Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-07-05
COURrsHIPs IN CANADA.
Our CAnucJS Cousins Nothing IL Not Prae
tical-Pretty Young Housekeopers.

Our CAnucjt Cousins Nothing IL Not Prae-
ticaI-Prctty Young HOusekeoPers.
Canada may be several laps behind
most nations in the march of intellect
val progress, but she keeps going
perseveringly onward. Her provinces
have their school systems, her boys
are wearing off tho virgin gold of their
natural quickness and ability, and
polishing it until they have almost ar
rived at the glitter which dazzles and
captiyates the world that has yet failed
! to recognize or encourage mere dia-
monds in the rough. Her girls are
really the cream of the continent
Their coyness is more than an equal
! for tho blushng. sensuous bashfulness
/ of the Southern brunette, and their
| physique has the perfection to which
alone the moderate zone and the
Northern cline can give birth.
A certain business idea underlies all
their actions aud crops out in national
as we'll as individual concerns. Even
the counting of the young folks, which
is in most countries sort of a deliri-
Gus, if not insane, round of continuous
ecstasy and an exaggerated Idea Of the
beauty and worth of the individual,
takes a mundane form.
Courtship is business, possibly a
pleasant one, but invariably a short
one. BY this it must not be under
stood that the young ladies may be
had for the asking,o or that they are mer-
chandise of their parents. Not at all
1t simply means that both the men and
women take the sensible view of the
subject. 1t is not that their Dulcinea
is divine or their LOthario is an Apollo,
but purely that they each conclude
that marriage would be an excellent
thing for both. There is no consump-
ton of several tons of coal or cords of
wood over the proceeding. II doesn't
last long enough for that.
Generally the probation period is
six months, and il young man has
been brought up within fifteen or
twenty miles OF the lady to whom he
is paying his attentions he necessarily
knows all about her and her ancestry,
and he is expected to make his pro-
posals and announce his intentions
within that period. II he is particu-
larly bashful and the young lady is in
dulgent she may give him place on
the sofa and accept the contributions
of the sap of the maple with which he
comes laden to her fresh from the
forest for another three months. But
unless somewhere in that month he
asks her to be his own he must seek
other firesides. She doesn't weep at
the parting or make any time over it.
There are just as good fish in the sea as
ever were caught. she argues, and in
that reason she finds consolation for
the misspent time.
Are Canadian girls prettye Well,
rather, and, better still, they are all
trained to make good housekcepers.
There is not young lady frem the
Red River to Labrador that cannot
make the most tempting of wheat
cakes as well as the rarer delicacies.
They are good helpmates and never
prove faithless.
In religion the Canadians arc emil
nently practical ms well. Religion
doesn't bring any grist to their mills,
and they are content to let the minis
tiers work in the vineyard without
hampering them with any advice or
suggestions.
Politics is also great field in which
the Canadian distinguishes himself.
Will it pay me to go into ite the
young man asks. II il docs, he will
60. If it does not he will remain at
home. Country" is an abstract term
with them. They have no idea of re-
forming the world. They don't run
wild at election times and wave the
old flag up and down their platforms,
an election is purely business tran
saction. There is some principle in
one, to be sure, but the principle they
have with them 1T all times, and when
election comes around they let that
particular idea take possession OF
them, and all principle, in many in
stances, to take well-deserved rest,
Who will be their candidates? Two
things determine this.
First. the man must be able to put
up an amount OF money that will be
equal to the sum of 81 on every vote in
the constituency i'm which he is TO run.
This is not necessarily bribery fund.
That is the sum that tho parties had
agreed on as absolutely necessary TO
pay for hall hire and bands as we'll as
for votes. Then, again, he must be OF
the free and easy fellows. He must
laugh and be merry and slap every
body on the back when he would
rather slap them in the mouth, but he
must make virtue of necessity. What
have they nominated him for7 They
don't expect him to develop into an
angel. They look upon Parliament as q
body that is entitled to take hand in
the Treasury grabbing, and they
neither wonder nor grow jealous IL he
comes back home a rich man, pro-
vided he performs his part with some
clcvorncSs.
They are very simple, these Canadi-
ans, but they know some few facts that
make them interesting. The echoes
from the outside world have reached
them, and they dress them in the most
fantastic and exaggerated forms.
There arc hopes for their coming into
the intellectual and mechanical race
with the Americans, but if they do il
will be quite safe and possibly pru-
dent to not attempt to capture them
by sprinkling salt on their tails. They
do not object to the sprinkling, but the
chances arc a hundred TO 'one that
after that operation has been per-
formed they will march back to their
own strange land and utilize and enjoy
the salt while the spriuklers are won.
da,.;pnr ,ybof n ,naanc Ne1U Y0rk