The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-02-20
LEAP YEAR.
A CHANCE FOR THE YOUNG LADIES TO
60 IN AND WIN.


60 IN AND WIN.
1t is certainly a rather singular con-
tlition of affairs that while the chief
ambition of the average young lady is
conceded to be a desirable marriage,
the customs of polite society should
sternly prohibit her from making the first
advances. 1t is true that sOciety's man
date is often evaded through the instru-
mentality of a managing mamma, or
some cunningfy-devised trap which,
while it preserves the letter of the law,
is undoubtedly a violation of its spirit.
But who does not sympathize with the
Young lady who, having no mamma to
manage her. and being herself unskilled
in the arts of feminine diplomacy, is for
ced. like Viola, to let concealment feed
on her damask cheek, and hide the love
which. had she been man she might
have hastened to disclose 1t was
doubtless to compensate for this arbi-
trary and unjust law of society that leap
wear was originally instituted, and the
antiouitv of the custom is the best proof
that from the earliest times young men
have fought shy of the matrimonial
moose and the young ladies have been
put to their wits ends to bring the tar
DIV youth to terms. Cesar, who is cred
:
entitled bv this act to be considered the
first champion of woman's rights, and
we are a little surprised at the fact tnat
thus far the female suffragists have new
er referred to the great statesman and
warrior as the originator of their ''idee. y
But perhaps that is because Caesar was
a man. According to a code of manners
issued in England nearly three centur-
les ago. a woman has the privilege
s'every bis-sextile year" of making love
unto men" either by words or looks, "as
to her seemeth proper" The same
writer declares that any man who re-
ceives her proposition with slight or con-
tumely shall be deprived of all benefit
of clergy" Some such provision would
/ seem to be necessary in our day even for
/ the clergy themselves, for a well-known
! Boston minister is said to have replied
/ to a leap year proposal from a wealthy
! lady to bestow her hand, her heart and
/ her fortune upon him by advising her to
/ give her fortune to the poor, her heart
/ TO God and her hand to the man who
asked for it. There are many young Id
I dies who have difident or bungliEg adj
mirers to deal with-possihle husbands
who, as it were, are Hanging by the
/ evelids - To these young ladies 1SSt
1 will afford many Opport rtunitieS for bring
inr the reluctant swains to terms, and
: indeed. even for those who may find j
necessary to adopt extreme measure:
for catching the coveted matrimonial
( prize. the traditional privilege of leap
year may be utilized in thousand deli
cate ways. For instance, a young lad,
may exercise her leap year right in the
way of a Joke, leaving it with the youn:
gentleman to treat the proposition seri
. n ha oh or lG i of
ten done. she may elect to play the gen
tleman escort to the theatre or ball fo
some one of her male friends, thus crea
ting. in the reversed order of things, th
most embarrassing situations Tor tn
reluctant or diffident individual. IL
( mast be an adrOit and determined bach
eIor. indeed, who can resist a manGuvel
! of this sort, when executed with Ordin
ary tact and discretion. But some o
our lady friends may object that we ar
I assuming too much and that the aSSeT
tion that the ladies generally are anxiOu
to avail themselves of the leap year priv
ilege IS q libel upon the sex. On tn
other hand, do not the sages and poet
of both sexes and all countries unite i
prOclaiming that the ambition to be
good mans wife is the brightest jewel il
a wOman's crown ? 1t is not to be sup
posed for one moment that a self-rt spect
ing young lady Will ask gentleman {
marry her; but there are many ways G
limiting that such 4 conSummatiOn wOul
not be altogether disagreeable. 1t
hardly necessary for us to describe thes
devices at length indeed, unless we ar
very much mistaken, there is not
young lady of our acquaintance VIII
couldn't describe them much more accl
rately than we could ever hope TO do
Baltimore Gazette.