Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-12-20
EVENING STAR.
POPPING TIE QUESTION.

"Faint heart" says the adage never wor
fair ladye." l know not who IL was that gave
birth to this " wise saw''-whether il is TO bt
found In Homer, as some say all things may
lit is long time since We read Homer)-ol
whether some gallant son OF Mars introduced
it to the world by way Of forwarding the views
Of himself and comrades But this know
that whoever the person may be, he has much
to answer for to the ladies for sub iecting them
to the affectations and impertinencies of our
sex-nuch to answer for to US, for encouraging
the belief that such behavior is pleasing to
the fair.
Perhaps it may BE urged that o misappre-
tensions and misapplicatiGu Of the adage nave
caused the grievance L complain II. It may
be so: but It is not enough that a law is u 1de
with a view to encourage merit; 1t should be
so framed as to defy perversion to the pur'
poses of evil. In the blessed days of chivslry,
no doubt, the bravest knights were-as they
deserved to be-the most successful pleaders
in the bower Of beauty. But let il be remem-
bered that, in those days, the gallants were
bold as lions in battle, but in lady's bOu-
doir (if such an anachrOnism may be allowed)
meek as so many lambs. Now. much fear
the high bearing of our 9 ,llants is chiefly dis
played in the chambers Of their mistresSes.
while craven hearts are found TO tremble in
the tent Alas for the days Of chivalry In
q word-though speak il in the most perfect
good humor, and without n particle Of jeal
ousy-I consider the young men of the present
day saucy, empty, assuming, iil-b bred set of
fellows. and altogether unworthy the favors
of the bellies of the niretecr h century.
am not nineteenth centr:y nan myself,
and thank the gods particularly the god OF
love- for that consolation In thu midst of all
my SORROWS. Forty years ago things were
different the young men of that day were Of
another calibre, men who paid some regard to
decency, and were not ashamed 10 wear the
blush Of modesty upon all proper occasions. L
was a lover then; and / confess Though at
the risk Of getting laughed at for my pains,
felt as much alarm at the idea of =. popping
the red hot question" as facing a fifteen
FOUNDER. An offer of marriage at that time
of day was matter of deliberation for weeks,
months-nay, frequently for years not, ss
now, an affair of three Interviews ball, a
morning call, and an evening at the opera
No, no; Gretna Green was a terra tncogRttd
in those days; and except in plays and ro-
mances, no man ever dresmt of stealing an
heiress burgiartoMsiy fOr I can find no softer
term for it, or running away with beauty,
aud asking her consent afterwards.
The manner of popping the question, GER
tainly must always vary considerably with
the varying dispositions and habits Of men.
The young lawyer, for instance, would put il
in a precise, parchment sort Of way-I, A
b, do hereby ask and solicit, &c.-while the
poet, no doubt, would whip in a scrap Of Ovid,
and make it up into a sonnet or moon light
impromptu l remember the opinion of
young beau at Gray's Inn (macaronies we
used to call them in these days who on it's
being suggested that the best way Of putting
the query was by writing, replied, "No, that
would never do; for then the Lady would have
II TO show against you
Rut n my tala Ahout tve years noo I
was not then so bald as l am nowD l was
spending the midsummer with my old friend
and schOolfellow, Tom Morton Tom had mar
ried early in life, and had daughter, Mary
Rose, vino to her fathers wit and mothers
beauty" added her uncle Abs llom's good hu-
NOR, and aunt Deborah's notability. In her
you had the realiz alton Of all that poets have
sung about fairy forms, dulcet voices, and
witching eyes She was just such being as
you may imagine to yourself in the heroine of
some beautiful romance-Narcisss, in Roder-
ick Random, for iLstance-or Sophia, in Tom
JOnes-or Fanny, in Joseph Andrews-not the
modern, lackadaisical damsels Of Colburn and
Bentley. If she had met the eye Of Marc An
tony, Cleopatra might have exerted her bland
ishments in vain (; if Paris had but seen Mary
Rose Merton, Troy might have been standing
to this day. Such was the presiding divinity
of the house where L was visiting. My heart
was susceptible, and 1 fell in love No man,
1 thought, had ever loved as did-s common
fancy among loverS-and the intensity Of my
affection 1 believed would not fail TO secure a
return. One cannot explain the secret, but
those who have felt tie influence, will know
how to Judge of my feelings l was Is COM
pletely over head and ears as mortal could
be; [ loved with that entire devotion that
makes flial piety and brotherly affection
sneak to a corner Of mans heart, and leave
it to the undisputed sovereignty Of feminine
beauty.
The blindness incidental to my passion, and
the young lady's uniform kindness, led me to
believe that the possibility of her becoming
my wife was by 10 means so remote as at first
it had appeared to be; and having spent sew
eral sleepless nights in examining the snbject
on all sides, determined to make her an Of
fer of M hand, and to bear the result pro or
con, with all due philosophy. For more than
a week was disappointed in an opportunity
Of speaking alone with my adored, notwith-
standing had frequently left the dinner table
prematurely with that view, and several times
excused myself from excursions which had
been planned for my especial amusement.
At length the favorable moment seemed 10
be at hand. A charity sermon was to be
preached by the bishop, for the benefit Of
Sunday school, and as Mr. Merton was church
warden, and destined to hold one of the plates,
it became imperative on his family TO be
present on the occasion. L, of course, proffer
cd my services, and it was arranged that we
should set off early next morning, to secure
good seats in the centre aisle. l could hard
ly close my eyes that night for thinking low
l should Pop the Question:" and when 1
did get short slumber, was walked on a sud
den by some one starting from behind hedge,
Just as 1 was disclosing the soft secret Some
times, when had fancied myself sitting by
the lovely Mary in bower Of jasmine and
roses, and had just concluded 4 beautiful
rhapsody about loves and doves, myrtles and
turtles 1 raised my blushing head, and found
myself tete G-tete with her papa. At another
moment, she would slip beautiful pink, hot
pressed billet-doux into my hand, which,
whom [ unfolded ii, would turn out TO be a
challenge from some favored lover, desiring
the satisfaction Of meeting me at haif-psst six
in the morning, and SO forth, and concluding,
as usual, with an indirect allusion to horse
whip. Morning dreams, they say, always
come true. 1t is a gross falsehood; mine
never came true. But I had q pleasant vision
that morning, and recollecting the gossip's
tale, fondly hoped it would be verified. Ms
Thought I had yentured to "pop the Ques-