Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-04-24
THE LEAP YEAR QUESTION.
Do or Do Not Women Make the
Matches.

Matches
There have been many able writers
on the subject, and nearly all agree on
one issue, and that IS, that women are
placed at a decided disadvantage in
making choice. There is just where
the. writer, though he may have no
great experience, proposes not to
agree, but on the other hand to argue
against the opinion Magazines and
other periodicals publish deliberately
written articles depIOring the alleged
fact that woman has NO voice i'll the
matter; that, however much she may
adore a man, she must hold herself in
reserve and patiently wait for him to
pop the question. Perhaps he never
does it, but she waits all the same, and
finally, after long years of waiting, she
marries some man she doesn't care Il
picayune for, or becomes the proven
bal dried up old maid. A leading met
ropolitan journal, IN feryid edition on
leap year, says: Yet the .unwritten
laws of society, rs Interchangeable us
those Of the Medcs and the Persians,
hold the woman back under penalty Of
social ostracism. She must wait until
some man condescends to bestow upon
her his distinguished attentions. Ii
she finds him worthy and lovable, and
well suited for husband, she must
keep her mouth sealed. 1t would be
highly improper to indicate by word or
action that she would be pleased to
walk side by side with him for life. "
This is all very fine. But it is bosh.
Pure unauthorized nonsense, and ev-
cry married woman, every married
man, and good many single people
will agree that the author knew moth
inc about it, or was talking for effect.
Directly contrary to this fact, the fact
stands out in bold relief that the wom-
en- make nine out of every ten matches
If she makes up her mind that she
wants q man and goes for him, she
gets him If she ever stood any show at
all.
What married man will deny that his
wife during the balmy, romantic days
of the courtship did not. in all the ten
der ways for which the sex is noted,
make it apparent to him that his atten-
tions were relished? That she liked to
have him come and see her, and show
ed her preference for him in number
less little ways, after which there was
not q shadow of indelicacy? If man
is naturally modest and bashful good,
sensible girl can make him feel so per-
fectly at home and show that she APP
preciates and esteems him so much
and would like, perhaps, to be more to
him, that he finally throws off all re-
serve, feels perfectly at home, and the
proposal is made in q way so easy and
natural that it comes rs u matter of
course to both.
Continuing, the inexperienced or by
pothetical writer says: UNLESS he
speak the necessary words, it is all as
if it had never been. He goes away
free to choose some other woman,
while She must wait to be chosen by
some other man" Poor thing! hard
must be her lot, but if she wants the
man and he has any idea that he wants
her, it can be bet on as q dead moral
certainty that she is going to get him,
and she don't say: "Will you marry
me, John?" either. There are cases
when q woman who has not spoken a
word of affection considers that she
has been rejected by a man she has
made love to. She knows that she has
given him every reason to believe that
She loves him, and if he keeps his dis
lance and doesn't invite closer friend
ship, she feels that her affection is not
reciprocated, and ninety-nine cases in a
hundred she has hit the nail squareIy
on the head.
A woman can show her esteem in q
hundred ways man cannot. No mat
ter what her walk in life, if she really
feels as if she wanted man for hus-
band. and would like the prerogatives
OF q man to tell him so, she can pro-
ceed and propose to him in demeanor
he is matrimonialiy inclined, feeling
and knowing that his affection is recip-
Tocated, proposes and is accepted. =
Cincinnati Ne2CS-J0a9BQl