COURT OF LOVE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3140, 23 October 1922, Page 8

COURT OF LOVE.

There has come into being at Hammondtown one of the strangest courts in all the world —the Court of Love. Men and women in search of mates may come, pour out the longings of the heart, and be succored. Before the Court are the qualifications and yearning of 100 bachelors and 1.100 spinsters, but the first day's work resulted in only five niatings. These, however. were shining examples of what may come. A man, 62 years of age, was mated with a gold star mother, 43 years of age; an undertaker was selected as a, husband for a muse; a coastguard was picked to become the protector and life companion of a fair divorcee; a, widow became the' helpmate of a painter; and last, but not least, a Kentucky bellea daughter of the mountains —was snatched up by Thos. Bancroft Deliver, founder of the Court. The Court of Love, be it known, is constituted much the same as any other court, having a presiding judge, or Cupid in this case, a woman, and a jury of seven, including the chici of police, a former soldier, a telegraphist, and four women.

The idea of the Court, so the story goes, was conceived over a plate oi hasli in the town restaurant by Delker aud Lewis Conley, Hammondton's leading cigar store proprietor. They organised the Lovers' Co-operative Union, which in turn produced the Love Court. The Court sat for the first time in one lonelv moving-picture house. Bleeding hearts, with blank arrows pierced through them, decorated the bench and: the iury box. The first audience was made up of twelve newspaper reporters, six photographers, and two boys. Delker opened the Court by reading a letter from the lonely Kentucky belle, and, after uoing over her qualifications, asked the jury to recommend himself, which it did. It was announced that ol the 1 UK) women who sought husbands the youngest was 18 and the oldest 69. lhe youngest male applicant was '_M and the oldest 79. The jurv deliberated some time in mating' the gold star mother, whose home in the Norwalk, Conn., and the 62-vedr-old man from Elmhuret, J\.\. They explained, in deciding m favor ot the'man. that he was well. preserved, had a. good job, and a healthy bank account. "He is much younger than his years." they reported. The five women whose cases were disposed of were notified that in -case tbeV were dissatisfied with the findings of the Court they had two weeks witliing which to file applications tor new hearings. ... i; 1. On the second day something like a Hcandal broke out in this strange Cupid's con itVeiled hints of jury tampering wero hotlv denied by Thomas Delker secretary' of the Co-operative Lovers Union. Delker who runs the show, was accused bv some of cupidity because lie was awarded the prize of the lot-Mai> Due, an IS-year-old beauty of old Ken"\lvl Helen Lour Rodgers. judge of the court, at the opening ruled that there would be no retrial ol the ease of Delker and the daughter ol Kentucky. "Whom the Co-operative hovers' 'Union has joined together, let no man put asunder." ruled Mrs Kodgers. It will be weeks, court attaches believe, before the entire 2000 are deposed of. , Convinced that his court has been a grand success, Thomas B. Delker announced that he would tour the country, holding court in various cities to mate the lonely souls seeking helpmates for life. Already Delker says' he has VOOO applications for an "appearance" in court, and he feels that as yet he has but scratched the surface of loneliness in the United States. Delker is determined to be to marriage what Will Hays is to the movies and Kenesaw Land is is to baseball—the grand arbiter. Delker avows he has a groat mission in life —the sneering bachelors of Hammonton say he means mischief.

Delker is to begin his tour of the country the coming week. He says there must be more of wedded bliss, or .it: leas! of wedded life, in thi« land. Delker is to be ;i sort of itinerant clearing house for posterity. He claims that ninny will rise up and call him blessed. The first "court" of Delker's tour will be held at Camden. N..L. when be will attempt to mate the applicants in that vicinity. His next try-out will be at Atlantic' City. He feels that the matin-; there should lie particularly good. From Atlantic City Ibe love, salesman' will trek to New York. Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago. SI. Louis, Denver. San Francisco, Los Angeles. Xcu Orleans. Birmingham, Atalauta and other large centres. Under the Deliver plan each appli-

- cunt fur husband or wife must (ill out a question form .mil lie card-in-dosed. When the question lorms are. Imiled down the mating season is on. Women whoso n<j;o. religions views, likes mid dislikes, seem to agree with those of some likely gentlemen, are notified that selections have been made for them. It is up to the woman to look up the references which have keen sent in. Delker wants everyone to he satisfied with Ins “goods, andt believe* that personal investigation is hotter than any other method. When the woman applicant finds a 'reference satisfactory the man in the case is notified. The woman then still lias a chance to withdraw, hot (me man hasn't. If the man and woman fail to soil each other and arc not married, new prospects are selected loi them after a lapse ol six months. Delker has worked night and day on his plan. He has lost nmch sleep, and hasn’t shaved in seven days, looking more like an embryo Ivris lviingle than a rosv-eheeked Dan Cupid. Uni he is filled with an absorbing happiness. And he is very much in earnest.