The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-12-22
SHOULD WOMEN PROPOSE.
Belva A. Lockwood Answers the Question
In the Affirmative.

SHOULD WOMEN PROPOSE.
Belva A. Lockwood Answers the Question
In the Affirmative.
Why notp In the ages past men
have married their preferences;
women, their opportunities. The
man may choose, the woman refuse,
but she refuses at her peril as her de-
cision may condemn her to life OF
celibacy, especially in our thicltly pop
ulated New England or Middle States,
where the women outnumber the men.
The man she accepts may be in no
wise the man of her choice but it may
be marriage of complaisance, of con-
venience or of necessity under our
present system, while the woman looks
calmy on to see another fill the place
that she has coveted. without any inti-
nation in the male breast of her desire,
when little more frankness on the
part of the woman might have added
to the happiness of both. A woman
would be slow to make application for
divorce from the man who had married
her on her own calm deliberation and
request; while the positive privilege
of making another selection should he
refuse-and the man should have the
same right of refusal as the woman
would give her confidence to approach
the man whom she deemed best suited
to her condition and happiness.
Matches would be more carefully made
when considered from both stand
points, and the glamour and indefinite
ness that usually hedged around u pro-
posal would be wiped away in the cool
consideration of a mutual business con-
tract.
And why should the woman not have
voice and q choice in the man who is
to be her life partner-the father of her
children. and who is most likely to give
the tone and color to ali of her after
lifeP The majority OF women never
rise above the character given to them
by the man whom they chance to wed,
for chance in the past has usually had
more to do with marriage than reason.
The Catholics make marriage n canon
of the church and indissoluble, but it is
considered in most of the States as
civil contract. 1t should undoubtedly
be civil contract with the utmost
mutually, with both of the contracting
parties at liberty to propose and to re-
ject proposals without offense and with
out any violation of any of the ordinary
rules of propriety. This contract should
also be construed to contain equal
property rights for the man and the
woman, and an equal control over the
children of the marriage. Why should
the woman have more diffidence in
selecting the man who is to wed her
than in the selection of the house she
is to live in and its intricate furnish
ings, when the former has infinitely so
much more to do with her happiness
and prosperityP
To propose has always been consid-
cred the prerogative of queens, but in
this respect every American woman
should consider herself a queen. 1t
was not until Queen Victoria had sig
nified to Prince Albert that proposal
from him would be favorably received
that he ventured to make advances to
that honored lady. Queen Elizabeth,
years before, had claimed the right of
proposal as England's sovereign Queen.
The incident recited in Scripture be-
tween Ruth and Boaz, after the day of
cleaning in the field, was virtually
proposal by Ruth.
After the formulating of the Gre
gorian Calendar in 1882, giving to
every fourth year 366 days, it was ac-
counted proper tor women to propose
every fourth or leap year, but so much
righteousness and ridicule has attached
to it, that the custom has been more
honored in the breach than in the OBJ
servance. At this time, when we coll
cede to women equal educational faci:-
tiles; have arrived at u proXimate
equality in property rights; have given
to her to limited extent the ballot
and the privilege of holding office;
when the trades and the professions
are SO far thrown open to her that she
may compete with man in money
making and money-getting, l can see
no good reason why she may not un-
der suitable circumstances propose;
but the proposal on her part would al
ways carry with it the tacit agreement
to perform her part in the domestic
economy of the household. The right
OF proposal vouchsafed to woman would
undoubtedly have a moral tendency
BeiyG A. Lockwood. in ~. Y Worid.
CANES IN HISTORY.
Important Information Gathered for the