Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-04-22
HOW TO PROPOSE.

some Valuable Suggestions For Men Who
Contemplate Matrimony.
The question how to propose in tho
most effective way is question in
which every man. whose heart and
mind are healthy, has a present or rem
| iniscent interest. Every man of SYM
| metrical manhood has known, or will
know, time when he would give more
for the ability to propose successfully
than he would for a ten years monopo-
| ly OF the haunted streams and pleasure
| rich fields of Utopio. At that memora-
bic time the power to paint the light
that never was on sea or land, or to
| construct planetary systems out of va
grant mOOnbeams, would be an unSat-
isfying trifie beside the power t. frame
an absolutely irresistible proposal. 1t
is precisely at that time, too, that a
mans mind is in such chaotic and dis
heveled state that he is unable to do
himself justice. Whatever, therefore,
will aid a man at this critical and agi-
tating time it is duty 20 supply.
1t is confessedly difficult to give
available advice upon this delicate sub
ject. Circumstances and women vary
| SO greatly that no cut-and-dried formu-
las, such as are furnished by books on
etiquette and on ''courtship made easy"
have any utility whatever. There are,
however, a few general directions
which are of some value. First, no prr-
dent man will propose within three
hours after he has dined, except upon
great provocation. This may seem like
a parody of advice on the subject of
bathing, but it is not SO intended; on
the contrary, it is meant most seriously.
No man deserves success in love-making
who attempts it with his intellectual
machinery clogged with pie. Propose
when at your best is rule that admits
| no exceptions.
Another item of good, general advice
is, do not get heroic, and swear with
an oath, that you will propose on GER
tain evening and before a certain hour
This is the surest known method for
making a fool proposal. The kind Of
an offer which is made in pursuance of
such programme will almost compel
any woman of spirit to refuse. The
man is nervous, the striking of the
clock gives him chills; he laughs in a
forced way, like a murderer awaiting
the rope or dynamo; he is unnamed by
a guilty "curfew must not ring to-
night feeling as the fateful hour which
he named in his oath approaches; and
the ticking of his watch is like the me-
tallic counting of fiend, telling tho
seconds which will elapse before
a fatal Judgment is pronounced
upon him. A woman who really
loves man will be forced to re-
fuse him after such an exhibition Of
fatuousnes as he is sure to make when
he goes about proposing in the heroic
way; or, at the best, she can only ac-
cept him under protest, and by remem-
bering what he is when he is himself.
Again, no man of sense and courage
will propose by letter, except under
unusual conditions. The bravest way
is the best way in courtship, no less
than in politics and business. The man
who loves a woman, and wants her for
his wife, may rest assured that in no
other way is he as likely to win her as
he is by telling her of his love in frank
and sincere words. 'Speak for your
self, John,' is the maiden's thought to-
day, no less than in the time of Pris-
ella. A letter is cold and colorless,
and every true-hearted girl not only
likes to hear words of love, but she
likes to feel that her lover has the wit
and courage to tell her that he loves
her, and wants her to walk the "long
path" of life with him.
The man who gives any thought to
the momentous question: GLOW ought
to propose?" will speedily come to the
general conclusion that he should pro-
pose by spoken words. The real diff