Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-03-29
ELOPEMENTS AND THE REMEDY.

It is apparent that We are enter.
ing upon an epidemic Of elopelnent.
1t was predicted two or three days
ago, alter certain Young lady,
whose father ~ prominently before
the public, took this va, OF enter.
ing into the matrimonial state
that the example WAS sure to be
followed, and that we should prob
ably experience succession OF
runaway matches. This prediction
Is being verihed, it would seem, as
accounts of minor elOpements are
beginning to come IN. How to
keep the girls at home may soon
be n problem demanding solution
in many households blessed with
even a less number than eight Of
the dear creatures.
Some years ago q writer whose
name, unfortunately, we cannot
recall, published a thoughtful artl.
Gle, fully illustrated, on that old
and yexatiOus question Of how TO
keep the boys on the farm. We do
not now recall much of this able
paper except the pictures, of which
there we're several. One OF these
represented the boy whom it. was
thought desirable to keep On the
farm confined in burglarprOO-
room, with heavy bars on the win
d0ws, and so forth. The author
argued that there was nothing bet
ter to keep a boy away from the
temptations and snares of city life
than this. Another showed the
boy with a stout chain passed
around his body and the other end
OF 1t fastened to the stove. This
was highly recommended for max
ing boys feel attached to the farm.
Still another represented the boy
placed in an easy reclining position
and a considerable pile of bricks
heaped on his legs. The writer
clearly demonstrated that there was
nothing which hada greater tenden-
cy to make a boy cling to the old
homestead.
We know not bat this author may
have written partly in spirit of
leyity certainly some of his plans
are novel, and we meyer heard that
any of them were eyer put into &C.
tual use. We do not consider them
practical, however beautiful they
may be in theory, and # not
adapted 20 the successful keeping
Of a boy on the farm how much
less use would they or anything of
even a remotely similar nature he
10 restraining an lmpetuous young
lady bent on flying with young
man TO some accommodating and
enterprising Justice of the Peace.
The notorious failure of stone walls
and iron oars to make either
prison or a cage was sung OF long
ago, and nowhere will their made.
duacy be more noticeable than
when they are employed in an at
tempt to restrain a girl from elOp.
lug when her heart is set on it.
The best and only sure way TO
preventthe elopement and frequent
ly break of the match entirely is,
we believe, to watch carefully, and
when the young man appears to
carry off his romantic bride, wheth-
er he comes on a white palircy and
puts up a ladder 70 her window, as
he should do, or only jumps of a
street. car and meets her in can
dy store-at this stage of the pro-
ceedings, we say, let the father put
in an appearance and produce a
minister, either from the shadow
of the porch or from the rear OF
the confectionery establishment,
and request the young people to
tarry a moment while the good
man makes them one. This will
break up the elOpement and in a
great many instances prevent the
marriage entirely, as the mis-
guided young folks will frequently
conclude they do not wish to be
married as badly as they bad i'm
aglned. This plan pretty ellectually
kills of the romance. There is moth
ing romantic, we suppose, about
standing up IN the middle of a can
dy store ami getting married, while
the salesladies litter aud chew gum
and customers drop in and wink at
one another. Let the fathers OF
the country try this plan on their
clipping daughters and see If it Is
not successfnl.-Nelc York Tribune.