The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-03-05
RALEIGH. N. c., WEDNESDAY MARCH ) 1854
Girls This is for You.

nat Ieap year affords an Opportunit
Tor the selt-assertion of women in tn
matter OF selecting husbands is a qua,
rennlal joke which seems never to grow
; stale. With every recurrence of tn,
period which is alleged to be the season
Tor the exercise of the womanly preror.
atlve' the newspaper paragrapher ex
nausts his fertile genius upon the sub
Ject, and everybody treats il with effu.
sIve and persistent iocuarity.
1he suggestion that woman should
nave the privilege of making some d.
rect EFFORT to secure congenial partner
Tor lie seems to strike the public as s;,-
! perlatively ridiculous. Yet why should
not woman with perfect propriety in
dlcate TO gentleman, whom she NAV
regard as suitable person for hus-
oand, that she desires life alliance
with him? Why should she be COM
PEELED to sit Ike doll in toyshop. or
slave in market place, until some
lord of creation passes along and selects
her as prize?
In forming the matrimonial relation
does not the woman have the greatest
FISK to run, the most to fear, and is not
she the greatest sufferer in the event
that the marriage is an unhappy one !?
Indeed, would not there be fewer un-
happy marriages if woman had more
latitude OF choice, and was not compell-
ed TOO often to make Hobson's choice
for hus band?
Yet the unwritten laws of society. as
interchangeable as those of the Medes and
the Persians, hold the woman back un-
der penalty of social ostracism. She
must wait until some man condescends
TO bestow upon her his distinguished at
tentlons. If she find him worthy and
ioveable and well suited for hus band.
she must keep her mouth sealed TIL
would be highly improper to Indicate by
Word or action that she would be pleased |
TO walk side by side with him for life. |
unless he speak the necessary words it |
IS all II 1t had never been. He goes
away tree to choose some other woman. |
While she must wait to be chosen by
some other man.
Leap year does not alter this state ofI
affairs. 1t only mocks by its illusiye-
ness and brings to the front vast deal
OF nonsense which is directed against
the weaker sex.
Fortunately this periodical joke has
grown SO Old women have Lecome ac
customed to 1t and don't seem to care
ior It,. They really appear to like it.
since 1t g ives the men such an excellent
opportunity to make themselves ridicu-
lous.
positively declines to accept the super
ntendency of the Orphan Asylum under
4 board of directors. John is not will
ng to share the throne with anybody.
He must be Car or he abdicates. He
must fog the boys when he pleases and
N his own way, and there must not be
to say don't
He has always been very loyal to the
Grand Lodge, and was always willing
10 abide by its decisions AS long as they
let him have his own way. and they let
him have it long time. There is not
a more aniable. agreeable man in the
land than brother Mills, as long as he
has MS own way. He can get along
with anybody in the world that will get
along with him. But brother Mills be-
lieveS that he was born to rule, and he
is going to do it.
Well, after all we admire that kind OF
thing, to certain extent. We are very
much like brother Mills. We do love
to have our own way prodigiously, and
we know a dozen or two other people |
who are more or less the same way. It'll
le our nature to be amiable then, and /
we can't see any reason why the whole
world is not as well satisfied as we are.
And then when we know that a thing
ought to be done, and how it ought to
be done, better than any one else, we
feel like it is unreasonable that we can
rot just have our own way about it
GOldSbOrO 17r0uce