The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1905-03-02
BROKEN ENGAGEMENT.
WHAT CAUSES GIRLS AND MEN
TO BREAK TRoTH.
The Long Engagement: Some Girls
Tire Of Lovers Delay-A Visit at
the Home of the Intended" Often
Brings Troublesome Girls Short
Sighted and selfish-The Ocean
Steamer" Engagement.


Copyright. 1895 hy Joseph b Bowles)
The reason why engagements are
broken, judging from those which
have come under the writer's obserya-
ton. can be mostly classified under a
few heads. To illustrate by few ex-
amp,es:
An attachment srrang up between
two young people who seemed well
adapted to each other. and presently
their formal engagement was an
nounced. Congratulations poured In.
The young persons received them
smilingly, and said: 1T will be some
time before We are married. Il Is go
ing to be a long engagement"
In the first instance which was men
toned the engagement lasted for four
years Then the girl, who was living
at home with her parents In modest
circumstances. became tired of her
lovers delay and married another
man. He was not the equal OF the first
one. and she was never really hap
py. This case represents a large class.
The only remedy We can suggest Is
that the matter should remain an alb
solutc secret until few months be-
fore a wedding can be announced.
la another case. which looked bright
no FIRST. the girl was away from home
and her lover had never seen her par
nts. They were plain people and
lived In a plain way. and when he paid
his FIRST visit TO her home his love
waned.
Il has been said that II you really
wish 10 break mp an engagement you
can do Il more surely than In any
other way by arranging a visit OF
either one al the home of the other.
IL Is truly a hard test The self-con
sciousness- corteiuty with which
little things will go wrong. and 'he
disadvantage at which everything Is
likely to show-thsae form an almost
fatal combination.
Some variation OF this sort Of trou-
bic represents another large class of
breakers on which the embryo ship
OF matrimony comes to wreck and
ruin In this case the only remedy
would seem to be to know pretty well
the family of the beloved one II pos
sible. before the hn1l word has been
said.
A third class OF troubles arise from
a lack OF Imagination. Thus a deli
cately reared GRIT the heiress 20 a
great fortune. become engaged to
charming Young fellow. who had
pledged his life 10 the cause OF for
cign missions
Her parents were couseorated peo-
pie. who consented that their daugh-
ter should give her nfe 20 the heather
But as the wedding day drew near
and tho girl began 10 realize what
she was about 90 do. she falterod
She heard weird tales Of the terrors
Of her future career: of the Loneliness.
OF the difficulty OF mastering a bar
barous dialect Her love was not
quite strong enough to support her
under the prospect-and. with the
wedding day all but set she broke the
engagement
The young man ought 10 have been
delighted to have been freed from
such a weakling. but ne was not He
was heartbroken. II Is said that any
man can recover In six months from
a disappointment ia love" but there
are many exceptions.
Thus. a third class Of cases may be
said to be those Ia which the clrcum-
stances OF the young man are not APP
preciated by the girl until she has
come more fully face to face with
them than was possible In the very
dawn Of their love Poverty and other
stringencics OF a similar sort belong
under this head. As for remedy.
what can be suggested. unless that
every effort should be made to picture
to each Of the interested parties the
conditions which will follow under the
plans already made?
Perhaps another class may be called
the "ocean-steamer" engagement
The writer has personally known sew
eral OF this kind which melted into
thin air as soon as the prosaic shore
was reached.
There seems TO be something about
the environment of the ocean and the
appointments Of a steamship, and the
negiigee In which most OF the pas
sengers appear. which alters the val
ues Of men and women.
Thus, one young woman who was
going TO Paris on purpose to purchase
her marriage troueseau, fell in love
with one Of the officers OF the steam
er on which she went over, wrote
home to her distracted lover that her
heart was now given TO another.
bought her trousseau, with the inten-
ton Of wedding the officer. came home
and brought him with her. did not
like bis appearance in plain clothes
and away from his ship. told him that
she had made a mistake and finally