St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-13
LADIES' Law IN LEAP YEAR.
Privileges of the Gentler Sex-The
Bachelors Penalties.

Bachelors Penalties.
1t is probable that many of the fair
and at least an equal number of the un-
fair sex have scarcely bestowed a
thought upon the fact that 1883 is leap
year, in which the ladies' law, as it is
called, may prevail.
In three years out of every four, man
has the privilege of popping the ques-
tlOn," and the annoyance OF sometimes
having a plain ''NO" for the reply. On
the fourth year woman may propose, il
1t so pleaSeS her.
"A lady has the privilege in leap, year
or suggesting marriage between herself
and bachelor acquaintance. In the
event OF his refusing, the penalty is that
the ungallant gentleman shall present
the tender damsel with new silk dress,
says the Troy Times.
There is reservation, however, that
the right to claim this penalty depends
on the circumstance that when she pro-
posed the damSel was the wearer of a
scarlet peticoat, which (or little Of the
lower portion of which, she must eX-
hibit to the gentleman, the understood
idea being that the SIlken dress shall
cover the peticOat, and thus assuage
dire feminine indignation at the rejec-
tlOll vi uer OHer6u ndnQ.
If any of the readers of the Times
catch glimpse in 1SSS-Say in high
wind, or when a carriage or car is en-
tered, or muddy street crOSsed-of the
slightest bit of scarlet in a lady's most
comfortable and usually uneXhibited
garment. they may imagine that she has
quilted the house with the dire intent
OF asking somebody to marry her OF of
getting the silk dress mentioned.
1t is said that in work entitled,
"Courtship, Love and MatrimOny,"
published in 1906, ten years before the
death of Shakespeare, is this explana-
ton regarding ladies' privileges in leap
year.
''Albeit, it is now become part of
the common lave, in regarde to social
relations of life, that as every bissextile
year doth return, the ladyes have the
sole privilege, during the time it con-
tinueth, of making love unto the men,
which they do, either by wordes or
lOOkeS, as to them it Seemeth proper:
and, moreover, no man will be entitled
to benefit of clergy who dothe In any
wise treate her proposal with slight or
cOntumely."
This quotation is given by a CORE
SpOndent of "NlOteS and Queries" but
there are some words in it which were
scarcely in common use in Shake S.
peare's time.
Social relations of life" is compar-
atively modern phrase; and though the
word relatiOns" is used once by Shakes
peare, ''sOciaP'never was. Oddly enough,
the word ''cOntumely," though not
given in "Ayscough's Concordance"
occurs in s'the proud mans contumely,"
which is put into one of Hamlet'S most
thoughtful soliloauies.
The following isIthe statute in the old
Saxon code referring to leap year:
"Albeit, as often as leape yearre
dOthee Occure. the woman holdeth pre-
rogatye over the MEME in matters of
cOurtshipS, love, and matrimonie; SO
that, when the lady propOseth it shall
not be lawful for the man to say her
nae. but shall entertain her proposal in
all guide curtesie."
A Scotch statute of 1928 reads as fol-
lows:
sit is statut and ordaint that during
ilk forth year, known as leap year, ilk
maiden fadye of bath high and low
estait shall have liberty to bespeak to
man she likes albyit, if he refuses to
take her to be wifi, he shall be mulcted
in the sum of one pOune (eD or less, as
his estait mai be, except and avis if he
can make it appear that he is betrothed
to one woman, and then he shall be
free"
Leap year naturally makes us think
of marriage; and we hope all the young
ladies and widows will be bold enough
to ''pop the question:" and do it without
blushing or Stammering. Now is your
opportunity.