News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-07-16
The Old Maids Eden,

A strange story comes from Spain.
AS a matter of fact, strange stories
have come from Spain before but,
all things considered, this is a little
stranger than anything that has pre-
coded 1T. A new sect has been organ
lied, with it's headquarters in Mad
rid, the capital of the nation. and
branches in various provincial cities
The purpose of this sect is not SO
much to promote religion as it is to
secure the marriage of it's members.
Like certain class of advertisers in
the newspapers, it may announce
"Object, matrimOny"
The details, which come by cable.
are rather meagre, but they are to
the point and leave the public no
room to doubt that the new sect
means business" 1t has a leader
named Jimina, known as the 'great
pontiff," whose will is law, and who
performs the marriage ceremonies,
and its affairs are carried on with q
precision, celebrity and smOothness
that seem to Indicate that it fills a
y
at least, so far as the ladies are
concerned. The members of the new
society hold their meetings at night,
and the utmost decOrum prevails
The matter of mating is simple, di-
rect and effective. A female member
rises in her place, says 81 wish to
marry" names the happy man upon
whom her choice has fallen, and his
fate is sealed as surely as the culprit
seated in an electrocution chair with
a current of l 600 volts is doomed to
a speedy and painless death She
names the victim, " the pontiff .
does the rest. She says she will be
married, by Jimina, and by Jimina
she is married to the man of her Sc
lection.
The new movement, like many
other reforms, encounters opposi-
ton, and just now it has met a set
back through the arrest and impris-
onment of " the pontiff," doubtless
upon charges trumpet up by some
envious and malicious enemy. But
the fact that over 300 marriages
have occurred in accordance with the
rules of the sect shows that it has a
firm hold of the Spanish mind and is
not likely to be permanently sup
pressed. The truth is, g the old
maids Eden represents a principle,
and a sound principle is bound to
live, no matter what hostility it may
encounter.
The principle at issue in this case
is the right of ladies to have their
own way in choosing husbands, to
" speak right out in meetin' " and
not to wait on the lordly pleasure of
the tyrant man, and perhaps get
left " in their natural and inalienable
right to avoid old maidenhood if
they so desire. Not that there is any
thing disgraceful or discreditable in
being an old maid. Far from it.
Some of the best and most useful of
women have been old maids, both be-
fore and since Queen Elizabeth's
time. But the chances are that a
woman who makes a cheerful, hap
Ply, comfortable old maid, would be
the noblest and sweetest of wives
and mothers, and she should not be
deprived of the chance to create ad-
ditional happiness about her.
To be sure, there are some draw
backs in the Spanish system. 1t
might not always happen that the
choice of Il female follower of Jimina
would fall on the right man. She
night select one for whom another
sister had set her cap" or whose
leart had already surrendered to a
air enslaver, and in such an event
here would be more or less unpleas-
lntness. Then, too, the plan has
other Objectionable features in Amer
can eyes. The American swain, for
Instance, likes to do his counting for
himself, and fights shy of the leap
year method of " popping" But he
manages to ascertain the
feelings of his divinity toward him
before he puts the important ques-
ton, and she in similar manner con-
5rfVes without saying any thing TO
show him coy preference. So it is
very much the same thing in the
md, the main difference being that
he new Spanish method " gets
here much more rapidly and with
tut waste of time or effort.
1t is not at all likely that the new
movement will be confined to Spain. |
t has the elements of a world wide |
and its spread abroad is
'nly a question of time. Then the
old maids Eden will be globe
But as for old maids,
here will be none Why should there
Ne when all woman has to do is to
'et up in meeting and pick out a
hubby ?"-Troy Times.