Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-29
OLD MAIDS COLONY.

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OLD MAIDS COLONY.
An Important Immigration lroren.cnt
To the Editor of the Globe
ST.. PAUL, March 26, 1851 came out 4
Minnesota to establish colony. That il
not an unusual thing to do-here-and the
colonies already planted have been wonder.
fully successful But propose to take g
new departure, to organize my colony from
the surplus women, to COLOMBO the old maids
A colony for old maids you will all e1clain.
Well, why not? Is there any reason why
this large and respectable class should con-
tinue to hang on the coat tails of fathers,
brothers, uncles or other male relatives, sup
plicating for protection from bug-a-boos?
Why should they not colonize7 They can
buy lands cheap, grow rich and prosperous,
and if they must be spinsters, be- at least
comfortable old girls, with bank accounts,
or at least have money to put away in the
safer receptacles Of stockings Or tea-pots.
It is good time to colonize now. un-
derstand that there is a plantation of Odd
Fellows out on the st. Paul & Sioux City
road, and if we take up tract in the vicin-
ity we will have grand opportunity to get
even with them. Then, too, it is stated that
the supply Of women exceeds the demand by
thirty thousand in Massachusetts,, and her
sister States have more forlorn women than
they know what to do with.
And what are we going TO do about it, we
al de- Ga lnr,T nc WAC %o ha,,<
at home, no matter hsw useful we NAV be,
or how hard we work, we are supposed to be
waiting for husband, to have failed in the
business, and are looked upon as any other
failure. We want to start out on our own
responsibility, to go in and win our way on
our muscle. When we attain success. we can
afford to buy husband, if we want to.
The immortal Horace said, $50 West,
young man. IF he had lived till this time,
he. doubtless, would have advised the old
maids to do the same thing. At any rate,
shall tell what know about coloni-
zation and then they can do as they please.
About month ago came West to spy out
the country, and found Wisconsin held out
great inducements. stopped at Madison.
There was bill before the Legislature pro-
viding for an appropriation for old maids !
watched that bill anxiously and lobbied for
1t. I argued that women who were not rep
resented by any voter, were naturally wards
of the State, and ought to have some of the
public money. This is the way put the
case. When Uncle Sam opened his pocket
book and dealt out his national bank notes.
or his greenbacks as the case might be, we
were always counted out. Everybody else
had at least chance for share of the
spells, but the old maids were not entitled
to it directly or indirectly. I actually per
suaded two or three Of the solons to listen to
me. afterward learned that one Of them
was an antiquarian, and on the lookout for
specimens. But the bill did not pass; they
did not even appropriate husband for tho
bachelors and widowers badly scared.
When came on to Minnesota the Legis-
lature had adjourned, and as there was moth
ing to be gained in that quarter turned my
whole attention to colonization. I found and
read the State statistics, the report of the
chamber of commerce, the railroad and land
companies advertisements, and the banner
wheat State envelopes. From these valuable
and solemn documents learned to appre-
ciate the State, and I am now ready to i'm
part to others the result of my severe studies
in facts and figures. During this time had
an opportunity to correct, from personal OBJ
servation, my false and utterly absurd esti-
mate of the climate. The weather that
we have here now would be unusual spring
weather anywhere in the Northern or Mid
die States. am writing by an. open win
dow. In the park across the way the grass
is green and the maple and elm trees bud
ding. People seek the shady side of the
street, fans and parasols are in demand, and
the little barefooted urchin who is turning
somersaults on the green seems much more
comfortable than the pompous gentleman
who has come prepared for the weather and
Is making martyr of himself in seal skin
overcoat. The north pole is not visible in
any direction, in short it is climate to
which the girls can safely bring their cats.
their poodle dogs and their pet canaries.
They can buy all the hair pins and eau de
cologne that they will need in St. Paul.
am not yet sure about plows aud thresh-
ing machines, but suppose they will
be furnished by the State.
Grasshoppers, excellent food for chickens,
have heretofore been furnished free; 1 un-
derstand, however, that the supply is ex-
hausted. But ] am assured that the State
has SO many resources that it can afford to
wheat here-4O,000 900 bushels in 1911
.sAAA so@>sj ~ ciiOACAOAOS OuA supply w
exhausted at any time, we can always borrow
from our neighbors.
My colonization scheme is novel. admit,
but 1t is reasonable It is one of the neces-
sites of the age. Already a number of in
dustrial schools for girls have been estab-
lished. The girls in whom am interested,
although they are a little old, perhaps, are,
at any rate, Industrious, and they want
homes. Minnesota is, am persuaded, the
place for them. can SEQ already that they
will not be tied down to the narrow
conventionalities of Eastern life. St. Paul,
the capital, is a wonderfully progressive
place. Some of the leading gentlemen of
the city, bachelors and widowers, think it
quite proper for lady to ask gentleman
If he will have her.. am not certain that
they always answer syes,'' but I do know
that some of them do not hesitate to answer
that they are in the market. Altogether the
future of my colony for old maids looks
bright. and | fear nothing, unless it is too
large an appropriation of husbands. My
head quarters will be at St. Paul, where I
shall be glad to hear from any one who
wants to join our band. BOHEMIAN GIn1.
THE NEW ORLEANS TRIALS.
Hote Haues Procured tho Decision Releas-
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