The sun., 1879-02-24
LAST WEEK's RECORD or LOVE AND
MIRRIIGE
A Peradious swain-TreRchery In the Army
aad Nnvy-Mnture brides,

three moro or less cruel breaches OF promise
on the part of lovers who, having won the affrc-
tions Of conndng maidens. returned Dcriidy
for their devotion. The situation OF girl who
is abandoned bv her lover without just cause is
always n very painful and mortifving one. Not
only is there Il void left in her heart. which once
beat with such tender emotions. but she is
Inundated Ivy being cast aside as thing Of no
worth, and exasperatcl at tho thought that n
man should dare to thus treat her. Sho breads to
meet her friends to whom her en- irement was
known; she rcpcs sympathy because it may
outrage her feelings and rritatc her pride. and
ehe suffers bitterly in secret
There was the case Of the young German
girl who WIS wooed and won by tho son OF tho
family in which she worked as domestic. He
was lavish in his expressions Il love for her
both in speech and in writing. To all appear
ances no was desperately enamorcd. happy
only in the presence Of his sweetheart, and con-
sumcd by the desire to return to her when no
WIS absent. In many practical ways he dis
played the tenderness Of his feelings. carrying
the coal up stairs for her though she was a worry
strong woman above the average height, and no
rather an understood fellow. and eagerly rum
ming her crrands. 1t il no wonder therefore.
that she thought she saw in him the max OF
u most exemplary husband. and clung to him
with stout fidelity. Though sovon othor sutors
sought her hand In marriage, she never
wavcrcd hut LETT her affections clinging whore
first they had fastened themselves: and her
lover. though jealous. as lovers are apt to be.
had to acknowledge that she had kent her troth,
nnd WAS "a hlumrlcss sweetheart. But ardent as
his love WIS for years together, it at last cooled
by degrees until il had changed to indifference,
and he cast her aside.
1t WAS then that sho sued him. making ont
4 4 IL.
he had little to say in his own defence His as-
scrton that she had first made love to him was
absurd on the face Of it, and the tears Of indg-
nation which wcllod from her eyes when she
pnssionotcy denied 1t. could not have failed to
win the sympathies Of any fair minded jury.
and lower the iaithless lover in their estima-
ton. But breach OF promise suit IL poor
remedy for outraged emotions. No damages.
howsoevcr great. can bind up tho wounds "a
perfld Gus swain inncts. Whcro one Tilted and
angcrcd woman seeks that balm for her
bruised heart. or that revenge for her insulted
pride. hundreds weep and gnash their teeth In
secret. too proud TO give their tormenters the
satisfaction of knowing how cruelty their neg
lect hurts. They shun the notori,ty OF a public
trial we'll knowing that in SO punishing their
perldious lovers they will even more severely
punish themselves. Hence. honest suits for
breach OF promise OF marriage are compara-
lively inircqucnt in this country; and it il for
tunate that il is so. though every right-thinking
person would like to see the iaithless swains
get their deserts.
We have also had tho last week tho confess
sion 10y an officer OF the army. who had married
the widow OF his deceased commanding officer
that already at the time OF the wedding he had
| n wife and children living in Scotland. Mar
| ragc In that country. rs everybody knows. is
easy. and through the wide lat tude Of the law
n man sometimes finds himself with n wife
| when he had no intention OF taking one. But
| that is not bad thing. for men ought TO So con-
! duct themselves as not to get into such scrapes.
| There is "A great deal to be said in favor Of
! holding man previously unmarried to be the
| legal husband Of the woman he pretends is his
wife. But in Capt. Blair's case there was an
actual marriage certificate produced. he cor
resnonded with his wife, aud when he visited
gave her house ~ his address to the Adjitiriit. N.
General. He could. therefore, have hardly
gone into his second marriage ignorant Of tho
crime he was committing and Of the wrong he
was doing to the lady who thought he could
! legally and rightlully be married to her. 1t
| may have been weakness on his part but il was
! criminal weakness, and there is no excuse for
| him. lie Will bee dismissed from the army. the
marriage will be annulled. and. in Justice. Capt
Blair will have to pay the penalty for his bigamy
by serving the State in prison.
Another case reported last week is that OF n
naval officer. who. though a married man and
the father OF children. ran away with the young
daughter Of the family in Baltimore with whom
| he was boarding. She is described rs a singu-
| larly modest and retiring girl and he "a a very
sedate man Of more than twice her years. But
experience shows us that the outward de-
Vtanu fu Ill
thought and purpose. and sometimes it is the
| most demure maidens who are led astray
Their secretiyeness may provo their ruin. and
the absence Of suspicion OF anything evil en-
! tcrinR their minds may afford them an oppor-
| tunty for the safe indulgence Of fancics they
must know are dangerous. il not wicked. Be-
sides, sly man may get hold on girl 10y
reason OF her very Ignorance Of the ways Of
mankind and her desire TO obtain repository
| Tor the feelings she has locked up in her breast
The ease Of Lieut.. Fletcher OF tho navy is a
very outrageous one. and it is to be hoped that
he will not escape unpublished. He has. Of
course. forfeited his commission and made
| himself an outcast from society. and the girl
has hard life before her.
Our correspondents frequently ask our advice
about marrying women Older than themselves.
Some Of them are enamorcd OF maidens or Wild
! cascs being invariably very young men who
are flatrrcd ly the interest they have awak-
| cned.o or fancy they have awakened. the breasts
" their mature and experienced swcethearts.
Marriages Of such couples as those have some-
times proved happy but they have been those
in which the woman had some extraordinary
gifts OF intellect and Of Imagination. which kept
her young in heart and sympathy and the man
shared her tastes with her and was bound to his
wife by u peculiar yencratlon for her charact r.
| But rs q rulc marriages of men TO women much
older than themselves turn out badly for obvious
reasons. and the young husband before long
feels tho bonds Of matrmony chatting almost
beyond endurance. Physiology is arrayed
against such unions. Of course and fortunately
they form only very small percentage Of mar
ragcs-so small that when one occurs it is sure
to provoke censorious comment among all who
hear OF it.
Lately very rich young fellow OF this city
Just past his majority. secretly married n lady
who mad obtained divorce from his cousin
and who is twelve or fifteen years his senior
Naturally enough. his father is dispeascd and
fntrti0ad lint the wp,tliup boa tulan t,lnaa