Bob Glaze, age 14, of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, for his question:

WHAT IS A BREACH OF PROMISE?

A court of law cannot force two people to carry out a contract in which they had agreed to get married. But the court can allow an action for damages against a person who refuses to carry out the marriage contract without adequate reason. This would be called a breach of promise action.

Most suits for breach of promise have been brought by women, but some actions have been brought by men. The injured person receives payment for such matters as mental suffering, injury to affections and loss of social standing.

Sometimes the court punishes the defendant by making him pay more than the actual damages.

Breach of promise suits sometimes have been used by scheming persons to obtain money. As a result, about one third of the states in the United States have passed statutes entirely abolishing the breach of promise action.