The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-08-11
WHY THE GIRLS DON'T MARRY
TIE OTHER SIDE or THE CASE.

~ hat etif VI ksiIis ~ tO 1HNf
F writes CORES pondent in the St. LOU:
Spectator. was the question of {
/ beautiful Richmond belle. Here there
are, continued this lovely woman, in
+ the best society of our city, over two
hundred and fifty manageable girls,
many Of them highly accomplished and
attractive women, fitted to grace any
position and in all Richmond We have
not dozen really eligible men. We
have hosts Of bedUx, but no prospective
husbands. Our streets swarm with
pleasant young fellows, who do for es
cOrts, dancing partners and Irritation
material but we have absolutely no
men to whom an intelligent, spirited.
ambitious girl could possibly think of
tying herself and her fortunes. They
lack education, independence purpose
everything that l. necessary to rise.
There Is no future for them, and aPpa-
rently none for us but To form an old
maid brigade and start on a crusade to
some Of the far Western Territories,
where sterling men are plenty and
women scarce"
They did not go crusading to the
West, and to-day the lamentations of
the Virginia belle find full justification
in the fact that Richmond is literally
overrun with those most estimable, but
seldom envied or enviable portions Of
the divine economy known as old maids
Every ballroom and parlor wall is
richly tapestried with these slightly
faded flowers
But Richmond is not alone in this
delicious misery. The same complaint
goes up from every city in the land.
The West sends to the East a gentle
moan Of sympathetic woe. Plenty of
girls, lovely as ever the sun shone on,
but panicky lack of desirable young
men.
Thus spoke clever and accomplished
young lady not long ago to a journalist :;
"You mockingly criticise us for en-
couraging the attentions Of what you
contemptuously style 'whipper-snap-
pers, ships and 'callow goslings, but
how can we help it? There are twenty
Of these little fellows in society where
there Is one really desirable man and
if it were not for them we would miss
many an entertainment that we want
to attend, many an opera and play,
many Il set in dancing, that we now
with their three-hair-power moustaches,
that You speak of so scornfully, every
girl would be left at home half the
times she now gets ont, and would be
wall-hower more than half the time
when she managed toinveigle her father
or brother into escorting her to parties
and receptions. You find me plenty of
those cultivated, aspiring men with a
future you talk about, and I'll find you
plenty of girls capable of approaching
them and ready to drop AL their retinue
Of 'snips for them at any time. Bring
on your real men, Trot out your
much-talked of thoroughbreds."
She was only "a debutoHte, bat she non
plussed him. Tell over all the mascu-
line beads Of your society rosary; take an
inventory of your male acquaintance in
vi hat is called ''good society,"" and you
will have to admit that this vehement
voung-girl Indictment is a ''true bill. ="
All over the country a man-famine
prevails.
We have hosts of society fellows
swelIs, giddy bovs-but they are hardly
the husband material a sensible woman
would select. Many Of them are kind
hearted agreeable little creatures,
disposed to do everything in their power
to earn the gratitude of the girls, to
whose enjoyment they contribute them
selves and all they have and are. But
considerable proportion of them are
freaks of nature, only to be accounted
for when the creation of mosquitoes,
fieas, mumps and measles is explained.
They are as much alike, find them
where you will, as so many peas. There
is not originality enough in them, for
the tailors they patronize, to get up
sufficient difference to be recognized I'M
der microscope Their physiogno-
mics are mild burlesques on the lap-dog
family. Their shanks and feet look
like pins stuck in pumpkin-seeds. Their
very clothes are all of the loudest
fashion, and their neckties flame with
all tho kues of autumn. Their pimply
faces are decorated with b5rgamot-ex-
haling side-whiskers and lp-fuz, thin
and sicklv Their kid gloves are gaudy,
and their switch canes have semi-bIack-
guard handles. Ponderous chains, with
horseshoe and og-head charms, dangle
| from their Rashy Yest-patterns. Their
visages are stupid and sensual, and their
mouths are mere expressionless gashes,
| that only open to take in oysters,
cocktails and champagne, and let out
ballroom compliments, stale obscenity
and draN;Rgroom oaths. They walk
With a dswdlIng, mlncing gait, that
carries q perpetual favor Of the ger
man" OF the lively racquet" They
talk with foreign afiectation, and their
/ breath is ever redolent of whiskey and
tobacco. They leer with insuferable
| iHsolence at every woman that comes
within reach o. their weak, dish-watery
eyes. They laugh in their idiotie,
would-be cynical way at the idea of
virtue, and hold that every woman has
her price. They estimate men only by
their clothes and their money. And
vet they are all-important factors of our
best society. No wedding ceremony is
complete without some of them as
ushers and ehicken-salad annihilators );
no ball or reception is perfect without
numerous sprinkling of them to fling
their shining heels, only less light than
their heads, to the witching strains of
music; without them our girls would
be stay-at-homes, and wall-fowers would
| flourish thicker than bachelor-buttons
in rustic parterres.
What is to be done Where is the
use of all our nineteenth century pro-
gress in art aud science, if an improved
article of society man cannot be inven-
ted and manufactured in greater
abundance What is the good of all
our electric light, our telephones and
monographs, ifou girls have to marry
nobodies, or go husbandless to join the
ever-swelling army of the withered
spinster martyrs
Too Much White Frock-
Emily Blackwell writes TO insist that
otoo much white frock and too little
sunshine are making helpless creatures