ABSTRACT
About a fortnight has elapsed since the Hon. Major Powys, secretary to the Central Association in Aid of the Wives, Families, Widows and Orphans, of Soldiers ordered to the East, attacked with abuse and insult all who, like ourselves, had ventured to think that a woman lawfully married to a soldier became his wife, whether recognized or not in that capacity by the authorities of his particular regiment. On Wed. morning the hon. secretary was compelled to do public penance for his misconduct by recording a conclusion of his own committee in direct opposition to the views he had maintained, and by apprising us for the information of the whole country, that “the rule” for which he claimed such absolute deference had been “expunged from the standing orders of the association.” The principle, therefore, for which he so unbecomingly contended, has now been given up as untenable and the purport of the conclusion, indeed, is such that either the Major’s opinions and language were utterly unjustifiable from the beginning, or else every member of that committee under which he serves is now chargeable with the same “encouragement of perjury and falsehood” which he imputes to others. His own superiors have now done, and have directed him to put on record, exactly what he assailed the Rev. Mr. Newland for suggesting. With a recantation so unqualified we may well be content, and leave Major Powys to those reflections which a review of the past will suggest to him. If we add a word or two of further comment, it is not any spirit of vindictiveness, but for the sake merely of giving some instructive elucidation to the question which has been raised.
