TRIBUNAL FOR MENDING BROKEN HEARTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 173, 13 July 1908, Page 4

TRIBUNAL FOR MENDING BROKEN HEARTS.

The London Telegraph's New York correspondent writes:—A Court of Tears as it is called here, is America's latest unotlicial tribunal for mending broken hearts. It is run by the Hebrew Educational Alliance in New York, and when, on a special invitation given me, 1 attended, I found the place crammed with unhappy couples, all prepared to pour out their domestic woes before "Judge" ltobbius, the legal head of the Hebrew alliance. Abandoned children, as well as deserted wives and husbands and quarrelling couples, made up the sad assemblage. "Why do you not go to the magistrates' court?" 1 asked several of them, and was told in each ease that the magistrates are very brusque, and have not got time to settle domestic relations, and experience generally proved that the Court of 'Tears was more acceptable all" round. Since hard times commenced here the Court of Tears lias been working at great pressure. There has been a notable increase of wife desertion, and the Sunday sittings are invariably crowded. Though this court is without legal authority, 1. convinced myself that .finite Robbins' decrees have done more to mend broken hearts and reunite separated families than all the : police courts put together. As the outcome of experience in the Court of Tears, a movement has been started by Mr. ltobbius, under the direction of the Alliance, with a view to the establishment by the Legislature of a court of domestic relations to deal exclusively in a judicial capacity with family troubles. Such a tribunal would sland'in the saipe relation to desertion and like offences as the American Children's Court to juvenile, wrongdoers, and would relieve the regular police courts of much work which is now hurriedly and inefficiently performed.