The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-18
OId-Time Courtship.

marrisSe were Of much Importance She
was early taught by precept and q few
rare and deplorable examples to dread and
shun being an old maid. The traveller, John
Dunton, wrote In 1914:
1t Ia true an old and superannuated maid
in Boston is thought such as curse as moth
ing can exceed it. looked on as q dismal
spectacle"
He adds that unmarried women were call
ed 'tnornbscks." The stare Of old-maid:sm
was reached at an early date. Higginson
wrote of an ancient maid'' OF g. The
letters OF Mary Doning. daughter OF Eman-
uel Dontng, John Winthrop's brother-in-
law, show how bitterly her parents re-
sented her remaining unmarried till about
:. years of age. And letters of her father
show his modification at not early match
ing his children. The evidences of fam
lily records. OF gravestones. of church lists,
snow that unmarried women were few.
Lone men, as Shakespeare called them.
we're. Of course. equally discouraged. Bach
elors were eyed askance and with much
suspicion. They were watched by ministers.
elders, deacons magistrates. heads OF fami-
lies; the tithing-man was ordered to have
special eye-out'' on them. They were not
permitted to live alone, nor to choose their
place of residence. but had to 80 with whom
and where the court assigned, and if they
resented this treatment, were sold for a
term of service. In many of the colonies
they had to pay tax If they remained I'M
married after certain age
All was nc, smooth sailing when the re-
stricted and watched bachelor decided 10
marry AID gain freedom. He could not
make a motion of marriage" to any young
woman in the community WITHOUT obtain
ing the consent Of her parents. guardians
or near kinsfolk. The whipping-post and the
cat-o'-nine-tails awaited him if he ''inveasl
ed the affections of any maid or maid-ser
want" by making love to her without prop
er permission" / have often wondered
whether the marked attractions and charms
of widows in colonial days were not some
what due to the fact that man could
court them without being watched, OF be-
ing given permission or rendering account.
Many laws restricting unlicensed love-
making can be found in court records of
colonial days. but the New Haven magis-
trates severely specified the "inveagling"
as 'by speech, writing. message, company
keeping, unnecessary familiarity disorder
ly night-meeungs, sinful dailiance, gifts. or
las final blow to inventive lovers) In any
other way
1t may plainly be seen that If sly wooer
were hauled up for ''inveagling'' and threat
ened with the whipping-post and stocks
bold sweetheart had very simple way Of
thwarting the magistrates. When Good |
man Tuttle of New Haven found that
Jacob Murlin has been kissing Sarah Tut. |
tie, his daughter, without leave or license,
he angrily brought suit against Jacob for |
inveagling Sarah's affections. Affairs were |
looking dark for Jacob. and the lash Of the |
whip seemed to tremble near him in the |
air. and she demurely answered NO" The |
magistrate called her a "bouid virgin" but |
he couldn't make her say she was kissed |
against her will, so Jacob went scotfree, TO |
Goodman Tuttle's ire.
These laws as to the restraint OF lovers /
were rot wholly for the control of ignorant /
and poor folk, nor to prevent the loss of |
bound servants, as some historians have 1
ina gined. They APPLIED to all classes in
the community. and we're taken advantage |
Of by fathers and guardians Of all ranks.
The governor Of Plymouth colony. Thomas
Prence. did not hesitate to drag his daugh-
te-'s love affairs before the public. He pro-
Arthur Rowland for "disorderly
and unrighteously endeavoring to gain the
affections Of Mistress Elizabeth Prence."
have a suspicion that in this case, had
Elizabeth Prence been a 'bould virgin
she might have truthfully asserted that the
affections were given by her. not unright-
eously stolen. Lover Rowland was ordered
ito refrain and desist." and he paid fine
Of Is. Seven years later. still endeavoring
to retain the affections Of Mistress Eliza
beth, and evidently succeeding very well
in his endeavor, he was again fined the
same amount. But love laughs at law, and
in a few months Mistress Prince became |
Nine. Arthur Rowland.
An engagement Of marriage was serious
matter m those days. II the father had
given his consent ne could not recklessly
,r unrsasonably interfere to break the con-
-ract. Colonial court records, especially
those of Plymouth, prove that lovers, In
urn, could sue parents for intermeddiing
n sanctioned lovemaking. and breach-of-
promise cases were brought by men against
women.
In some communities, in both Plymouth
md Boston, formal betrothal, called a
contraction took place. This was not
held TO have a very favorable influence OF
morals. as colonial records prove, and. as
I furthered long engagements, was not en-
outraged. Cotton Mather expressed him.
'elf with some force upon the subject.
A certain sordtdness and neanness appear
n many Of the accounts Of wooings in
colonial times through the eagerness Of
10Th the father Of the bride and the groom
o drive as sharp a bargain over the mar
iage contract as possible. The tender pas ,
ion was reckoned in many cases In pounds.
killings and pence. The pages of Judge
'ewalrs diary give ample proof OF his {
hrewd calculation in courtship. both his
wn and his children. And the pages also
how that he proved very good husband
n spite of the sharpness of his bargaining
\ marriage settlement was a very import
mt matter in those days. girl could get
married. OF course. without a dowry, but
he could not expect 70 match with any {
ne of very high standing in the commuli-
Y unless she brought money in her pocket.
There vas some sentiment In lovemaking !
l5eit OF rather broadly outlined k;nd. &
| favor;te method Of expression was by q
cry energetic love at first s:gA,' and i
peedy marriage. I am constrained 10 tote
hat the hero OF this sort Of romance has I
cen, in every case which ] have noted. Il
Tidcwer. No romantic bachelor has ever =
allen in love at sight Of a fair maid who r
a: milking her fathers cows. proposed Z; :
nee and married her as soon as published | =
: has always been a wido~er who did this.
I'd ] am bound 70 state. tn approval OF
s apparently hasty choice. that the speedi-
: won bride always proves noble house !.
eeper. Il has always been q bachelor .
no had ridden 10 q mans door and said.
olily, Il hear you have young daughter: ;
should Ike 10 see her. with view 20
Varying her" and followed this first step
y a very speedy march into matrinony.
is always a w:6over who u fvch a hardy :
-oosr. often Get IL not din the glory O: :.
.e romancep a wi6ower with children. who =
se5 immediate care. We DO Lot. however.