The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-11-17


token of disdain. | am therefore en-
couraged, though a stranger. to make
this humble acknowledgment of my
love; and, if you will honor me with
an interview, in the presence of any
relation, will satisfy you, and
those whom it may concern, with re-
spect to my parentage, connections,
profession and all other matters that
should be known previous to an allowed
familiarity, Presuming, unless fatal
pre-engagement prevents, that you will
comply with my request, seeing that
my designs are apparently honorable,
i remain, waiting with the utmost ini-
patience for an answer, etc.
To this epistle the young lady s papa
replies, the prescribed form of his an
swer being so far favorable as to ar
range for an interview All this is de-
lightful; but it is hardly considered
quite proper nowadays for a young
lady at the play to treat the "glances'
of strange young men with anything
else than ''disdain.'' or, at all events,
apparent Inconsistencies; and the
chances are ninety-nine to hundred
| that such an epistle would now be in
stantly consigned to the fire or waste
basket The illustration, however, re-
calls the story of certain celebrated
actress who on one occasion received
the following original declaration,
which, one may safely presume, was
not copied from 'Letter-writer -
"MADEMOIsELLE-I am only poor
worker, but love you like million
aire. While waiting to become one,
send you this simple bunch of violets
If my letter gives you wish to know
me, and to answer to the sentiments of
my soul, when you are on the stage to-
night, lift your eyes to the gallery; my
legs will hang over"
The compiler of the "Letter-writer"
above referred to displays a singular
amount of ignorance with regard
to the attitude generally assumed
on such occasions by the stern
PARENT" who, even in the
good old times, - very seldom met the
advances of those who, though utter
strangers, presumed so to seek his
daughters hand with such agreeable
courtesy. The difficulty of securing the
consent of the young lady's parents
has always been one of the greatest
obstacles in the course of true love.
In order to overcome that difficulty, or
to find opportunities to carry on the
courtship in spite of it, many singu-
lar device has been resorted to. Here
are two rather entertaining illustra-
tons:
A young gentleman fell in love with
the daughter of his employer; but the
different social status of the pair seemed
to preclude all hope of a successful is
sue, the young lady's papa sternly for
bidding any further progress in the
matter, and denying the young man
the privilege of continuing to visit at
his house. The situation appeared al
most hopeless; but feminine ingenuity
rose to the occasion. The old gentle
man was in the habit of wearing a
cloak, and the young couple made him
the unconscious bearer of their cores
pondence. The young lady would pin
letter inside the lining of her father S
cloak, and when the old gentleman
threw off the garment in the counting
house, her lover would take the earliest
opportunity to secure the valued mis-
sive and to send back his reply in the
same manner, Love and ingenuity were
finally successful. The other case was
that of an American young lady whose
friends refused to ratify her choice and
approve her betrothal. The eXpedient
she hit upon was simple but effective
She just went to bed, declaring her de-
termination to remain there till her
parents gave their consent, which oc-
curred in less than fortnight. 1t was
found by that time to be less expensive
and more agreeable to call in the lover
than the doctor
So much for what may be called the
parental difficulty; but what about the
success of the lover in finding favor in
the eyes of his adored? The pleasures
of courtship are no doubt very great,
but they will become as ashes to the
palate if they end in final rejection.
As a transatlantic poet pathetically re-
marks:
otis sweet to love; but ali! how bitter
To love a gal and then not git her!''
1t is often extremely difficult to know
exactly how to achieve success in love.
We cannot all be great, or beautiful, or
even supremacy good but next to real
| ning all these conditions in one s-self,
it is important to believe, or, at all
events, to make the young lady believe,
not only that she herself is beautiful and
good, but that she possesses those quail
ties in sufficient plenitude to make up
for your manifold DEFICIENCIES. Even in
this direction, however, there is danger;
and the lover will do well to bear in
mind the experience of an abandoned
suitor, who, when asked why he had
been rejected, replied: ALAS, fiat
tered her till she became too proud to
speak to me-"
Touching this same subject of flat
terry. lady was asked on one occasion
why plain girls often get married sooner
! than handsome ones; to which she re-
piled that it was owing mainly to the
| tact of the plain girls, and the vanity
andwant of tact on the part of the men.
| "How do you make that out, asked
a gentleman. ''In this way" answered
the lady. "'The plain girls flatter the
men, and so please their vanity; while
the handsome ones wait to be battered
by the men, who haven't the tact to do
it. - There have been cases, however,
in which the situation presented here
has been reversed, and plain, even ugly
men have succeeded in MAKING Them