Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-18

suering from plague of women" and
begging the women Of England to stay
at home instead of going to the vari-
GUS scenes of south African war opera
tions, dancing about in an improvised
ball rooms while wunded soldiers
groaned in pain. The impression
gained by all who heard him or read
his speeches in the papers was that
south Africa was already being turned
into matrimonial hunting ground by
Engand's surplus women even among
the fashionable set, and that they real
ly constituted plague"
For a time this vigorous sort of
speaking had tendency to stay the
emigration of females to the war be-
leaguered towns, for the women grew
ashamed and even the wives and
daughters and sisters Of the men who
were fighting decided that they could
probably best help their country by re-
naming at home instead of going to
south Africa to help eat up the food
that was frequently none too plentiful
amng he men. Now, however,w g.
pecially since the reports of the cen
sus have been partially given out, the
subject of emigration to what are al
ready called the new colonies" of
south Africa has been taken up seri-
ously and is being discussed at wo-
mems meetings and clubs more than
any other subject in which the gentle
sex is supposed to be interested.
There's a plague Of women in Eng
land!" said a prominent English Wo-
man to me the other day. "There are
too many of u.s. We ought to be
shipped, or ship ourselves off some
where where there are fewer of us. If
we could go there!"
A plague of women in England! At
last | believe | have discovered the So
luton Of the mystery that has puzzled
me almost ever since | came to Eng
land-the reason of the thousands of
breach of promise cases in England
The frequency of these cases among
respectable women has puzzled nearly
every American that has thought
about the matter, and who that vcGds
any English paper can help but have
attention called to it?
The papers filled with these stories
of Tilted maidens and widows I have
made point of noting that have not
picked up a single newspaper in many
months that has not reviedew
breach of promise case, and generally
several cases are referred to as being
up before the courts.
Not Like American Cases.
Now, the breach of promise cases l
have in mind are not of the sort we
occasionally see written up in the
American papers. AS a rule they are
not cases of women whose suits for
damages against men of money and
position are really nothing more than
cases of blackmail. Of course there
are some of those in England. A
pretty barmaid or a music hall artist
will sue the son of an earl for what
she calls breach of promise" and be
awarded by the jury substantial dam
ages, or a Whitechapel girl will sue
for the support of herself and obtain
an award of 2 or shillings a week;
but these are not the cases with &C
counts of which the papers are always
full
A young shopgirl of the highest re
speciality is engaged to be married
to a young salesman in a grocery
shop. He ceases writing, ceases to
call, and when she inquiries the reason
he declares that he finds he is too
poor to marry, or has found another
girl he loves better Now, in America
a girl thus treated would go into a
corner and weep, and might love the
perfdious young man still, or she
might simply despise him for his lack
of taste in preferring some one else
to herself, but she keeps the matter
quiet goes on with her selling of rib
bons and laces, for wounded pride
and sense of self-esteem make her
keep to herself the fact that she has
been Tilted.
But in England the highly respect
able shopgirl takes her grievance to
the courts, after carrying all her
love letters, which she has refused to
return, to a solicitor. He brings suit
for damages, which she generally
gets, although in some cases the lover
repents in court and promises to es
pouse her right away. The girl gen
orally expresses her willingness tC
forgive and marry the young man Of
her abused affections, and thinks mo-
that she has made an unwomanly anG
immodest spectacle of herself. She
is willing to marry him, knowing tina
he does it in order to keep from pay
ing the damages, and to go back will
no sense of humiliation to her worl
among her shop mates.
Not only does the highly respect
able shopgirl act thus. Women of a
most every grade, unless it be anon
the very aristocracy itself, think moth
ing of bringing suit for breach c
promise, having their love letters rea
in court and published in the new:
papers and receiving the damage
awarded them by sympathetic judg
and jury. One cannot but wonde
that English magistrates an
Judges, who are a set of men wit
much humor and are not averse to e,
hibiting their wit in the courtroom
do not make use of it when dealin
with these cases of maids and widow
who sue a man because he he
changed his mind about marryir
them, but the judges try the case
selemnly. the jury listens more sc