The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-05
Marriage and Insanity.

People sometimes take strange views Of
things MI. THOMAS LORD. OF this city,
was recently married to the Widow HICKS.
lhercupon his sons promptly instituted
proceedings To have their father declared
insane
Tho grounds 81 their movement seem TO
be: First, that Mr.. LORD is very rich, being
worth between ono and two millions; sec
ondly, that he is very old being eighty
three; thirdly, that lie has talked about
travelling whore he had never been;
fourthly, that he has been spending larger
sums Of money than the old jantor of one
of his buildings considered prudent. filthy,
that he has married a beautiful wife, much
younger than himself.
|. mans being rich is evidence Of any
thing but insanity Do fools and lunatics
get rich Seldom, we think, if ever.
ii. Is age evidence Of Insanity? On the
contrary, is it not provcrbial that youth
and folly and age and wisdom 70 together 2
METHUsELAII was much older than Mr.
LORD, yet who ever heard Of his being III
sane?
III. If mans talking Of what he knows
little about Is proof Of insanity, then most
great takers should be inmates of lunatic
asyums.
". Although Mr.. LORD has drawn con-
siderable sums Of money, it does not ap-
pear that he has spent, at any time, one
half his income. The janitor it is true,
thought Mr.. LORD spent too much; but the
question arises whether n janitors opinion
~ ehtltled To Tho weight of an expert = on
the subject OF his employers insanity Be-
sides, lnhsmuch as he testillcs that he has
been Janitor tor twenty years, he may ho
old, and, according to the logic OF the appi-
cation, consequently insane, himself If Mr..
LORD succeeds in retaining the control of
his own money, one thing is pretty certain
he is either insane or u fool if he retains in
his employ man who volunteers to testify
against him after having been in his pay for
twenty years.
V. The fifth ground is really the only sub
stantial cause Of the proceeding We as
sumo this from the fact that the other al
legged causes had never before been deemed
sufficient TO act upon. Now let Us consider
this fifth reason for n moment. Marriage is
not ordinarily evidence of insanity Mr.
LORD had been married once before, and had
never been deemed insane ON that account.
But it is said he was too old to marry, and
that he married privately in haste. 1t ap-
pears, however by their own showing, that
he was on such bad terms with one Of his
sons that he had forbidden him his house
and he might well apprchcnd violent oppo-
sltlOn II hc undertook TO be married publicly
That was sufficient justification for having
the wedding private. Then if his present
age constituted an objection, ii was an Oh
lection which was constantly augmcnting
He was daily growing one day older. and.
having desire To get married, it is evident
that the sooner he married the better.
A. to the choice which Mr. LORD made II
is evidence of the highest order Of intellect
and taste lie has chosen n woman rival
ling CLEOPATRA in beauty woman Of fash
ion and culture whose hand had been sought
in vain by men of almost every rank under
royalty.
And now rs to his right over his own prop-
crty 1t was Mr.. LORD, and not his sons.
who made his money. He Is cighty-three
years of age We will take il that he is
worth one and II half millions and expocts
to live until he is ninety. suppose that he
has made up his mind that for the happiness
he Is likely to derive from the society of this
beautiful woman during the remaining seven
years OF his life he is willing to expcnd half
his fortune-sevon hundred and nfly thm-