The Washington times., 1934-01-20
By ERNEST JEROME HOPKINS.

Distinguished Writer on Social and Legal Questions
sHyndncs mo
IN breach Of promise suit Of no particular
eminence, the girl who had been going around
with her boss and who now was suing him
FOR fancy sum produced some letters he had
written to her. The letters said how wonderful
9he was and all that, and how he looked forward
10 the day when they would be one and so forth
and 80 on The usual letters.
bell"
8 That was her pet name for him during their
affair undoubtedly. Girls have queer way of
attaching pet names to dignified males whose
armor of dignity they pierce in the lists of love.
The next time you see particularly upstage and
Unbending individual. of ancient ancestry and
>Gwesome personal grandeur, just find out
whether some female is calling him Mickey
Mouse" or "Datsy Dodo" before you scrape the
skin on your forehead
AND men, thinking these pet names are cute,
pick them up and sign them. "Dumb-bell" was
the perfect nickname OF course the psychology
of it was entirely simple. She had called him
that playfully, it had somehow stuck, and when
he wrote to her in genial vein he naturally signed
the name he was called by. Just in that way,
mi1ionaireS and doctors and Statesmen and-yeS
RnlS and signed them "Chumps" or Petty" or
sS'NooZlums" or Bear" And "Iover, boy"
end Daddy" are commonplace.
Presumably this intimate custom isn't going
10 stop. The weighty mailsack under which the
pUstan Staggers is filled in fairly equal propor-
Gon with petname letters, circulars and duns
Some-nnost-of the pet-name letters are safe
The recipient ladies are already married to the
men or will be- or else they'll honestly return
the letters when the romance is over But the
Eemaining fraction of loye-notes-and it's con-
Nderable--all ought to be signed "Dumb-bell''
g. For the pet-name letter is legal evidence Of
NE kind that makes lawyers eyes flame with
pure joy, and gladdens the simple heart Of the
practical minded girl with an eye to her financial
future. Let pretty plaintiff come into court
with love-lOrn expression on her face and
petname letter in her hand, and jurors will leap
to the task Of making the affectionate gentleman
pay for his fun in good, red gold.
Petname letters have cost incredible sums to
American business men and their heirs
THEY have bred what good many thinkers
- are inclined to regard as q frst-class racket
the "heart-balm" farce.
They have impinged very Interestingly upon
contract as the foundation of society, sheds
peculiar significance almost Sanctity, upon the
pre-nuptial agreement too. whether it's in pet
name letter or formal announcement.
The law still protects that half-fOrgotten in
Stiution, the engagement.
PreSent-day custom has reduced the engage
ment to q very minor status The engagement,
with US today, is retrOgrade and almost van
tshing institution. Not so many years ago
within the memory of our parents-breaking an
engagement was almost as contrary to social
sanction. and created almost as much scandal
and StE, as divorce itself-more stir, consider
ably, than divorce creates today.
novel. "The Egoist, hinges upon the plight of an
English girl who wanted 70 break her engage.
ent, but was dannted hy the awanl social ;prnsss,