The age-herald., 1897-10-28
THE MAN WITH DAUGHTERS.
They Must Marry Within Ninety Days or Go Into
 Business.

From the St. Louis Globe Democrat.
 A domestic ultima tum recently pre- scn5sd by Sit. Louis man of retired means to his four marriageable daugh- ters is interesting because it opens some broad questions in sociology This faith er who is doubtless much given to m qii- tatang upon great problems, has notified his daughters that unless they are mar ried within ninety days they must pre- pare to go into business of some kind for themselves. The time is short, though, of course, tihe public is not acquainted with aM the antecendent circumstances Whether the mandate will be toned down and a new modus viveadi reachsd is a point yet undetermined, but the persual sive tac5 of four daughters is cons.dera- ble. Perhaps the father expressed him. self with undue warmth, and will reflect in calmer moments that, as Lord Bacon says, his daughters are hostages to for tune, or. in other words, his own pledge to society for the performance of cer- tain oibligatiorAs. Fathers with a flock of marriageable daughters, and ev.n those with only one, have been known to be a little impetuous about quarterly bills, but hitherto have kept off the rec ord and avoided the role of social agi- tators.
 dH esems that the father who pro- poses to ring out the cd and ring in the new with the dawn of the coming year has not aimed his commands at his daughters alone. He has in view, also, centatn young men who arrange their hair in an objectionable manner and, while playing the part of carp;t knights -or carpet mcrths-never come ito the point of declaring their intentions. They are gallant and entertaining, but not bent upon mat1'imony. The head of the house has evidently decided that he is mot running a continuous place of amusa- ment for invsi.e ate ba -helors. The jingle of the piano, the chorus of laughter and the rattle of the poker in winter may be- consy irkeome if continued indefinitely year after year. While all the world loves a lover, it has never accepted as such the man who fails to tell his love and suffers thereby no damage to his fadeless cheek.
 Parental edicts to marry within fixed time would be subject in some states to the difficulty that the women outnumber the men, and exile from the commonwealth would be the unavoida- ble result. In Missouri, by the census of 1890, the women are in a minority of nearly 100000, and some other avenue to escape must be found. A girl or dered to marry within three months is extremely unlikely to do it unless she had previously fixed the day without outside pressure. As for the alternative of choosing a business vocation, that involves a preliminary training and the parent is responsible if it has been omitted. The father in this case has made a mistake, except in regard to the illusive young men who part their hair in the middle and expect 10 be provided, from youth to old age. with a pleasant evening resort by the retired citizen who sits upstairs with little to do except to count the passing decades. Before going any further, the real cul- prit should be clearly defined, and take his place at the bar of social opinion.