The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05
CAUSES OF THE BACHELOR.
THEORIES WHY SOME MEN DO NOT
ASK ONE TO MARRY. f

way uemanueu Mrs huRNleSDy'
Which bachelor ?" asked the newspaper
omar
"The whole species" with a wide wavo of
the hand. why don't they get married ?"
Don't ask me. I'm not stopping them"
Nor encouraging them. either" with subtle
fattery.
"Oh. yes, l am"
What Not that good for nothing"-
mo personalities. Tho encouragement Is
for what you call 1.-THE whole species"
Il trust their powers OF perception are
keener than mine are. May l ask what form
this encouragement takesT
"a very practical form. I'm demonstrating
my ability to earn my board and clothes. Ac-
cording to things l hear. the chief cause OF the
falling of in matrimony is n mans fear that
he cant support himself and n wife. too"
DO You think that's really true ?" asked Mrs.
Rugglesby, con6dcntially.
Il haven't found II SO"
~ hat do you mean ?"
Am l married2 After all my financial dem
onstrations2 ?"
But. OF course. you could be II you wanted
TO-" with an inviting droop OF the eyelids.
Gould "a" impassively.
There was u pause; then Mrs. Rugglesby
sighed q little over the wasted opportunity for
condolences and began again:
But / wonder what the trouble really Is. /
asked Mr.. Black the other night what he
thought about it. Being a bachelor in good and
regular standing. he ought to know something
about It."
Yes. What did he say"
THAT. In his case. the reason was that he
hadn't had time"
1T does take a good deal oftime. generally"
You mean 2"
"Oh. nothing much. except that yes being
-. .ln,, .na ) ,,, -.rz-- hpgnr GO
busy nowadays. 1t isn't strange that they say
no so much oftener than thGy say yes"
DO they"
How many times did you say no before
you said ~'yes'?'
Mrs. Rugglesby smiled a coy smile.
How many times have you said no 2" she
asked.
OF course. II the newspaper woman was
going in ~forcomparative statistics it would be
a good thing to have her make the first state
ment. Then Mrs. Rugglesby could live up to
her privileges by going that figure several bet
ter. But the newspaper woman calmly replied:
II have always said yes"
in open mendaoity. So Mrs RHggiesby Sighed
0H %Bu m9 Mr' az" BIaf GEEG @eant that he had been too
busy himself ,is,n And he h 6 gave nm another ! n rea sDII
makes him a witness OF the caprices and the
extravaganza and the bad temper of about FIVE
hundred women, a day. and he said that he
these five hundred capricious beings to one
more of the same sort when he went home
from business"
THAT sounds plausible"
Yes. but l reminded him how fond he was OF
dining With us ana spe hg us evenings Io tth
all women faults. men love them still. Which
struck me as being quite as unGrammatieal as
We'll. what did you think Of the excuses he
Geye?"-,
The newspaper woman laughed.
We women are prone to ~chNcher, la JemmP."'
emit entirely rely without cause. Even a confrm ed WOO .
man, hater. who wouldn't even love. us stlll.
| much less endowed with the power OF speech.
will admit that we have cause"
remains single because Of a hopeless passion 7"
them. but not for love. quoted the newspaper
woman. NO: I'm thinking OF getting up a
sion will head the list. But. as YOU probably
know byexpertsnoe. men don't wait for q hope
pose to a, girl while they are vet boys. before
they get busy and pessimistic like MI. Black.
AL I % %ss slw WAYS t aaeep # & t Tsn,s M sl5st pre- be-
counting. For l verify believe that. were the
Sasheiors without settins 2 ,poiRt 9sRers;
have been committed TO matrimony. or
course" continued, the newspaper. woman.
T UM1 SSs nSW sa'5Ii II don't mean on to 5ns say s5a th at hs5
man does not often thank his lucky stars, for
h hetif IT. es sayiT fT %na hover i SSet To %ef fow Sa4t ne d d01s
meant that. II you're going back TO first causes.
most men can thank n girl-and they generally
do thank her sooner or later-for their single
But" protested Mrs. RuGglesby. why do
they keep on being bachelors? 2"
Maybe they are fond Of gayly fitting. as
But you don't think all bachelors are-are
IlttatiOuS Y' desperately coming n word.
DO you really want me to be serious. about
III" asked the newSpaper woman. Well. as
good reasons why a man might hesitate longer
now about getting married than he would have
done years ago. Perhaps these that | give are
not the real reasons why he does hesitate. 1
advance them with all due modesty. and any
bachelors who wish to correct and return them
In the 1rst place. gITIs are different from
and queer. and complex, and high and mighty.
and. | were a man. / should think Just about
a mii,i4 }n times TN = before ! i mIC%ins what might
nestle arrangements. Q! course. | personally
know that the, girls are all right at heart sound
there is adeadly fraction Of young womankind
which Is so srratic: so emanGipated from the
admired as feminine. that their shadow rests
on. all their sisters.
LA nearly as ] can determine, there has been
and women meet; It. used to- be the sent
m mental D Tye read ADV the " q sit II BOOKS %&'sI pay 1 moth fes
received when she was a girl and the original
poems dedicated to her and inscribed in n fine,
howinG hand in her Album OF Thoughts
We've revolted against such gushing scnti-
mentality. People flop from one extreme to
another. and lust now we're at the %fIlppqnt.
cynical point. A young man asked me u while
ago Il l had any romantic feeling. Then he
felt like n goose to have asked me-. and l felt as
II / would be a goose il | replied. so we both
laughed. and that was the end Of it.
The most winning and lovable trait in a wo-
man is her tenderness and gentleness. Women
used frankly to advertise 10 the world these
traits. They even pretendedto be full Of senti-
ment when they were really as hard as flint.
It's so different now. Girls hide all that side OF
their nature. They seem callous and critical
and cold. self-suficient and disil usioned and
with II very keen eye To the main chance. They
pretend to he flint when they are often full OF
sentiment. But q mar cant know all this. And
the two go on playing at cross purposes. while
the statisticians add and multiply and divide.
and then announce that the number OF mar
riRges ia decreasing.
But that isn't the only reason. | suppose
another good one IL that II bachelor can live as
comfortably now as any man could want TO.
There are bachelor apartments and clubs In
abundance, and II pure comfort is what II man
wants, IA bachelor can probably get more OF IL
for lnGa money than most mnFFinn mon bnva