THE ETHICS OF BREAKING AN ENGAGEMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 81, 1 May 1909, Page 3

THE ETHICS OF BREAKING AN ENGAGEMENT

LOVELESS MARRIAGES AND DIVORCE.

JUDGE'S PHILOSOPHY. London, March. 8. Mr. Justice Darling yesterday commended the conduct 01 Mr. William Michael Curtain, a telegraphist, of Earlstreet Buildings, Baker-street, who broke off His engagement to Miss Theresa Beatrice Swan, a Streatliam milliner, because he had ceased to love her. ; "He acted honestly," the judge stated. "If these young people had married it might have been another case for the Divorce Court the natural result of people marrying when they do not care for one another." Mr. Curtain was in doubt at an early date regarding his feelings, for soon after the engagement in 1907 he wrote as follows to Miss Swan: "You know I have never doubted your love for me, but I did doubt my love for you. Thank goodness. I have no reason to do such a thing now." He wrote to Miss Swan's father asking him to .sanction the engagement, and received a favorable reply. "Ti you can each give and take you will be happy," Mr. Swan wrote. "Married life is happy or miserable as we like to make it" TRYING TO SMOOTH MATTERS

OVER. * J Some time afterwards Miss SVan com-1 plained of -Mr. Curtain's atti«\de, and ashed him -whether he wished the en-| gagement to continue. He replied that he did not. Mr. Swan tried to smooth matters over, but Mr. Curtain replied to him in the following letter:— ] "I know now it was not right of me not to have told Tissie before, but I feel that [ don't love her as 1 used to. I have felt like this before, Iml f thought it was only a passing fancy, so I said nothing about it, but it has not left me. "Tissie is of a jealous nature, so that if I speak t« somoir.ie ei-c there are tears anil pouting for dn,\ s. Some of my friends are afraid to spealj to me, in case there is a squabble. "I told her it would lie much better to break it otf instead of keeping on as we arc. as the longer we keep on the more painful it would be at parting.'' Miss Swan gave evidence in support of her case.

"Were you still ready to marry liim, although "lie said he did not care ahout you'.'" the judge asked. "No—not exactly," she answered. A letter which she wrote to Mr. Curtain'* mother was read. In this she said:

'•He has spent hours telling me falsehoods ahout hi« love for me, a"d now lie turns round and says he cannot love me. He does not know his own mind. That is the fact of th { . matter. "Hi: has wasted my life. I have done all i could for him, and sympathised with him when he has not been well, and this is how he has treated me." The jury awarded Mists Swan :C2o damages.