Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-05-25
Compulsory
Marriage
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D r. A. mitchell


Q COPYRIGHT, 11lo By American Pres 8
q Association y
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The population of Daimaria had been
running down for years. The marriage
hcenses. which formerly had been -
sued BY the city government at the
rate of about hundred 4 week. had
diminished to ten or a dozen a month.
To remedy the evil the government
passed a law that all men should be
married by their twenty-frst birthday
and no girl should refuse an ofrer un-
less she could prove the proposer to be
q man Of bad character or that be was
not able to support her.
There was CONSERVATION among the
unmarried of both sexes at the pas
sage Of this law. Single men began
to bestir themselves to secure-as some
Of them expressed 1.-THE least unde-
strable girl In the town A woman
who had received . proposition was
given . week to examine into her pro-
poser's fitness and come to q decision
But 1t the end Of the week new pro-
poser might be accepted. Consequently
the girl was not necessarily compelled
to marry the frst proposer unless no
one else entered q claim This was
considered very wise expedient since
It admitted Of competition Neverthe-
less It resulted In considerable ntiga-
don Girls finding themselves unable
to decide between several applicants
would defer decision TILL the limit OF
time had passed Sometimes young
man within few days OF bis twenty
hrst birthday would be put on TIL hs
bad broken the law.
That which has been called the Dunn
bleton case has come down to N a .
cause eelebre OF this city OF compul-
sorry marriages. Irene Dumbieton was
what II now called nirt It u said
that she once met man at ball and
% twisted his brain that within q cou-
pie OF Gays ne lay down 70 an eternal
sleep on the bottom OF q river. An
other within . week after meeting her
- reported to nave climbed out OF the
sixth story window OF q building and
Owed to the sidewalk below. Irene
Dumbleton could DO anything she liked
with . man, either reduce MIN 70
dough or bake him 20 hard that she
couid XII an elepnant Fitn MIN. New
ertneless the instances mentioned were
doubtless exaggerated.
When the marriage statute became
law Miss Dumbleton saw that she
must marry some man who might pro-
pose to her. She did not intend that
the wrong proposer snouio come Win
10 the minus OF tne law. Sne oid not
mean to wait Tor proposition. she
made It ner object TO draw into ner
net WITHIN week AFTER ner MIST oner
az many proposers as possible In order
tnat sne might cnoose petween them.
Inc morning after the law had gone
INTO erect MISS DumDieton received .
oasketfui OF proposals. Some OF the
proposers we're desirable. some were
undesirable and some midway between
the two. She wrote all the names Of
men she considered available on cards
and laid them In q row In order OF
their desirability. The next day
brought an accession to the list with
. consequent introduction Of new
names and a arrangement Of the or
der Of value. The second and subse-
quent days brought still larger aces
sions. until at the last day Of grace
three-quarters Of the eligible bachelors
Of her class had proposed to her.
One would think that with 20 many
to choose from Miss Dumbletou might
ma one--all the law allowed-to all
{he nosit,on Of husband. The truth n
that the one she really desired. one
whom sha had previously declined. had
NOT cent in hi. name AZ 4 candidate for
reconsideration
when Miss Dumbleton discovered
that the proposaI OF Eebert Wbitmar.h
had NOT been sent in she was seized
With 4 sudden apprehension IF seven
DAYS should mass without His having
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