Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-11-15
THoMpsoNvILLE.
a New York Writer sizes 1t Up-New
Methods of Courtship.

From the New York Trlbune.l
There is no mistake more commonly
made than that of confounding effects that
are purely natural with those brought
about by custom. Thus it is asserted that
man clothes himself instinctively, whereas
a little thought ought to convince anyone
that. leaving out the element of cold
weather, man wears clothing purely as
matter of custom handed down for geher-
ations. 1t has been often asserted, too,
and generally believed, that man is the
natural protector of woman. and that, In
that most interestingperiod of human life,
courtship, it is altogether natural for him
to make the advances. But all this has
been proved erroneous by Thompsonville,
Conn.
In Thompsonville there are large car
pet factories in which great numbers of
girls and women are employed. The
work they 90 cannot be done so well by
men, aud consequently they command bet
ter wages than do the men. Indeed, there
is little demand for men in the factories,
while women may always obtain employ
ment. Consequently we need not be sur
prised to find the family life largely re-
versed from that to which we are accus-
toned. Being aole to earn more than her
husband, the wife naturally goes to the
factory, while her husband stays at home
and does the housework, keeps up the
sewing, takes care of the baby, and per-
forms the other usual household duties
which generally devolve on the wife.
This is not so surprising, as, after all, it is
purely matter of money, and the same
= ol+ - ofl
England factory villages. But we find on
examination that in Thompsonville the
whole social system is reversed, and
woman has her rights and great deal
more; in fact, it may be said of Thomr
sonville that it is place where women
accumulate and men decay.
Possessed of an independent income
from her labor in the mills, and stimu
lated and embroidered by numbers, the
Thompsonville young lady has developed
into a new and interesting creature. She
has taken entire charge of the matter of
courtship and naturally some novel
changes have been brought about. 1t is a
common thing in Thompsonviile to see
young man hurrying to finish up the sup
per dishes on the evening when expecting
a call from the young lady who Is paying
attention" to him. The young ladies of
course escort their young men to the thea
ter and to balls, parties and so forth. But
the most interesting point is, perhaps, the
changes which the system has brought
about in the young men. The Thompson
vile Young man is different from any
other young man known to science. Sc
cure in his position and knowing usually
that half dozen ladies are anxious for his
hand, he has become coquettish with an
inclination toward frivolity. He is some
times known to encourage attentions from
a young lady when he is already engaged
to another, with The evident intention of
narrowing up the souls of both. He is
much given to curling his hair, and at the
theater has been detected taking surrep-
titious look at himself in a small pocket
mirror and applying dab of powder to
his nose with the corner of handker-
chief He wears shoes and gloves that are
too small him, and has developed liking
for candy.
The Thompsonville young lady, on the
other hand, as We have intimated, has be-
come au Independent and rather aggres-
siye person, well able to take care of her
self and husband. She has, the public
will be pleased to learn, developed but few
OF the bad habits known to young men of
other communities and neither smokes nor
drinks. Of course the Thompsonville
young men have given up all such habits
as these, so the change has certainly
brought improvement in this respect. We
suppose that there could be no more inter-
esting sight than that of Thompsonville
young lady making an offer of marriage to
a Thompsonville young man. This is not,
of course, anything which can very well
be actually seen, but that it happens often
is attested by the frequency with which
the young ladies Of that town lead blush
ing young men to the altar.
1t would seem that Thompsonville must
be an excellent place for woman's rights
advocate to contemplate. Here woman
has nearly all of her rights. A be-
lever in woman'S rights would here find
but one pathetic sight. We refer to the
occasion when, on election day, each
young lady drives to the polls with the
young man in whom she feels an interest
and allows him to cast his vote. This is a
sad sight and one which, we presume, will
be done away with in the course of time.