Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-02
SISTERS.
The Terrors Which Surround the Engaged
Young Man.

The Terrors Which Surround the Engaged
Young Man.
SEA young lady in Ohio was engaged
to be married to a young man, and the
wedding day was set in the near future.
One day the young lady was unable to
attend a certain picnic with her afa-
anced, and sent her youngest sister as
a substitute. Both the young man and
the substitute failed to return from the
picnic, and later it was learned that
they had gone to Pittsburgh and we're
married. Aside from the selection of
Pittsburgh as a place to go to, society
recognizes that the conduct of the
young man was in the highest degree
reprehensible and deserving of severest
censure; but we feel sure that a fair con-
sideration of such a case can not fail
to adduce many points of extenuation
that will be appreciated. by all young
men, at least. The younger sister was
the prime cause of the whole affair, and
this is but another instance of the inn
portance of this member of the family
as a factor in II socialproblem not to
be overlooked. Every mother of more
than one girl recognizes this import
ance, and so does every young man.
Every young man knows how hard it
is to get hold of a younger sister while
the elder is still unmarried, Gin society''
and Elm the tield.' Not only is the
former subordinated entirely to the
latter; not only is she frequently kept
in short skirts until maturing develop
ment absolutely demands that they be
heightened; not only is her debut in
society deferred and postponed year
after year to give her elder sister a full
chance; but more serious than all this,
to the young man that would be
hers, is the fact she is kept wholly
out Of his way and he can only
| get at her via the elder sister.
All society recognizes but one Miss A.;
the others are all the little Miss AS,
quite inconsequential and not to be
thought of say as the child or .:my
little sister who is in school," Yet the
younger sister often has her share
of the family beauty and attrac-
%tiveness, and the fact that she is made
unapproachable only adds to the charm
and fascination of her being. Every
w~ell-regulated young man will begin
his counting with the parents or guar
dams; if it is the elder sister he is after
the path is usually broad and smooth
once they are won to his cause. But
if he goes a step lower he has another
conquest to make, no less a one than
the elder sister-unless, perchance,
some otheryoung man comes along and
removes herfor cause. The difficulties
to be encountered were there are half
a dozen sisters and the young man is
after the youngest may be readily APP
preciated. 1t is not surprising that
frequently the first thing the young
man knows he finds himself blocked
half way down the steps of sisters by
an engagement into which he has fallen
while endeavoring to get enough into
the good graces to be allowed to pass
down. Such an accident may be
taken philosophically or the young
man may get desperate, as did
the Ohio young man, and aban-
don all right and scorn the
verdict of society in his desperation to
gain his perfectly legitimate end. The
report of the Ohio case states that the
S1I1 WIZ W IuOoOulSu was q yOuuS.
er sister, and there is no knowing how
many times the young nan would have
had to have jeopardized himself and his
happiness had hepursued a course that,
while undoubtedly proper, is extremely
severe. Inasmuch as the elder sister
herself suggested the arrangement for
the picnic, tits not unreasonable to sup
pose, and reflects great credit on her, that
She fully understood the situation, and,
with womanly tact. found a way to help
the young lover out without subjecting
him to u the gauntlet Of the between
sisters. At any rate such young man
will have the full sympathy Of all other
young men far and wide, who can con-
done his fault, great as it may appear
on the surface and serious q breach as
it undoubtedly is, as they can appreci-
ate the extremity of his sad situation.
-Prouidence Journal.