Evening journal., 1903-09-09
BARS TO MATRIM0NY
FEAR KEEPS MANY MEN FROM tbs
BLISS or WEDOED LIFE.

ciont Pluck to Take the FatefaI
Trip to the Altnr-vari0us Reasons
That All spell "Aeraid?'
There is a great deal OF specula-
ton" said a well known lawyer, "as
TO why men are SO reluctant TO marry
but one reason mover seems to occur 10
the spectators. and that is that many
of them are afraid to. No, I am not
joking. 1t is sober and we'll con
slilered statement Of fact, for which
can alduce as many proofs as you
want, that many men would almost as
soon think of patting a fierce bull on
the head or facing khe midnight bur
glar as taking a trap to the altar
81 remember as a boy an amusing
specimen Of this kind'o man In Iowa.
He was a farmer and was as notorious
for his amorous entanglemcnts as for
his ingenuity in getting out Of them
when marriage began TO loom near.
1t was said he had been engaged
dozen times, and though he left all his
hancees in the lurch he never found
any difficulty in getting a successor.
One day my father, who was his law
yer. asked him: why don't you get
married, John? 1t isn't for want of
opportunities, you know, and it's quite
time you thought of settling down
We'll. sir John answered, it's this
way. You see, l like coorting well
enough, but3I can nivyer summon up
pluck to 90 any further. To tell you
the truth, I'm afeard Of getting tied
for life to one of en-
'1f you have heard many breach Of
promise suits you win have observed
that this wholesome dread Of matri-
mony is the cause Of a good proportion
of them. though all the defendants
have not the courage 80 say so.
zone client of mine had allowed mat
ters 10 proceed right to the eve Of the
wedding day, when he disappeared
mysteriously and was not discovered
for some months. The young lady
promptly sued him for damages for
breach and at the hearing the reason
for his conduct came out He admitted
that he was fond of the girl, but sun
dry exhibitions of her temper and jeal-
ousy which he had witnessed had so
scared him that he simply hadn't the
courage TO marry her. 1 meant to
marry her right enough he said, but
when 1t came to the point my courage
failed me, and l thought it safer to
bolt
In another case in which widow.
sued a widower for playing her false
the defendant put in singular plea. II
seems that the widows family strongly
objected 10 the match. and as passive
opposition was useless to prevent il one
of the sons, a stalwart young fellow
called on the middle aged wooer and
told him that If be persisted in his suit
he (the som would give him such a
thrashing as would effecmally cure
him OF any further sentiment 80
what could / dol? the defendant pathet-
ically asked.
"The more one sees behind the scenes
/ the more one realizes that there is often
/ a great deal TO be said for the man who
loves and runs away. One Of mY clients
a few years ago found himself in an
/ awkward Tuandary. lie had engaged
himself to three girls at different times
and, having cancelled his engagements
with two, was on the eve of marrying
/ No. g. No sooner was his intention
known than the two Tilted ladies' threat
ened him with legal proceedings IL he
persisted I'm his proposed marriage, and
the favored lady in turn threatened q
similar fateif De didn't
Here was n dilemma, for whatever
he did would end unpleasautly. How
ever like q prudent man, he decided to
run the smaller risk lie paciaed his
two former faneees by canceling his
engagement and prepared TO face the
music OF the third lady.
'Ihe mother-in-law Is often a fatal
disturber Of loves young dream. One
breach Of promise defendant declared
that he would willingly have married
the pialntin only he couldn't stand
her mother at any price, and the pros
pect Of having his married happiness
disturbed by her interference so scared
him that he decided it was more pru-
dent to break Off the engagement, while
another ffHl lover actually Stated I'm
court that he was afraid TO marry the
plaintm lest She should grow up like
her mother whose tongue and tenn
iper' had shown him some of the less
desirable possibilities Of married life.
zone man whom defended last year
seems to have had constitutional
dread Of matrlmony. He bad been en-
gagged to the plaintiff no less than nine
years. -Four times the wedding day
had been fixed, and as many times it
was adjourned by his wish. Finally
he cried off altogether, and in court he
declared that, although he loved the
girl, he felt he could never screw up
the courage to marry her. When be
was asked the reason for his dimdence
he said that he had seen so much Of
the unhappy side of married life and
the difference between wooing and
wedding that he didn't feel equal to
running the risk.
"Thesa are but few from scores of
similar cases which have come within
my own knowledge. One man feared
TO face mtrimony on account Of his
nehcees eAtraVagonce, another quaint
ly confessed a horror of his wife's
cooking and domestic gifts generally,
a third defendant was afraid to wed
because q distant relative of his lady
love had died in an asylum. and so on.
But whatever the cause. you may take
my word for it that the men who are
downrlght.afrald TO take wives are To-
gion. Tribune.