Show I v THK OGDE1V STANDARD EXAMINE R-r-SU- MORNING TANTTAPV g l9S5 NDAY i L Madelin Blitzstein - HILE poets and sonz-writhave penned many a romantic verse celebrating the changeable-nes- s of the feminine mind how modern sophisticated man of th world react to this ancient female prerogative? Does he too concede to woman the right to say "yes" at one moment and "no" the next or does he rail against this habit and demand that she become what he considers a rational being? Does the woman of today scorn the fickleness for which her grandmothers were famous or does she too follow in the footsteps of history as a legitimate daughter of Eve and reserve the right to change her mind as nonchalantly as she does the fashion of her hair-dre- ss or the color of her nailpolish? Strange as it may seem the very latest verdict on feminine capriciousness has been handed down by no less dignified a male than the learned Judge Eugene O'Dunne who presides over Circuit Court No 2 in Baltimore Md And stranger still this worthy gentleman of the law has decided that there are no limitations legal or human on the right of the female to change her mind at any time on any subject since "decisions dissecting ihe feminine mind soul and body and their several requirements are at best mere man-malaws and law is never accepted as binding on the female of the species (at least by her) What is more no less a personality than A P Herbert the noted English wit novelist student of jurisprudence and indefatigable crusader for saner divorce laws has seen fit to praise the literary as well as the judicial talents of the American judge in the columns of Punch London's humorous weekly en The learned judge who permitted Virginia Thompson the Annapolis color girl " to annul hssr marriage admitted there was no human or legal curb whatsoever on the fair sex's traditional fickleness - W"-'- v vc'v SC" fc''-- X ! Miss Virginia Thompson ihe former Annapolis "col- The bride was a very fair young damsel the or girl" rho no sooner got married than she asfed for an annulment 2 year-old Rltimore Virginia Classen Thompson of who had been selected as "color girl" for the Annapolis Naval Academy exercises in the spring of 1933 by Midshipman Ernest Lee Jahncke son of Ernest Le Jahncke former Assistant Secretary of the Navy And the groom was the John Bradon Bronner also of Baltimore an empUyee of a filling station It seems according to the wa the judge himself jells the story in his brewy Kscussion of the case that Virginia Thompson only a few hmus before her marriage "had decided not to be married if the term 'decided' may ever be used with legal exactitude as applicable to any act of the adorable sex" The afternoon of her wedding she went to a cocktail party (in November l933 "under legalized Prohibition") at one ef the "many informal dispensaries on Biddle Street" 24-year-- TTO the party came j0!8 romance of a wedding is going to make us old R Howard Bland Jr fair and charaifflg bride' whom Judge O Dunne describes as "most refreshing not only in appearance but in the simple straightforward candor of their testimony" when they later told him the events of the day When they arrived at the party they said to Vir- ginia : "Now if you and John are going to get married why we think that is swell and if you are then talk quickly and get going If you are not to marry say so as we have a bowling engagement shortly and nothing less than the I III ! IW 1 I kKSKKtffl "HI m nil rfffnirm u uu f Vj UJC h UCUf any tj sense of responsibility w I and more — ' oreaK it followed "another chapter of feminine inde- cieion during which the wedding was on and ofl more than once" according to the judge's rep rt until finally in answer to Bland's "Virginia let's get set either there is to be a wedding or a bowling match" the License Bureau was caHed and found to be still at 6:30 P M "on account of a murder" open The license clerk who knew they were in Baltimore told them he Would give them a half hour to put in an appearance at his ofnee m Ellicott City Md 10 continue m the judges words: 'Into their roadster hopped R Howard Bland Jr and his sweet bride Into a roadster climbed Virginia and John Safe to assume they broke the speed-lim- it and ran the red lights and in less than one-ha- lf hour the romanticists stood before Cupid's clerk with a dollar down and no interest or other installments to pay "Presumably the usual question was put by the hcensejclerk: Tor dog or woman?— (same They unwisely chose woman Running true to feminine form as soon as Miss entirely Virginia got what she thoughttlshe wanted she Wanted h ' " and she said 'What should I do? I don't want to go through with T i?? it - good ordained sportsmanship otherwise and they got the license They then went to an Episcopal Minister he told them that three days must elapse between the j license and the ceremony according to his church but he added as Judge O'Dunne pointed out "Yonder is the home 'of a Prshvfrian minister not bound by such stricture ae to three days' delay If I refuse -- to marry you for that reason would you go to him and get married in any event?" Again Virginia's sporting blood made her bravely answer yes and then the minister replied: "In that case I'wohM not want to be the humble instrument in the hands of inscrutable Providence in driving out of the Episcopal Church (and into another) two good members of this faith therefore in such case I think I ought to marry you" And he did not wifhnuf £rt as Judge O'Dunne in all fairness records trying and failing to get a "dispensation" irom his bishop by calling him on th telephone because "the line (not f bishops but of telephone servir0 wa AA w"VVlrgmia Classen Thompson became Mrs John B Bronner in the eyes of the law and th state but in her own heart she remained Miss Ihompson for no sooner did shej discover that she was really a bride than she wanted to undo what she had so redone cently The groom acquiesced in her desire and they took their plea for an annulment to court where fortunately for Miss Thompson A f it fell into the hands of Judge suggestion of inebriety of either party to the TWHEN the first inklings ©f this romantic proceedings or by any of their friends but comedy of marriage crossed the Atlantic mere human nature knowledge tells me that Ocean they interested Novelist A P Herbert neither good nor bad gin— and there was ' none " vastly in November 1933 and I have seen lit good Herbert who took first class in jurisprudence tle since — sobers the thought rxr :or at Oxford in 1914 and has been writing for a serious and deliberate judgment of a high order quarter of a century compliments but serves rather to befoggle thought and stimu O Dunne on his wisdom and humanity asJudge well late indecision of the feminine as on his literary skill mind never in need of such He writes that the words ' stimulant about woman's habit of chang"Has any man ever been born her mind "proceeding from ing 1 who could interpret the female any Bench might well have heart ? Decisions dissecting the Si started a nation-wid-e IP feminine mind soul and body breaking up of homes" but he hastens to and their several requirements add that since they were bound are mere man-mad- e laws and up with an excellent judgment law is never accepted as binding they could do only good on the female of the species And he says that in his opinion the "What are the limitations if bride had not as she put it any legal or human on the her "changed mind" but had of the female to change her right as a matter of fact "never made mind at any time on any subject it up at all" she as would her dress or perHerbert declares that the fume? There is none Woman judge tells the story with a may change her mind with ulter breezy humanity which he comdisregard of consequences withmends to the High Court he out any sense of responsibility likes the kindly way in which he either to God Jaw or man and the decision before sailing wrote more especially in all affairs of Herbert British for Paris m order to give the ronovelist uho found the heart mantic litigants a peaceful sumJudge O'Dunne's' rul"Even the day after the sane mer and he adds that Judge ing stimulating and tion or the religious ceremonv it ' sensible O'Dunne has shown himself is still not too late for the fern master of life and of literature inine mind to exercise this ancient in this report prerogative of the Daughters of Herbert emphasizes time and again the "atEve to change her mind" tractive brightness" of Judge O'Dunne's opin1 Toward the end of his opinion and then concludes: "You reader X who the learned judge reion are accustomed to deride American customs marks: "The cynics may sneer not miss moral of this story in pray and think the judicial life itself which it is not too easy divorce but too easy too cloistered fully to compremarriage that causes all the trouble" hend human nature in the makBut even if A P Herbert wants especially ing Perhaps the onlv answer to point put that hasty marriages cause harm worth while giving them is that while easy divorce makes people Eugene O'Dunne happier the ' for I l am sailing Pans and still fact remains that the breezy tale which 1 L ' t may oToaaen my Jcuitur in A FTER having heard all the Judge O'Dunne told so well did all spring out that line during the summer of the inability of woman to make facts and spoken with the up her mind concludes He by For granting as O'Dunne said dissecting a principal romanticists Judge Judge an annulment and declaring that woman's mind is a great question "one that is O'Dunne sat down to write his i he based his opinion on the fact as old as the history of the human race and so f 4 opinion With the decree anii that there was "lack a of delicate that a mere man whether nulling the marriage Judge layman or tal consent of Virginia ThpmpO'Dunne attached a judge may well approach it with feelings of son tKe fair plaintiff (and she utter helplessness" And Judge O'Dunne rememo closely written in longbe must fair for she sewas hand on hotel stationery alizing that when a woman changes her mind lected color "at the Naval she girl' will not listen to a contrary law In his memo the judge progranted " and this that lack Academy) ceeded to reason out the case Virginia C Thompson her annulment because Judge Eugene O'Dunne of mental consent was "too tvho found no limits to he believed it was the thing that would make to a conclusion He writes: subtle woman's for to right her (and incidentally her husband) much hapordinary changt "There is in this case nn her mind pier than the wedded state could Copyrl£ht H35 by EvryWeek Maeazlne) 14-pa- -- mU J AP ge mmmm iiciiiniiiiiiiiiiiiijiiiiiiiiiini!!!! r TTOWEVER 'THE 1 -- I eSbeCiallM s party ! 'Woman may change her mind with utter disregard of conseauuices without de present discussion about the "ancient prerogative of a daughter of Fvc in change her mind as she would her dress or th brand of her perfume" grows out of a marriage which took place in Ellkott City Maryland in November 1933 after an admitted cocktail Hill I iiiii- i- "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIQIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHI -- 'nilllllllllllillllllllllfliliHH " |