The morning news., 1898-11-27
WOMHN'S WORLD

OA-~
universities is about to establish matn-
,nonial course. Very few details have as
vet been made public, but it is safe to say,
iudglng by the reputa ton enjoyed by the
college in question, that the course of study
will be thorough and complete, and it is
more than ordinarily gratifying, in these
davs of educational fads, to hear OF at
least one school that is getting right down
10 business and teaching people something
they really need to know.
From whatever point of view one looks
at this new experiment in domestic science,
saws the New Orleans Picayune, it seems
fun Of the promise of a better era. For
one thing, il is the first rational effort to
solve the superfiuous woman problem.
Think of those doleful tables of statistics
that social economists prepare year after
year showing the constantly decreasing
ratio of marriage, end the consequent in
creasing ratio OF old maids. No woman
not even if she is marrled-for nobody
knows when she may become a widow and
need to look out for another husband-can
read Them without shudder. The case
seemed utterly hopeless until this campaign
of education was suggested, and then the
answer to the riddle was so easy that it
seemed a wonder we hadn't all guessed it
before Train up a boy in the way he
should so, and when he is old he will not
depart from ii, is a piece of inspired wis
dom. The corollary is obvious. Educate
him 10 marry. Put him through thor
ough matrimonial course, and the selfish
ness of being a bachelor and spending his
money for cigars instead of bonnets would
no more occur to him than it would to use
bad grammar.
Then il may be possible that many men
are kept out of the holy estate of matri-
mony through bashfulness. They would
like to marry as they might like to dance
he german or play golf but their early
education was neglected in these lines and
they haven't the courage to make a begin
ming after they are grown. They hesitate,
feeling themselves unequal and ineXper-
fenced in the delicate fnesse of lovemak-
ing How simply and happily all this will
be remedied by the course in matrimony
that will turn out only men who are skill
ed in the use of flattery adopts at paying
compliments, and artists who win even
know what to say and how to say it when
they propose.
Men may not realize just all this means
TO woman, but we know ourselves. Deep
down in our hearts every one of us feel
that she has an inalienable right to be
made love to in graceful and poetic
way, and no matter how much we adore
our own particular Tom or John, or how
glad we were TO say yes if he bungled
the situation or situations in a woman's
life We know we have been robbed of our
brthright of romance. Just think how de-
lightful it will be to have no more halting
and ambiguous speeches at such a time,
that leave a woman guessing where she is
at, and uncertain whether she is engaged
or not no more having a man throw him
self at your head, like he was slugging
the umpire of base bali game; no more
self-conceted proposals, where the man
acted as if he was offering you good
thing, and expected you to jump at it.
Instead, a lovely, poetic, graceful speech,
that would excuse any kind of folly, in
case you made bad match, and that
would be a comfort and pleasure to re-
peat to your friends as long as you live.
Inasmuch as the professional Is always
superior to the amateur, it seems unneces-
sary to speak of the advantage of marry
ing man who has been thoroughly train
ed for the business. OF course, there are
already many good husbands just as there
are successful self-made men in other lines
but as a general thing it takes a woman
the best part of her life to educate one
in that part. 1t is a common observation
that second wives have the best of things,
and are generally treated with a consider
alton and tenderness not always shown
their predecessors. Unthinking people say
this is because the man is more in love
with the new wife than he was with the
old. Not at all. She is simply reaping
the benefit of the education IN women's
ways and peculiarities that he got from
his first wife, and it is this that makes
well-trained widower about the most de-
sirable husband on earth.
Having graduated in the matrimonial
course, 1t is easy to see that men will
not approach matrimony with the light
and frivolous spirit they now show AS
general thing, they seem to think that
it is to be a kind of picnic, where the
woman will always have on pretty gown
and be well, and beautiful, and smiling,
and ready to entertain them. They sign
Tor a fair-weather voyage, with no pro-
vision in 1t for rains and storms. 1t is
an impossible scheme of life, and it would
save lot of misery if it could be ground
INTO men that they are not going to be
any exception to the rule, but that when
they marry a woman they marry her
nerves, and temper, and unreason, and
Stiffness, just as much as they marry her
beauty, and grace, and sweetness and
goodness. 1t is all there in every wo-
man that ever lived. You can't pay your
money and take your choice. You have
got to take them all together and no man
mas got a right to slam the front door
behind him and consider himself a sue
eessor to the martyrs every time he dis
covers a fault in his wife.
1t is to be hoped that the very first thing
they will teach in a matrimonial course
VIII be to impress on a man the impor-
lance of finding out what kind of a wife
lie wants before he gets married. instead
Of waiting until afterwards. Half the
time he doesn't waste as much time on
dispassionate consideration of the ques-
uon of whether she would suit him as he
does in picking out necktie. She pleases
MN IN some way, and he marries her, and
then discovers that they haven't single
taste in common. Why, in heavens name,
should any rational man expect the wo-
man who was silly before marriage to