11 MAY 1889, Page 3

The Bill legalising marriage with a deceased wife's sister was

again defeated in the Lords on Thursday, by the unusually heavy majority of 147 to 120. No new arguments were pro- duced or producible, but Lord Herschell, in speaking for the Bill, quoted a letter from an American, who in three humorous lines disposes of one constant argument against the Bill, the argument, namely, that if it passed, all men would at once begin courting their wives' sisters. "I cannot," writes the American, "understand you English. From the language you use, one might infer that the husband had married the wrong sister first." We note with interest that Lord Grim- thorpe, who on many points represents the feeling of the Evangelical party, spoke with his accustomed clearness and acerbity for the Bill.