The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-05-10
Compulsory
Marriage
The Government of DaImaria
Broke Up BacheIorhOOd
ard Spinsterhood
By r. A. Mitchell
Copyright, 1910, by American Press
Association.

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Copyright. 1910. by American Press 8
y Association. Q
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The population of DaImaria had been
running down for years. The marriage
licenses, which formerly had been is
sued by the city government at the
rate of about hundred week, had
diminished to ten or dozen a month.
To remedy the evil the government
passed law that all men should be
married by their twenty-first birthday
and no girl should refuse an offer I'M
less she could prove the proposer to be
a man of bad character or that he 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-
sirable girl in the town. A woman
who had received proposition was
given a week to examine into her pro-
pOser's fitness and come to a decision.
But at the end of the week a new pro-
poser might be accepted. Consequently
the girl was not necessarily compelled
to marry the first proposer unless no
one else entered a claim. This was
considered very wise expedient since
it admitted of competition. Neyerthe-
less it resulted in considerable litiga-
ton. 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 his twenty.
first birthday would be put off till he
had broken the law
That which has been called the Dunn
bleton case has come down to US as a
cause celebre of this city of compul-
sorry marriages. Irene Dumbleton was
what is now called flirt. 1t is said
that she ulIue met a man at ball and
so twisted his brain that within a cOu-
pie of days he lay down to an eternal
sleep on the bottom of a river An
other within a week after meeting her
is reported to have climbed out Of the
sixth story window Of q building and
dived to the sidewalk below. Irene
Dumbleton could do anything she liked
with a man, either reduce him to
dough or bake him so hard that she
could kill an elephant with him. New
ertheless the instances mentioned were
doubtless exaggerated.
When the marriage statute became a
law Miss Dumbleton saw that she
must marry some man who might pro-
pose to her. She did not intend that
the wrong proposer should come with
In the limits of the law. She did not
mean to wait for a proposition. She
made it her Object to draw into her
net within week after her first offer
as many prop0sers as possible in order
that she might choose between them.
The NOR. ing after the law had gone
into effect Miss Dumbleton received
basketful of proposals. Some of the
proposers were 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 row in order Of
their desirability. The next day
brought an accession to the list with
a consequent introduction of new
names and a Encouragement of the or
der of value. The second and subse-
quent days brought still larger access
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 so many
to choose from Miss Dumbleton might
find one-all the law allowed-to fill
the position of husband. The truth is
that the one sh,' really desired, one
whom she had previously declined, had
not sent in his name as a candidate for
reconsideration.
When Miss Dumbleton discovered
that the proposal of Egbert Whitmarsh
had not been sent in she was seized
with a sudden apprehension. If seven
days should pass without his having
spoken again she would be obliged to
choose between humiliating herself be-
fore the man she wanted or going to
jail.
Miss Dumbleton lay awake all night
thrashing her pillow like one in a
fever over this alternative. At one
moment she vowed that she would
marry one of the men who had pro-
posed to her. thus showing Mr. Whit
marsh that he was not wanted At
the next she decided to break the law
and go to jail. Finally 1t occurred to
her that Mr.. Whitmarsh was not sup
posed to know of her change of heart |
She concluded to make a virtue OF |
necessity and inform him of that |
change
That day-the last but one of those |
left her to comply with the law-she
spent three hours writing letters to |
MY Dear Mr.. Whitmarsh" MY Dear
Egbert," my Dear Friend" Hon
ored Sir" but she neither came to a |
decision as to which Of these modes
of address she would use. nor did any |
of the letters she wrote please her. |
Finally she threw them all in the |
wastebasket. went out, bought a few
forgetmenots and, putting one Of them
into an envelope with her card, sent |
it to Mr.. Whitmarsh.
The reply came back to her: You |
indicate that you would wish me not |
to forget you. This is heaping on me
a sorrows crown. If you realized my
sufferings on your account you would |
wish me to forget you as soon as pos
sible."
"Foolr' exclaimed Miss Dumbleton.
Must / tell him that l have changed
my mind with regard to him? Yes!
No, What shall / do? / have but till
tomorrow at noon"
She dashed off the words, II have
changed my mind" and, placing the
message in the hands of her servant,
told him TO take it at once to Mr.
Whitmarsh.
The reply was, to say the least, an
noying: ITO me who have loved you
from the first moment / laid eyes on
you your message is unintelligible.
How can one change ones mind so
quickly in matter of love? Love is
not an opinion; it is a mingling of
souls"
Great heavens!" exclaimed Miss
Dumbleton. "Only fifteen hours left,
and this stupid man will either force
me to marry one l don't wish and
whom he doesn't wish me to marry or
he will send me to jailP
Miss Dumbleton was in despair.
Could Mr.. Whitmarsh have changed
his mind? Were she assured of this,
though to marry another would be to
blight her life, she could bring herself
TO do SO Rnt To give nn q man she [