MORAL IMMORALITY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 8034, 23 April 1888, Page 3

MORAL IMMORALITY.

(Glasgow Herald.)

It is impossible to see how the world could get on withontits animals,, especially its men and women. Without them there

might bo piercing wit with tragedy, but there could lie no genial humor, with the smiles of comedy or the laughters of farce. Man alone is capable of laughter, the laughing hyena being a myth. Even the Eve-like chimpanzee and the Adam-like gorilla have no jot of humor in them, and could not for any money have got up

between them so exquisite a piece of comedy as that which was recently reported under the heading of " A Remarkable Divorce Case." liemarkable ! Why, it was excruciating, and excelled the solemnities of pantomime. We owe the

parties a vote of thanks for having done their best to enrich our experience with something like a new wrinkle. The early stages of the. story are simple, if not indeed idyllic and pastoral. It was at the beginning of 1871 that Joseph Millisan, imison, Lauriston, Kirkcudbrightshire,

married the gentle Jane Bone, who became bone of his bone, and ilesh of his flesh.

It was a happy union. It was in fact a case of "Joseph.? Jane and Jane's Joseph," and they lived amicably together at Lauriston till the present year. All the years were sweet, with no cloud so

big as a baby's hand to darken the sky or foretell the tempest. Rut fate will have its rights. Last year there came to live witli Joseph and Jane the inevitable lodger, predestined, like Lucifer, to make

the monkeys chatter in paradise. This intruder's name was " M'lntosh, a perfectly steady and resu.6t&'ible man," and evidently pious and getrt.'jT Joseph had no reason

:o suspect him with Jane,

Of course not

-the confidiiiff Joseph. Vet this new Lucifer had cast his fascinating eye upon the gentle Jane, while ."lie, poor wretch, succumbed to the magic of Lucifer. At length a day came when

Joseph came home and found no Jane. She had gone off with Lucifer M'lntosh to Liverpool, and then to Glasgow, from which city (he innocent Jane wrote to

(ho simple Joseph to comfort his heart with the information that she was "safe anil well " arid adding that it was not without due consideration that sho had "taken that stop." Joseph fourtd his peculiar spouse in Glasgow, and like au

iresenting and inilisciiminatins; husband

he offered to take her back. Hut having an inadequate sense of her guilt, she refused to return to bar legitimate home. At this point begins the exquisite comedy of the story. Jane and Jjiicifer wrote letters to Joseph, who must have been, or rather would liMvebeen, rather astonished at the tone of his enemy's epistle, bad he mot been the perfection of simplicity. To a spectator it i.» charming. Considering' all that had happened, Lucifer, declared " lie could not but write to Joseph, in deep sympathy and .sincere gratitude." After the word "gratitude" it is not wonderful that the cool scamp should drag the name of (!od into the comedy. " God

knows " what trouble the pair had had to undergo as their love for each other increased, and until ultimately both of them felt that "separation was impossible." IFow hard the situation must have been ! and bow appropriate it was that Lucifer M'lntosh should address the wronged husband ns " Dear Joe," and ask what he could have done under the circumstances but carry

off Jane, whom he loved to distraction, as she loved him. "(Jod knows how I suffered !" No'doubt his agony must have

teen great in having his love gratified,

Then how honest he was ! lie actually admitted that it was a .serious thing "the breaking-up of a married life." But, then, there was .something more important, and that was " to sacrifice her noble and precious life," the meaning being that she would have died had she not been carried oil' by the man who was not her husband. lint Lucifer had a tender heart, and "I finally," he said, "came

o consider that 1 would have less sin

to answer for by rendering to her the happiness which it was the powerful desire of her soul to possess, than to leave bur distressed, di-tracted, iind dead to the world." We gather from these beautiful words that this man, this Lucifer M'ln-

rish, found it to be his religious duty to ■e«cuo this suffering daughter of Eve from lie perdition of an honest like. Never

icforu has the moral duty of immorality

teen laid so irresistibly before the world is in this precious ease. The marvel to

us is tliat Jowph didn't sue it, nnd that lie should jiut himself to the trouble of proving in the Court of Session that Jane Done was no hone of his hone, but hud ;it last f Ol feited his long enduring affections. Having gained the jewel of treedoiii, it is to be hoped that Joseph won't a second time cast it before an inferior animal.

1885."