The San Francisco call., 1897-10-06

HEARTS AND
PROMISES
Lessons Drawn From
the Noted Melcher-
Hadley Case.
SEVERE COMMENT OF
THE TRANSCRIPT.
Getting Engaged Anew While
Morally Bound to Another
Not a Joke.
STIGMA OF SOCIETY ON
TICKLE vows.
1t Is Not TrIfling Matter to XIII the
Life of Love In Man and
Woman.
Getting Engaged Anew While
Morally Bound to Another
Not a Joke.
STIGMA OF SOCIETY ON
TICKLE VOWS.
1t Is Not a TrIfling Matter TO XIII the
Life OF Love In Man and
Woman.

BOSTON, MASS, Oct. 5.-The staid old
Transcript astonished the natives tonight
by the following leading editorial, entitled
Broken Hearts,
mo doubt the man plaintiff in the ex-
traord1nary case of breach of promise
against the daughter of a distinguished
family of Maine just finished with a ver-
dict and damages for plaintiff will be-
come, Notwithstanding the vindication of
his case by the jury as the represen tatlve
OF public opinion and the common con-
science OF socie ETY., the butt of no end of
funny paragraphs in the press; and yet
the case is one to make the student Of So
ciety and morals hang his head in grief
at the shallowness of our most sacred
covenants. If the getting engaged anew
while already morally bound be joke
then the marital st"p is a joke also. For
although love or passion Itself may be
sickness and madness which passes in a
few years or few months according to
hsrd-headed common-sense people, fever
of inflated and false sentiment to be sup
planted by calm kindness, toIeration or
indifference, if not something worse, the.
institution of marriage is a very sacred
a
Judge In this case rules, the preliminary
state he!ore marriage is recognized part
of it.
'The verdict of the jury for. damag if
1t had been only for one cent, would have
been intentionally to set the stigma of
society's disapproval upon the conduct of
woman who, after engaging a mans af-
fections, suddenly turns from him to seize
the opportunity offered her of a more ad-
vantageous match.
'In this case the California winner of
the prize has had opportunity enough to
feel the full force of the legal maxim.
Caveat emptor, and no public sympathy
need be extended to his future domestic
affairs. The case is interesting only as
helping to settle the degree of social and
moral turpitude in what is too often treat
ed as trivial matter. OF course, people
who have no more Imagination than to
find it laughing matter that a mans
heart is broksn by such treatment cannot
see any bdseness or cruelty or danger to
society in the mere jiiting of man. This
lnsensibillty to even so glaring a breach
of honor must be very widespread in the
community, or the numerous engagements
of the society girl and the summer girr
would not be the staple for the same sort
OF newspaper pictures and Jokes as those
trifiing with the marital infidelity with
which the vocation of typewriting women
is associated.
"Most OF the funny men have discarded
at iast the Typewriter girl and false hus-
band as source of gayety. and in the
course OF time we may also remove from
the humorous column and place only III
the broad category of dishonor the woman
who turns short corner on he lover who
still loves her. The counsel for the plain
tiff in his argument used the word brutal
with reference to that conduct, rem arking
that 1t is brutal nature that will kick
dog, and how much worse must be the
conduct OF woman who would so abuse
man of admitted good character and
affectionate and confiding and trustful ma
ture; man who had to suggest to her
the delicacy of postponing his engage
ment and marriage, and a woman, who
after beginning with a trumped- up quar-
rel to turn her lover away, even accepted
his invitation to ride and take MIN to the
cemetery and decorated the grave of his
wife. a fitting act for lovers, but almost
sacrilege if they were not, as the coun sci
says. Whatever lessons the sanctity of
engagement tends to loosen the ties of
marriage itself, and the woman who can
play false TO the former proves herself to
be merely deferred by legal penalties, not
by principle or character from breaking
the latter. That is the laws ground for
interference. In the higher court OF
philosophy and morals nobody has stated
the wickedness of betrayal of a loving
heart with the strength of bsen in his
latest play of 'Borkman, where he makes
one of his characters say, You are the
m urderer. You have committed the one
mortal sin. You have killed the love life
in me. The Bible speaks of my ysterious
sin for which there is no forgiveness
have never understood what it could be;
but now 1 understand. The great unpar-
aonable sin is to murder the love life in a
human soul. With that you deserted me
and turned to Gunhild instead. | took
that to be common hckieness on your
part. / almost think l despised you a
little, in spite of everything. But now |
see it. WHAT you held dearest in the
world you were ready to barter away for
gain That is double murder you have
committed-the murder of your own soul
and of mine.