Will Rogers on divorce
I don't know how well acquainted international readers are with Will Rogers. For that matter, many Americans have sort of forgotten about him. He was a vaudeville, Broadway, and movie performer in the early part of the 20th century. His stage act consisted of doing tricks with a lasso and making jokes about the day's news. He was so funny, refreshing, and down to earth that he reached a level of popularity that even today's biggest stars can't match. People really loved him the way they love a close personal friend. For a while he had a weekly radio address as well as a biweekly newspaper column that provoked more water-cooler conversations than Mike Royko and Dave Barry combined. He died in a plane crash in 1935, but his insights and witticisms live on. I found the following bit in a book I have. It's part of his observations of his tour of Russia in 1934:
Then we went down to where everybody wants to go, and that's the Divorce Court. Mrs. Rogers got kind of itchy in there. I even got a little scared after I got in there. Boy, I behaved myself while I was in Russia, I'll tell you that. Well, we were sitting in there, with a girl interpreter. And the first thing you know, a fellow come in with a brief case. He put his things down on a desk, and he was in there a minute, and they asked him a couple of questions, wrote down something—then he got up and went out. I said—I'd been watching—I said to the interpreter—what did that guy do that just come in here?
She said: he got a divorce. I said: huh? That guy that just went out got a divorce already? He wasn't in there longer than I've been telling you about it. And sure enough, yes. I said—my Lord, where was the girl he got the divorce from?
She said: well, they'll send her a card tomorrow, saying: you ain't with us any more.
I asked: Is that the way they get married, too? I can come in here and marry somebody, and announce that I am married and then send Miss Greta Garbo a card, and say: Miss Garbo, you're married to me?
She said: No. You've got to bring the girl when you get married.
Now that sounds awful easy, but wait a minute. Divorce ain't like right here in Hollywood, where we are now. Say listen, here you come in with three or four of those marriages and divorces. But they got a limit on them over there. Out here there's no limit to what you can do, but over there, they do. You come in on about your fourth marriage, and they've got all your records down there, and they'll say: Wait a minute! This thing has gone about far enough. See? This is a Communistic country, and we believe in dividing up, but you ain't going to get all the women in Russia. Now you better go back and make up with the old one.
There is many more things to talk about in Russia. So let me know. Write and let me know your questions, I'll be glad to answer any question. Anything I don't know about the country, I can make up. For Russia is a country that no matter what you say about it, it's true. Even if it's a lie, it's true.
