TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7741, 22 December 1890, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

A proposal recently made in the House «t Commons to abolish actioae for breX* promise of marriage, has led to able controversy at Home, and the 2S[ eetion of a good deal of information about such euita. We, J] not venture to decide the delicate qnertfo* as to whether they ought to be aJS but we may reproduce come of abcfot their origin and so forth, \<ft| which our English have been edifying their readers, %* firet action of the kind on tmjl was brought in the reign of Q n^tt JJJ both, so that the institution is adr'tfoft .three > hundred y<iara;el4i It Wu* deprived in later- o f one wfte! terrible feature from the point of. view. He knowe that the ant that can happen to him now is that ]j 9 may have to pay a certain sum ot tamtj as a solatium to the lady for; Hβ Is, conduct. Formerly, however, thei Ufa might sue for what ia called "epeciifo performance." That is, air the £ail v tf m puts it, the faithless swain wnjM.bsiaioa into th# Eoclesiostical Court,- tkixf&Q thence to the place of execution «t tb altar rail.

It will be seen that we refer fo,iks'«eMos for breaoh of promise of raarriage if were exclusively a feminine lo*ijus,? It lfa do bo advisedly. No doubt legally a Baa may bring an action for breaoh oi pWmtiS, and there have been persons of £te ju^ 3 sex who have been so iltadvised tie to teiag such suits. We never knew an however, ia which they, did, pot 11% to regret it. Even when thoy h»re got & verdict it has usually beea for aguamod exceeding one ahilling, mi hm km acoompanied by an amouutof.'rld^otefq; which five thousand pounds woaldf^ , barely an adequate cotnjpengatloo, ',;

Amidst the controversy which" fe going' 6& at to the advis&bleness or otiienrie* el abolishing breach of promise o&s&t ft |« not. surprising to learn tUafc the $$• corporated Law Bocioty, ia &atm&l mtfy ing assembled at Nottingham, hftfe solemnly passed &nh abolition. The lawyers have a good deal to gain And nothing to lose by a coatinuance of the present law.. It.(is * remarkable, fact ttuft daring 1 t&a i3w hundred years each snits bare to the law, there hae act feeea a OW$9 instance recorded of auok aoftotloa WW been successfully brought a&cainflb aawajber of the Bar. About solicitors, perhaps a mote susceptible race, tftt authorities aro not quit® w> dcs?. t ,s i& admitted that there may have beea am or two instances of a aolMtbt ftjplikfcifc t» defendant in a case where it weald w* far more profitable and egree#? _'l<f him to. be engaged ia # briefa. They have also bees* «\Wf in other ways.' For fe ; « cose printed by an English eontenipowtfj of m elderly lady whp coiled ia,» tmmawied solicitor to drew ap awlil,ia whioh she left a handsome property to Iss niece. " The solicifcor atterwards ftafetd to the niece, aad was bo happy » accepted; hub on the decease <&<W venerable aunt he discoveredi ««*_*• had no property to leave," It ty ; 1 9 oonfese, to us very touching to m yonthfol confidence abused Ifl tMe bub no donbt Ahere are client* «* prayed enough to sea food for t&iltk m thie melancholy recitaJ. Stai ot«,,?« solicitors, we believe, are qoite pj# 3 to tale the risks of themeelve* 6|«»»f ac defendants in euch eu*! ' sorrowfnUy admit the «»» of their number lapsing; into thie IneeJable display of wealowee, bui> a» *«»1 they have bright hope* to the diwea«J coats. On the whole, they are p»p«W* to vote for the continuance of tJ^pw** 8 *

Thh arguments brought forwardJ>y»* would-He rtditfonista aw am 4 •" rather amusing.' For instance ft »•»•• mi m> ** to* VW m ""SluS. stress eeems to- be laul-toats sent law tends to frighten aw «T of the. marriage market. *» .VjJ" fear of committing themselves they put from themselves the F***" I**1** of jr*r proposing at aIL ***£" Dodd, speaking at the meeting of mw**Z at Nottingham, declared that k« *«£ quainted with one gentleman, a ***£* of good means who," white not jBjJJJ to marry, is determined to {6 . alteration in the law." Iα tho «f»rr hie Bosaeptible temperament occastonally into giving mtoim W [*?L. of Hβ acquaintance, bufe ho the precaution of haying &® wwrf [ . ont prejudice" engraved on the point that occurs to «s i» /"Ltf persons of this cautioae, ane «~ disposrition wouia get; iW* no matter what the etate of the Bβ. to propose they wotdd be ■«•* away in a pan* on the morniagj *™ wedding if !■*■«»£ frightening men out ofi the miket, ought anyone eke toca»pl^ sr

W* bare **m ■«*■•* ** the farore which has bee* **« certain circle* aft Homo b? omj Mattel and bis suppose* cures of aU *tfti of tec««bio deluding caucer. There long controversy on the eabject.» AM *** «nd Mr »«JjJJ tobkve Btarted for Italy in «*«**•% tbie new it* tbe view of Moath?' in the - Boview of the meantime, the W** *PT?i * analyeifl of three of the "J&W*

by Dr. tbe Paddington public analyst, Three Steieitaßlanca/' -Stettricita V«rd*,« •Slettricftallo3Sft. w ThewuUysis in each -sa wee practically the same as in the <JtteM,«> tre need only give one. The -mJyef, in his report, says:— «Tofiadif th«y possessed any special .Metrical properties they were placed thin class tubes; these tubes ffSiospendedbysilk filament*. Under ISh circumstances an electrical body !)nald point, one end to the north and the etfcer end to the south. Not one of these «ame to rest in each a position; neither ■ mxc «ny of them attracted by a magnet, TaTgai electrical body would be. Hence, tter certainly are not electrical. To locate test-paper they were perfectly neutral. Vegetable extracts are usually either alkaline or acid; even if neutral When fresh, they speedily change. They wj the following characters: —Colour, none- odour, none; taste, none; polarity, •one- specific gravity (distilled water=l), 1.0006; K>W d niatter in 100 parts, 0.01; ♦uetale> none; alkaloids, none. The '"SHCroseope showed an absence of any floatingparticles or sediments such as are usually presented in vegetable extracts. There ia but one substance which possesses M the above qualities—that is, water. Hone of these fluids differ at all from jMter in any of their properties."

Ift fc pretty evident therefore that if there rjt anything in the Mattoi treatment at all fSlsonly aaother cade of faith cure. \