The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-11-10

riage at some period of their existence,
and these proposals must be received
by the opposite sex, yet by the tacit
agreement parents and educators all
instruction in this highly important
business is scrupulously omitted 10 the
course of youthful training. Young
people are taught how to dance aud
ride, and enter and leave room with
grace; they are told how to conduct
themselves at lectures, theatres,
churches and other places of amuse-
ment, but all instruction in the man
ner they should conduct themselves at
the most important hour Of life is to-
tally neglected and left to be accident
ally and surreptitiously acquired from
the lurid pages of the sensational nov
el.
| 1t is evident to the weakest mind
that a certain amount of making
is in order before the final question is
put. Most lovers are aware that they
must tell the girl they love her, wheth-
er they do or not; but as to how this
information is to be conveyed they are
wofully ignorant. Even the attitude
they should assume at the mellifluous
moment is unknown to them. Wheth-
er they should drop on their knees, lean
nonchalantly against the mantel, or
hang over the back of the loved one 8
chair, they have not an idea And
then the appropriate words to utter!
The lover is equally at sea on this
point. To blurt out, "Araminta, I love
you; won't you marry me?' would
sound abrupt. And yet it would seem
suited to say, 'Oh, Araminta, queen Of
my soul, l adore thee! The peerless
smile that illumes thy beautiful coun-
tenance is the sunlight of my existence.
Could it beam forever on my li!e-path,
no labor would be insurmountable, and
without its angelic rays my days will
pass in darkness. Araminta, sweet
one, may !, dare |, hope that my pas
sion finds an echo in thy chaste bosom?"
How terrible ''no" would sound after
so impassioned declaration as the
foregoing! shudder to think!
The embarrassment that besets the
female recipient of a marriage propos-
al is almost equally painful. What her
behavior should be at this soul-thril-
ling moment, when a love affair has
reached its climax, is certainly worthy
OF consideration. Whether she intends
to crown with bliss the fond hopes of
her lover, or whether she means to rel
egate her ardent adorer to less prom
lnent position, and love him "as a
brother" she naturally wishes to con.
duct the procedure in either case with
a grace that will enable her to recur
to the scene in years to come with that
mental satisfaction that arises only
from the memory Of good deed we'll
done.
At the supreme moment thousand
perplexing questions are liable to pre-
sent themselves to the girl for imme-
diate solution. Should she meet her
lovers glance, or should she look down,
or sideways; or would it be more mod
est and maidenly to blush behind her
fan? Should she slightly giggle, or
appear solemn? Of course it would
be the height Of madness to seem in
different. If her lover takes her hand
should she withdraw it, or permit him
to hold it? Or if he should be so bold
as to enc;rcle her waist with his manly
arm, should she push it away, and if
so, how many times should she push it
away before she permits it to remain?
Again there is the question Of kiss
ing, which is liable to arise at any time,
at what stage of the business should
these demonstrations of affection be al
lowed ?and when allowed how many is
it proper to grant?'
The preceding are only few of the
bewildering problems that are liable to
be met in the mazes of courtship. With
these difficulties in view, to leave those
persons, who mediate the commission
of matrimony, in the wilds of ignorance,
savors of barbarity. This
seems still more She
perceives that y
to make =