12. Vicious Habits.--Sexual immorality, through its degenerative
effect on personality and the lowered ideals of marriage it induces, has
a real effect in bringing about desertion. The "other man" and the
"other woman" type of desertion, however, is often itself only a
consequence of a previously existing state of temperamental or sexual
incompatibility. If these underlying causes can be attacked and changed
such a desertion may be "repairable."

A young man deserted his wife and three children and eloped with an
eighteen-year-old girl who had made his acquaintance in a street car
flirtation. He had been "an obedient boy with good principles," and
his later record showed steadiness and ability; but he and his wife
had been drifting apart--their marital relations had not been "quite
the same" as formerly. Arrested and brought back, he did not impute
any blame to her, however, but said he "must have been crazy." In
spite of the circumstances, the judge decided to give him six months
in the penitentiary; and a man visitor from the family social agency
interested began at once to try to secure an influence over him. On
his release the couple again went to housekeeping. The wife had been
cautioned on how to receive him; but things went badly at first, and
the man began again insisting that they were mismated. (He "had the
other girl still considerably on his conscience and heart.") Tangles
continually arose which the society's visitor was hard put to it to
straighten out. Once the wife found a letter from the girl; but
finally, after the charity organization society in the city where he
had left the girl reported that she was doing well and not breaking
her heart about him, the man decided to "cut out" the
correspondence. A little later the girl eliminated herself by
marrying. A year after the reconciliation the wife told the friendly
visitor that the trouble was gone between them, and "it was just