Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-07-18

not ask more of any man-you have no
right to ask SO much. He wishes, at
great cost to himself, / think, TO do
ness and honor. He admits his own.
fault" He looked at me, savagely
shaking a finger, but went on: LAS it
chances, am curious in other profess
sions than my own sOmetimes-I read
in the law sometimes, again in theolo-
gy, literature wish to be an educated
man so far as | may be, since a uni
versity education was denied me. Now,
/ say to you, from my reading in the
law, strong question arises whether
the two who wrote this covenant of
marriage are not at this moment man
and wife! There is a definite, mutual
promise, consideration moving from
each side, the same consideration in
each case, the promise from each bear
ing the same intent and value and
having the same qualifying clauses.
The contract is defnite-it is dated.
1t is evidently the record of a unani-
nous intent, -an identical frame Of
mind between the two making it at
that time. 1t is signed and sealed in
full by one party, no doubt in his own
hand 1t is written and acknowledged
by the other party in her own hand
"But not signed / broke in. "See.
it is not signed. She said she would
sign it one letter each week-weeks
and weeks-until at last this, which
was only our engagement, should with
the last letter make our marriage.
Gentlemen / said to them, ''it was
an honest contract. 1t was all the
formality we could have, all the cere-
mony we could have 1t was all that
we could do. stand before you prom
ised to two women. Before God ]
was promised to one. l loved her.
could do no more
"It was enough" said DIR. Bond dry
ly, taking snuff. 1T was wedding"
"Impossibler' declared Colonel Sher-
atom.
Not in the least" said the doctor.
at can be invalid only upon one
ground. 1t might be urged that the
marriage was not consummated But
in the courts that would be matter
of proof. Whatever our young friend
here might say court would say that
consummation was very probable.
say as this stands the contract is a
definite one, agreeing to do definite
thing-namely, to enter into the state
of marriage. The question of the I'M
completed signature does not invali-
at all. 1t is only a question whether
the signature, so far as it goes, means
the identity of the Ellen Meriwether,
who wrote the clause preceding it.
Gentlemen" he went on, taking a
turn. hands behind back, his big red
kerchief hanging from his coat tails.
II take Mr.. Cowles word as to acts
before and after this contract l think
he has shown to us that he is a gen
tleman. In that world. very different
from this world, he acted like gen
tleman In that life he was for the
time freed of the covenant of society.
Now in this life, thrown again under
the laws of society, he again shows to
us that he is a gentleman here as much
as there. We cannot reason from that
world to this. say-yes, hope am
big enough man to say-that we can
not blame him, arguing from that
world to this. We can exact of man
that he shall be a gentleman in either
one of those worlds. but we cannot eX-
act it of him to be the same gentleman
in both.
''Now the question comes to which of
these worlds belongs John Cowles?
The court will say that this bit of hide
is wedding ceremony. Gentlemen"
he smiled grimly. I'VE need all the pro-
fessions here today medicine. minis
ton, l think we need legal counsel be-
fore we go on with any more weddings
for this young man here"
"But there is no record of this,'' l
said. There is no execution in du-
plicate."
question of which world you elect"
l looked at him, and he added: ''It is
also only question of morals. If this
record should be destroyed you would
leave the other party with no proof op
her side of the case.
"It is customary" he said as he turn
ed to me, ito give the wife the we'd
ding certificate. The law, the ministry
and the profession of medicine all unite
in their estimate of the relative value
Of marital faithfulness as between the
sexes 1t is the woman who needs the
proof. The woman is the apple of
natures eye. and even the law knows
that
I walked to the mantel and took up
the knife that lay there / returned to
the table and with a long stroke rip
ped the hide in two. | threw the two
pieces into the CRATE.
seThat is my proof said /. that Ell
len MeriWether needs no marriage GER