Some of the most effective and eloquent8 homilies I have ever listened to have been delivered from the bench upon youthful and thriftless marriages, and upon the folly9 of obtaining household goods by the hire-purchase system.
In spite, however, of the well-known results of such marriages—for squalor and misery10 inevitably11 attend them—educated gentlemen of position and experience appear to take pleasure in arranging them, and Police-Court Missionaries12 find occupation and joy in seeing the arrangements duly carried out.
[Pg 66]
The altogether unwholesome effect of arranging these marriages is considerably13 enhanced by the press, which duly chronicles in heavy type and sensational14 headings a "Police-Court Romance."
Romance! I would like to find the romance. I have seen much of the results of such marriages, but I never discovered any romance; they were anything but romantic. While I have seen the results, and have had to alleviate15 some of the miseries16 following such marriages, I am thankful to say that I never did anything quite so foolish as to take part in arranging or giving any assistance in carrying out the arrangements for a single marriage of this description.
Many years ago I was asked by a worthy17 magistrate1 to see that the arrangements for a marriage of this kind were duly carried out; I told him that I must respectfully decline.
He reminded me, with a humorous twinkle in the eye, "that marriages were made in heaven." The reply was obvious: "Sometimes in hell, your Worship." And the sequel proved my reply to be true. Magistrates seldom see the after-results, but those results are far-reaching. From this one case alone grievous burdens have already been cast upon the public, and future generations will be called upon to bear an aggravated18 burden. For in a short time the couple were homeless, with three young children, and were found sleeping, or trying to sleep, in a van one winter's night.
It requires no prophetical vision to see the consequences of these marriages, but a few instances may stimulate19 imagination.
Three years ago a decent-looking young woman[Pg 67] of twenty was charged in one of our courts with abandoning her illegitimate child. She was young, pretty, and told a sad tale about her wrongs.
The press account of the matter appeared with such embellishment as befitted a "romance," for a young man had risen in court and offered to marry the girl, and make her into an "honest woman." Now, this chivalrous20 young man had not seen the girl previously—they were complete strangers; nevertheless, the magistrate adjourned21 the case, and offered a sovereign towards the wedding expenses. The hero in this business—the chivalrous young man!—was penniless and out of work; in fact, if he himself spoke22 truly, he had done no work for a year; but, seeing publicity23 had been gained and interest excited, he wrote a letter to the press, asking the public to supplement the magistrate's contribution, and supply him with funds to furnish a home for himself and future wife His letter was not published, but it was sent in to me by the editor, for I had written to the press on the subject.
I have said that he was out of work, and certainly he was likely to remain out of work, for he was one of the audience to be seen regularly at the police-court, many of whom never seem to seek for work. I have no hesitation24 in saying that the man who comes forward in a police-court and offers to marry a young woman to whom he is a complete stranger, and who is, moreover, charged with serious crime, is either a fool or a rogue—probably both.
Why magistrates should smile on these impromptu25 proposals, and order remands that the[Pg 68] consummation may take place, I cannot possibly understand. If I were a magistrate and a fellow came forward with a like proposal, I would order him out of court; in fact, I should experience some pleasure in kicking him out. But in this case the magistrate gave a fatherly benediction26 and twenty shillings. The missionary27, too, was by no means out of it, for he afterwards took some credit for this sorry business.
The true story of the girl came out afterwards. It was not one to excite pity, for it was a shameful28 one to a degree. But morbid29, and I think I may say maudlin30, sympathy is one of the prevailing31 evils of the day, and is not founded in real pity or love, or controlled by common-sense or by the least discretion32, as the following will show:
The case of a young woman in whom I was interested was placed before the public as a "romance," and consequently well advertised. She was by no means a desirable person; as a matter of fact, there was nothing to be said in her favour. The untrue statement she made before the magistrate was, however, duly circulated. In a few days I received a large number of letters, many of them from men with proposals of marriage. I did the best thing possible by burning the latter, with one exception, for this interested me, as it contained a membership ticket of a religious society.
The writer told me that he was a God-fearing man, a Church member for many years, a carpenter in business on his own account, a widower33 with several children; that he had prayed over the matter, and it was laid upon his conscience that he must marry the young woman and save[Pg 69] her. He also enclosed a postal34 order for 10s., and asked me to pay her rail-fare and send him a telegram. I returned his membership ticket, his letter, and his postal order, and some words of my own—brief and pointed35:
"Sir,
"You may be a well-meaning man, but you are an ass5. What right have you to submit your children to the care of an abandoned woman? Marry some decent woman you are acquainted with, and save them and yourself.
"Yours truly,
"T. Holmes."
Quite recently a Police-Court Missionary told us through the press that he had arranged seventy such weddings, that he raised ￡200 to give the various couples a start in life, many of whom were so poor that he loaned them a wedding-ring for the ceremony, as he always kept one by him for emergencies. Yet he assured us, in spite of the poverty of the persons concerned, and notwithstanding the disgraceful circumstances that had brought them within his province, all these marriages had turned out happily. I sincerely wish that I could believe in the happiness of couples of this description, married under such circumstances, but I cannot, for my experience of them has been so very different. Indeed, I was not surprised to read an account in the press of the trial of a young man for the murder of his wife, when the wife's mother stated that the marriage had been arranged by a Police-Court Missionary.
[Pg 70]
When I reflect upon this subject, I must confess myself astonished that our Bishops37 and clergy38, who insist so strongly on the sacredness of marriage and of its indissolubility, are silent upon the matter, and have no advice to give to their representatives upon it.
Especially am I surprised that our good Bishop36 of London, who is conversant39 with every phase of London life, and who has spoken so fearlessly upon the extent and evils of immorality41, is silent on police-court marriages and police-court separations; for these marriages are none the less immoral40 though they be legalized by the State and blessed by the Church, and the evils of them will not bear recapitulation. On divorce our leaders have much to say; on marriage with deceased wives' sisters they have advice to give. Are the poor to have no guidance? Are penniless, ignorant, and often gross young people to be engineered into promiscuous42 marriage without a protest? Is the widespread evil that attaches to wholesale43 "separation" of no consequence? Are these and suchlike arrangements good enough for the poor?
But there is another light in which these engineered marriages must be considered. Not very long since one of our judges had before him a young man charged with the attempted murder of the girl with whom he had kept company. His jealousy44 and brutality45 had alarmed her, so she had given him up. But he was not to be got rid of so easily, for he waylaid46 her and attempted to murder her by cutting her throat. He was charged, but the charge was reduced to one of grievous bodily harm. At the trial the young[Pg 71] woman was asked by the judge whether she would consent to marry the prisoner, adding that if she would consent it would make a difference in the sentence imposed. The matter was adjourned to the next session, the prisoner being allowed his liberty that the marriage might be effected. During the adjournment47 they were married, and when next before the magistrate the marriage certificate was produced. She saved the man from prison, and the judge bestowed48 his benediction in the following words: "Take her away" (as if, forsooth, she had been the prisoner) "and be good to her. You have assaulted her before: don't do it again"—thus giving him every opportunity of doing at his leisure what he had barely failed to do in his haste. I ask, Is not a procedure of this kind a grave misuse49 of the power of the courts? Is there any justice about it? Is it fair to place on a young and inexperienced girl the onus50 of deciding whether or not her would-be murderer shall be punished? Is there any sense of propriety51 in holding a half-veiled threat over her, and inducing her, against her better judgment52, to marry a jealous and murderous brute53? I can find no satisfactory answers to these questions, and contend such proceedings ought to be impossible in our courts of justice.
If our penal administrators54 think that brutality, jealousy, and murderous instincts can be cured by matrimonial ties, especially when these ties are forged and riveted55 under such circumstances, then their knowledge of human nature is small indeed.
The jealous brute when single is in all conscience bad enough, but when married he is [Pg 72]infinitely worse; for with him jealousy becomes an absolute mania56, and tragedy is almost inevitable57. It must not be understood that all magistrates and judges bring pressure to bear on wretched or sinning couples for the purpose of compelling matrimony, for this is not the case. We have need to be thankful that comparatively few do so. But there is enough of this business done to warrant my calling attention to it, and in expressing the hope that "romance" of this kind may speedily die a death from which there is no resurrection. It may be that among the long list of sordid58 cases that come before the courts there are some in which marriage seems the best way out of the tangle59, financial or otherwise. Sometimes, perhaps, it is the only honourable60 course, especially where the mother of a child is desirous of it. But it must be remembered that in these cases the parties have had plenty of opportunity for marriage previous to appearing before the court, and would have like opportunities after going from the court, without magistrates intervening.
But it becomes a public matter when judges or magistrates use their positions and the power of the law to compel young people, sometimes mere61 boys and girls, to marry.
Better a thousand times that many should bear the ills and sorrows that they have, and go through life with the shadow of disgrace over them, rather than take as partners those that have been either forced by circumstances or terrorized by representatives of the law into the unhappy position.
It may seem strange that, while some of our[Pg 73] judges, magistrates, and missionaries betray anxiety to hurry on these indecent marriages, and to coerce62 penniless young people into them, the State should find ready means for undoing63 them. It is no uncommon64 thing for very young women who have been married but a few months to apply for separation orders and maintenance orders. I may add also that it is no uncommon thing for magistrates to grant them. The extent to which separation prevails may be gathered from the fact that under the Summary Jurisdiction65 (Married Women) Act, 1895, there have been granted up to the end of 1906 (the latest date for which statistics are available) 72,537 separation orders; and, assuming the average for the years 1902 to 1906 to be maintained, up to the end of 1907 there would have to be added a further 1,048 separation orders, making a total since the Act came into force of 79,583 such orders.
Surely these figures ought to compel serious thought.
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1
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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penal
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| adj.刑罚的；刑法上的 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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malign
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| adj.有害的；恶性的；恶意的；v.诽谤，诬蔑 | |
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reincarnated
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| v.赋予新形体，使转世化身( reincarnate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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13
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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alleviate
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| v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等) | |
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miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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aggravated
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| 使恶化( aggravate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使更严重； 激怒； 使恼火 | |
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stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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impromptu
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| adj.即席的，即兴的；adv.即兴的(地)，无准备的(地) | |
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benediction
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| n.祝福；恩赐 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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maudlin
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| adj.感情脆弱的，爱哭的 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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widower
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| n.鳏夫 | |
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postal
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| adj.邮政的，邮局的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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conversant
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| adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的 | |
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immoral
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| adj.不道德的，淫荡的，荒淫的，有伤风化的 | |
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immorality
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| n. 不道德, 无道义 | |
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promiscuous
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| adj.杂乱的，随便的 | |
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wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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46
waylaid
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| v.拦截，拦路( waylay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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adjournment
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| 休会； 延期； 休会期； 休庭期 | |
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48
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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misuse
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| n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用 | |
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onus
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| n.负担；责任 | |
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51
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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52
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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administrators
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| n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师 | |
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riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂；躁狂症，狂热，癖好 | |
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57
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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61
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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coerce
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| v.强迫，压制 | |
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undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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jurisdiction
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| n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权 | |
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