Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-04-30
Advice to the Lovelorn
By BEATRICE FAIRFAX


Lost is the title of an old English
play that some clever modern dramat-
ist like Bernard Shaw ought to bring
up-to-date. with an affinity motive
and an anticlimax of genuine comedy.
Because where there is an affinity
you will also find an anticlimaX and
comedy-for the world-but tragedy
for the dramatist personae.
\ letter came to me the other day
that is rather typical of these tri-
angular situations which inevitably
end in disaster, especially for the
unmarried girl. l quote it here in
full:
DEAR MISS FAIRFAX:
suppose YOU might call me an eX-
pert stenographer. as | can take die
tation in both English and Spanish.
| am 20 years of age and would be
happy If 1t were not for an unfortu-
nate circumstance in my life. The
senior partner of the firm where
am employed is in love with me, and
l, too, loNe him very dearly, but ne
has a wife. While never specifically
mentioning divorce. he takes the tone
and attitude that i'm time every thing
will be all right for us. Sometimes |
am afraid | don't realize the situa-
tion, as | care deeply for him, but my
situation is very trying.
The other night / went to the thea.
ter, and saw him in another part of
the house, and he seemed to be having
a good time: later | discovered the
, lady with him was his wife. | hardly
know what to do and am very miser-
able. Sincerly yours,
Unworthy of Any Woman
am so sorry you are unhappy. be
! cause after reading your letter it
seems to me the man YOU are miScr-
able over is utterly unworthy of your
I attention. He assumes the attitude
/ of an engaged man and he belongs le-
( RallE to another woman. with whom
/ he is apparently on good terms. An
| unprejudiced diagnosis of this type
| of man may be summed up in the
word Cad"
How do YOU know that you are not
/ one of several women this sorry speci-
men may be honoring with his double
attentions? The affairs of this type
| of man have way of getting into
/ the courts and papers, and then every
/ one is amazed at the number of wo-
! men he has succeeded in dupng.
/ He is usually not devoid of a GER
/ tain superficial attraction, but is in
| Nariably lightweight and shallow,
and if he were free to marry you il
/ is extremely doubtful If he could
make you happy.
human interest-followed in the news
/ papers one of the great affinity
! cases?
A wretched anticlimax usually
marks the end of them. At the mo-
ment / cannot recall a single case
where the man and woman took the
law in their own hands and it turned
out well.
Death of n Famous Affinity
The other day | read of the death
! of an American woman in Naples who
only a few years ago was the heroine
of such case. A clergyman will
something more than a local reputa'
| tion deserted his wife and family anC
Travelled about the world with the gir
and her mother. The mother
it seems, was inclined to re.
gard him as a son-inlaw, though
there had been no marriage ceremony
Queer social outlaws hailed then
as the forerunner of a new freedom
and they and their adherents neve
failed to assert the doctrine of "Al
for love and the world we'll lost"
Eventually this clergyman's wifi
! obtained a divorce, and he and tn
affinity" proclaimed themselves maj
and wife, without the services of
clergyman. That was the final chap
ter; the social anarchists regarde,
this as snivelling concession to con
vention, and the pair lost caste. Tn
eccentric union seemed to require tn
! stimulus OF opposition to succeed, an
when deprived of that it languisheo ed
They were no longer hailed as tn
|
began to get bored with each other
The final dispatch from Naples read
The Reverend Mr.. -- and his wifi
had separated two years before he
death; she was alone when the en-,
came, but. as there was no evidenc,
of suicide. the authorities agreed he
death was due to natural causes"
: A Forlorn Ending
( Alone, in strange country il
which war was raging, that was tn
end. The foolish old mother had died
: and there was no one left to car
about the girl who thought that il
| flying in the face of the world an,
married man she was doing something
: fine and brave.
The man, who was years older an,
the worst offender, simply left whel
: he was bored, and doubtless som
| silly woman, somewhere else in tn
world, is trying to make up to hin
for all he has been through" Fo
: we still have that type of woman witt
! us. more's the pity. And he will be a
faithless to her as he was to his lie
J gal wife and his poor neglected "af
finity," who died alone in Naples.
These gallant gentlemen who re
quire so much affection and sacrific
-on the part of someone else--to ge
them through life are better lef
, alone. They are utterly selfish am
unworthy the consideration of a goo,
To return to your own case NJ /
c., you seem to be highly intelligen
young woman who must be unusuall
1 capable to do the work you describe
| should regard the gay Lothario VIII
takes his wife to the theater.. an
makes love to you in between while
as a joke. Try to see the humor o
| him and that will cure you. In tn
| meantime. I'd get another job and II