Arizona sentinel and Yuma weekly examiner., 1913-09-11
THE ETHICS OF THE LOVE GAME

Romantic people-what the old fashioned novels called men and wom en of sentiment-can not help but be shocked and mortified at the number of breach of promise suits that occupy the attention of the courts.
 The lady, whose lover proves faith less, no longer dies of broken heart She assesses the blight of her young affection at so much in good hard cash, and proceeds to try to collect it. Nor does she tie up her old love let ters with a pale blue ribbon and weep over them in secret. She gathers up the warmest of them and they become Exhibit A in her suit for damages.
 This is bad enough, heaven knows, but it is not the worst There are to be found men who are so absolutely lacking to all sense of galantry and chivalry, and even plain decency, that they sue women for breach of prom ise, and have had more than one case of late in which a tickle lady has been asked to pay in money for her change of heart.
 In all of these cases the agrieved party has not hesitated to repeat ev- cry tender thing that was said, to re- veal the most sacred condolences, to hn fhof intended to go just from heart to heart, and that should have been so inviolate as anything told in the con- fessional, and to hold up the party of the other part-the once beloved and adored he or she-for the jeers and fleers of a ribald world.
 In every case it has been a hideous exhibition of lack of taste, of lack of delicacy, of lack of every fine feeling of dissertation of the holy of holies of the human soul. It is a breaking of idols that serves no good purpose and which should be stopped by public sentiment if it cannot be stopped by law.
 The breach of promise case should be thrown out of court, and the one who brings 1t should have the taboo placed upon him or her. Love is out side of the jurisdiction of the law, for one thing, and for another 1t is impossible to tell whether any one ;s really damaged in sentiment aud in jured in emotions. There is a differ ence between a broken heart and broken leg, and we cannot but sus- pect that the wound to ones feelings that can be healed by a poultice of greenbacks is only a skin abrasion and doesn't go very deep.
 In way, all lovemaking and flirta- tion is a species of piracy, and when one nails the flag of Cupid to his mast he puts himself beyond all fur ther protection. He takes his fate into his own hands, and whether he wins or loses, he should take the con- sequences on his own head.
 That there are hound to be risks in courtship goes without saying. Indeed, the risks are what makes it worth while. what gives zest to the pursuit, spice to the game. If a man knew that any woman he fancied was ready to jump down his throat to say: 'Yes, and thank you, too," the minute he poped the question, the chances are that he would never pop at all.
 1t is the thrill of danger, the fear that another may win her, or that he may fail to please her or fire her fancy, that stimulates the man and makes him break his neck running after her. He knows that she is whim- sical, creature of moods and uncer- tainty, that the thing that pleases her today wearies her tomorrow, and in this is precisely her fascination for him. He takes the risks on her, and it is what makes him such big welcher when he does not accept his fate galantly, if she tires of him be- fore the wedding day and forsakes him for another.
 Precisely the same thing may ke said of women. The woman who falls in love with a man exerts all her skill to catch him. She baits her hook