The Irish standard., 1895-11-23
''IS MARRIAGE A FAILURBll'!|''
Tho Quostlon Bsing Prsssnted. u Msw
tsesss u and !tovsi Form ID
England.
woIAI AGAINST aAfRlIoaY,
All the Cranks and Faddists Arc Writ
Ing TO the london
4. Papers.

+ Isl - -d : = :
Papers.
Miss Edith Manchester, Of Salvatore,
Kingston Hill, England, has created
sensation by her peculiar veiws on matri-
mony. She has tried to wipe out mar
riage laws, banns, and everything else
pertaining to the sacrament of matri-
mOny.
Mrs Manchester is "a years old, we'll ed
ucated and good looking. She matriou-
lated at London University, a pretty stiff
sexam," and then went as teacher in the
Maria Ggey Training School in London.
where she was observed to be one of the
newest of tile new women. Her views on
social questions were found to be so adj
vanced that her retirement from this
post was rapid, and she got place as
secretary of mining company.
She was a shining light of the Batter
sea branch of the social Democratic Fed
Grafton. where horny handed reformers
met every Tuesday night and passed res
olutions beginning Whereas, we, the
people of England" and demanding the
abolition Of the House of Lords, the sub
| lection of the royal family to a course Of
hamilton, and a general era OF white
winged reform. Miss Lanshester made
speeches, eloquent, but of an extremist
character.
The ceremony of marriage was one OF
the things she preached against, advo-
| eating state of things with regard to
home life that it was highly embarrassing
to discuss at gatherings of the DOrcaS So
cieties.
One day she announced to her family
that she had made up her mind to take
| up her abode with James Sullivan, man
far beneath her socially and intellectual
bly, She said she had no intention of be-
coming Mrs. Sullivan. Then she pro-
Eceeded to pack her trunk, at the same
ti1le treating her scandalized father and
brothers to an impassiOned harangue
! against marriage. She said that she and
Sullivan were going to become living OBJ
| lect lessons of the utter lack of necessity
for any such institution. In vain her IA
Their pointed out that hundreds of such
object lessons parade the streets Of Lon
don every night and make sorry pic
ture. She meant to point the way to the
abolition of what she looked upon as
slavery, she said, and she knew her bus
| mess and wanted no dictation, interfer-
ence or advice.
They sent for DR.. Blandford, the grave,
kindly, white haired family physician.
He was greatly shocked at her prepara-
| tions for an Ante-matrimpnial campaign.
| In the presence Of her brother he ques-
| toned her, and this is hts account OF
what happened:
-tsFirst of ALL had heard there was in
sanity in her family and that she had
been peculiar for long time. Her chief
argument was that marriage was I'M
| moral. How it was SO she did not ex-
plain That was the most insane thing
l. She said. She would not marry, she de-
| clared, because she preferred to be indie
pendent
tI asked her what she would think if
she, found,fherselfe deserted with seven
| children on her hands. She replied the
man that she was engaged to would not
desert her. / thereupon signed a certiti-
cate of insanity on the ground that she
did not know what she was doing. She
did not realize that she was committing
moral suicide by living illegitimately with
Sullivan, and she was unable to take care
of herself. She was mpnOman1ac on the
subject of marriage. If she had said that
she contemplated physical suicide GER
tificate might have been signed without
question. considered that L was equally
justified in signing one when she express
ed her determination to commit this So
cial suicide"
Straightway DR.. Blandford signed one
certificate and a DR.. w. E. St. Lawrence
| Finny signed another. Miss: Lanchaster
was put in cab, driven to Rouchampton
lunatic asylum, and put in one OF the
strongest cells. The Socialists took up the
c1rdgels on her behalf, and the upshot of it
was that the lunacy commissioners ORDER
ed her release.
The Pail Mall Gazette says Sullivan was
willing to marry Miss Manchester in due
4 and legal form, but that she would not
hear of. it,: The marquis of Queensberry,
who, it is said, is invariably wrong on
\ moral questions, wrote sensible letter 70
Sullivan. saying: Changes of law follow
and do not precede changes of opinion.
We want changes of opinion first. 1t is
not fair to place the woman In sucn a
cruel position, to say nothing OF the chill
| dren Of such marriage.
The Pail Mall Gazette points out mat
the views of Miss Manchester are held also
by Grant Allen, whom no one thinks OF
clapping into an asylum because OF them.
! The suggestion. however, that Mr.. Allen
should be attended to has not been re-
ceived altogether with disfavor.
] All the cranks and faddists are writing
| to the London papers on this new phase OF
ttIs Marriage a Failure" Up to the time
the last mail left. Liverpool for this coun-
trv hardly a single social monomaniac
was wa yet to be- heard from. OF course the
verdict is Overwhelmingly in favor OF
nnatrirnony, but there is rramazlng array ly
Of queer arguments against it. Some OF
the women correspondents are Of the type
whose members never get an offer of mar
riage if they lived on forever and adver-
tised for husbands every DAY OF tnelr
lives. x.,-,..,s
Wicked Women q Terror.
DR. Lombroso, the Italian specialist In
crininology, has written book on "The
Female OFFENDER" in which ne says:
.sThe female born criminal is far more
4 terrible than the male. She combines the
worst qualities Of both sexes--the wo-
man excessive desire for revenge, cum cur
ming, cruelty, love of dress and untrutn-
49, ,,,oy,'c uippS hcIylhneSS. fear