." The French ex
pression "injures graves,''
which is roughly translated
as ."grave injuries," covers
moral and physical Injuries,
abusive v language and. In
fact, nearly every kind and
degree of injury. It would
cover that vague complaint.
, "incompatibility," which has
orten been accepted as ' a
ground for divorce in Amer
ican .courts.
- French Judges have . Inter
, preted the provisions s of
their code as covering a wide
variety of acts, j Gambling
habits on the part of a hus
band and recklessly accusing
a wife of infidelity have been
construed as ground tor di
vorce. "Lea mots grossiers"
"gross words" are Tield
to be sufficient cause.
A "mutual divorce" may be
granted by the French courts
Mrs.
Joseph
A.
Blake,
Formerly. Mrs.
where . each ; party brings Clarence Mackay, - a
similar charges against the Pioneer in the
pther and offers proof. In a Movement to Paris
case where the defendant of- v for Divbre.
fers no defence, the divorce - ' -Is
pronounced with Quietness . ' 1
and dispatch. .- '.
A singular advantage appears to - ba
Iffered to complaining wives in Article 234 ,
f the French, Civil Code. There It is . .
stated that the judge will go to the home
f the complainant if she is. unable to ap
pear. This appeals .very strongly to re
fined American women, who dislike having
to appear in a dusty old court thronged
Kith impertinent lawyers and rather vul
var litigants. -s
In seeking a divorce in Paris most fash
ionable women would undoubtedly con
sider that city more attractive than Reno
&r, perhaps, any town a America, The
boulevards of Paris, with their endless
theatres and restaurants, appeal more fas
cinating to these fair expatriates than the
simple delights of Main street, Reno, with
Its one cabaret, its shooting galleries, boot
black parlors, its motion picture shows
and Its forlorn bars.
The historic Rue da la Paix, with its
splendid shops,' once considered the most
expensive in the world, but now consid
erably 'surpassed in this respect 1 by Fifth ;
avenue, offers consolations to these refu
gees awaiting relief from the. "cruelties"
of their husbands.
' Drives in-the beautiful Champs Elysees
and the Bols de Boulogne bring joy to the
heart In the Springtime and chase away '
sorrow from- these delicate victims ; of
masculine brutality. A trip to the races at -Longchamps
Is more distinguished than a '
ride to the roadhouse where "Jim" Jeffries
trained for his historic conflict with "Jack
Johnson." . v;''j::, A-"i
One' of the most Interesting of these
recent Paris divorces is that obtained by
Mrs. Ogden Livingston: Mills, Junior, for
merly Margaret Rutherfurd who is a
daughter of Mrs W. K. Vanderbilt by a -previous
marriage. Mrs. Mills is a great
beauty, of very distinguished type, with
. features and a sUtnasoa flpm, Saa
was only married in 1911 to Mr. Mills, a
granoson ol ino muiu-muuonaire, u. u.
illlls, and a son of Mrs. Ogden Mills, who
is , noted for, her exdusiveness in New .
:York society.' " ':
' Young Mrs.! Mills went to Pari only in :
March, and in May she admitted that she -had
obtained a divorce, t She declined to
give details, . because her mother, Mrs.
VanderbUt, might not like it," and would ;
not give the name of her lawyer. For a V
time -it was impossible -to - ascertain ;ln '
what court she had sought her divorce, on I,
what ground "she had asked it, or any of
the facts that are aecessarily made public
in America.
Young Mrs. Mills was brought .up in
France, lived there for many years, has
ratuN Serrlce. Inc.
Great Brltal KUhta
-t T"
I I " hs :
. J I
I 4 V - J y-T "rzr. V
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Youne Mrs. Ogden L. Mills, Daughter of Mrs
y. K. Vanderbilt, Who Has Obtained
- a! Paris Divorce Nobody Knows . '
- ! How, When or Why. ,
spent' a largo Prt of every year there and was tnarrleu
from the Chateau de Quesnay, her stepfather's residence,
near Paris, h There1 is, therefore, ground for -calling her- a .,
. resident , of: ' France. On the other hand,1 her husband,
Ogden I Mills, appears to be a. resident of America, for
he was .until recently a- State Senator In the New York
Legislature; and has since then been acting- as treasurer '
of the Republican County Committee in New York.
Even more surprising, was the divorce of Mrs. ' Leonard
" Thomas, who was the beautiful Blanche -Oelrichs, : from
her husband, who 'inherited - his wealth from the great
' Drexel banking firm of Philadelphia. In April Mrs. Thomas -admitted
she had obtained a divorce In Paris and made
this statement: - " v
"Yes. it Is true we are divorced. '-But the divorce was
' granted many, many months ago." -
American society had - known that the Thomases were '
living apart, but' did not learn for months that a divorce
-had been granted.- : '- - - . 1 - - ' -.'
Mrs.: Leonard Thomas, the Loly --
" ; Society Woman, Poc?
and Suffragist,
Who Obtained a
Divorce in Paris
"Many Months"
Before New
York Heard of It.
The divorce obtained ia
Paris by Mrs. Joseph A.
Blake, formerly Mrs. Clar-,
once Mackay, appears
to have served as a fruit-
t ful hint to other American
women desiring freedom.
When Mrs. Mackay first
became estranged from
Iter multi-millionaire hus
band In America shs
was threatened with all
kinds -of unpleasant com
plications. Mrs. Catherine
v Kelchum Blake instituted
a $1,000,000 damage suit
against Mrs. Mackay for
alienating the affections
of Mrs. Blake's husband.
Dr. Joseph A. Blake, the
V famous surgeon. Although
the suft was withdrawn the proceedings
caused: Mrs. Mackay much annoyance and
distress-. .
Mrs. 3 Mackay- then established a resi
dence in . Maine and society understood
that. she was" going to sue for a divorca
there, but this course evidently presented
some Inconveniences. Quite unexpectedly
she moved to Paris, and within a few;
months obtained her divorce there.
It Is not to be expected that all French
divorces will pass without question by
children,' heirs and other persons con
cerned. Mrs. Frank J. Gould (who was the
actress, Edith Kelly) - has already raised
the question. She has brought suit, for
divorce in America against her husband
despite the fact that he had obtained a
divorce In France.
Mrs. Gould asks her divorce in this coun
try on the ground .that she and her hus
band Were not. domiciled in France when
the divorce was obtained, and that it was,
stated in the decree that her husband's
domicile wss Tarry town, N. Y, Conse
quently, she alleges, .the French courts
could not have had jurisdiction. -
When inquiry, was made of a prominent
New York, lawyer who has had much ex
perience with French law, as to the valid
ity of divorces obtained by American citi
zens in France, he said:
"It is impossible to make a general and
dependable stateirient on that point. I un
derstand that If a French divorce bss ful
filled the essential conditions required by
the New York coiirts it will be held as
valid in New York as one obtained in sa
other American Elate,"-.