The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-11
The Reckless Way We
Marry
By DOROTHY DIX.

IA been deserted In a hotel in this
city after a honeymoon that had
lasted only four days.
Detectives arc out hunting the rec
reant bridegroom, who disappeared
owing the hotel and an automobile
concern, and even a tailor from whom
he had rented q swell dress suit to
be married In, and the poor little
bride has gone tearfully back home
TO reflect upon the uncertainty OF
matrimony.
She is even wondering what her
name is. because she doesn't know
whether the man she married was
named what he said nc was or not,
as she has found out that hc was
not rich. as she supposed. or con-
pected with d big hospital. as he told
her, nor had he ever been heard OF
at a famous medical school where he
professed to have graduated.
The girl and her family arc doing
lot of investigating now into the
pedigree and record OF the ex-hus,
band, but it's a trifie late after all
the harm has been done. IT'S like
locking the stable door after the horse
Is stolen. All of the good they can
get out Of finding out about this
scurvy villain Will be tho gratifica-
tiou that IL will afford their curios-
ity, but II they had epont one tlthe
OF the effort in turning the spot
light on the gentleman's record before
marriage the poor girl would have
been saved from making her fatal
mistake.
This case does not stand alone as
an illustration OF the monumental
folly with which people marry without
taking the trouble to find out SIN"
gle thing about the individual with
whom they propose TO spend the next
thirty. or forty years, and on whose
good faith and worthincss their whole
happiness and welfare depend. Every
day we read In the papers about girls
who have married bogus mobiles or
bigamists with another wife In the
next block, or ex-convicts, or men
whom they believe to be prosperous
and who are swamped in debt and
have no way OF making a living, or
men who have some terrible mental
or physical malady, or men who nave
some hideous blot on their past that
casts its sinister shadow over the
whole lives OF their wives
The tragedy OF these marriages ls
that almost every ons OF them could
have been prevented had the girl and
her parents used as much ordinary
prudence In the matter as they, would
about acquiring a new horse, instead
of new member Of the family.
They would not have bought $500
horse without finding out what SORT
Of stock 1t came from, who had raised
It, who was Its former owner. what
sort Of a temper and disposition II
had. and getting veterinarys certt-
fica&e that 1t was sound IN wind and
limb.
But people will let girl marry
man without making q move to fino
out what kind Of family he belongs
TO; whether his people are honest or
Jail birds: whether he. has tainted
a = IL - ~
has got a wife somewhere else or not
whether he Is drunkard or gam
bier or not; whether he has any set
tied and honest way OF supporting
family or not.
or course it's easy enough to see
why girl with no experience OF HE.
and infatuated with mans agree
able personality. might think that II
didne make any difference who ne
was, or what he had done She might
II were and marry a man without
apy Investigation of his standing and
character, but there Is nothing else
on earth so amazing as the indifter-
ence Of fathers on this subject ano
that father would permit his little
unsophisticated daughter to marry
man Of whom he knew absolutely
nothing,
Yet they do Il continually. Many
a man sees his prospective son-ip-
comes to go through the meaningless
form OF asking for Mamic's hand In
marriage. For Mamie has told papa
to say yes; ard papa Is so busy
and SO careless that he hands over
of her potentialities for misery or
happiness. to the stranger with as
little thought as he would pound
Of tea across the counter Worse;
He wouldn't let the stranger have
ha van nj ha yI,aS "a
could pay for II. but be lets him have
Mamie without finding out whether
he can support her or not
And this isn't because father has
such respect for Mamie's Judgment.
He wouldn't trust her to make
thousand-dollar investment alone. "
she had that much money 10 put into
n stock or real estate or to lend he
would take upon himself the task Of
.ooklns osl up. up the title ,.,t or security and
he permitted her to part with her
money, but he will let her give her
self away Without botherlng TO see ~
she Is swindled and gold -bricked In
the trade OF not.
In this day OF telegraphs and teIe-
phones and newspapers. we all live
In the glare af publicity and there Is
no difficulty whatever In finding out
all that IT is necessary to know about
anybody else. A postal card written
to the hospital with which the young
man mentioned at the beginning OF
this article said he was connected
would have brought out the truth
about him but none Of the girls fam
ily took the trouble TO write II. A
day spent in mans home town; a
ten minutes talk with his employer:
few iudicious inquiries among his
friends would show any father
whether the man who wanted TO mar
ry his daughter would make her a
good husband or not An inquiry
through Dun or Bradstreet will give
accurate Information as TO any Young
fellows past and present perform
ances and abilities to support a wife.
With these sources Of information at
hand Is II not simply Incredible that
any father would he so crmInaIlv
negligent as not TO at least ind out
what sort OF life partner HIS daugh-
ter Is getting when she marrfes?
No possible excuse can he offered
for their attitude In the matter. Be-
fore father gives his consent 10 his
daughters marriage he should have
gone over the young mans record
with magnifyinE glass and search
warrant II is his business to pro-
tect the little girl. and he signallv
falls to do II unless he does his best
10 keen her from making n mistake In