The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-12

would be a goose if I replied, so we both
laughed, and that was the end of 1t.
The most winning and lovable trait In
a woman is her tenderness and gentleness,
Women used frankly to advertise 10 the
world these traits They even pretended
TO be full of sentiment when they we're
really as hard as flint. It's so different
now. Girls hide all that side of their ma
ture. They seem calIous and critical and
cold, self-sufticient and disillusioned and
with very keen eye 10 the main chance.
They pretend to be flint when they are
often fun of sentiment. But a man can't
know all this. And the two go on playing
at cross purposes. while the stadstcians
add and multiply and divide, and then an
nounce that the number of marriages Is
decreasing,
But that isn't the only reason. 1 sup
pose another good one is that a bachelor
can live as comfortably now as any man
could want to. There are bachelor apart
ments and clubs in abundance, and if
pure comfort is what a man wants, a
bachelor can probably get more of il for
less money than most married men have.
mean that all the comfort about the
place belongs 10 the bachelor, and to him
alone. He doesn't have to consult any
oody's prejudices or anybody's convent
ences, and that's a great thing-as all
girl bachelors know, to.
Then there's another thing. Probably
there are plenty of excellent wives, but
somehow those are not the ones we hear
much about. We hear about the extrav-
agant girl who worries her husband to
| death with her bills; the cross one who
nags numerically; the careless one who
becomes a slattern; the stupid one who
becomes a bore; all of them apparently
nice girls before they fell under the blight
of matrimony 1 don't blame a man fol-
having cold chills OF apprehension.
| know a man who was married a few
months ago, who was in a state of blue
/ funk for weeks before the wedding day
came around. Finally he went to a mar
ried friend and told him about it, He
/ didn't know but there was something rad
| ically wrong with him.
My dear fellow said the married man
that's nothing. Every man feels that
! way. Do you know why they have a best
man on these occasionsg
Why, to walk up the aisle with the
maid of honor said the prospective bride
/ groom.
Not a bit of it. That's only an Incl
| dent. His real duty Is to shadow the bride
groom day and night until the wedding day
/ and see that he doesn't run off That.
what he's for. and he's generally needed.
NO I can't say that I blame a man fo
| being so apprehensive that his tongue &C
tually cleaves to the roof of his mouth
| when in the excitement of a moment h
may feel tempted to propose matrimouy
! The spectre of some other mans MISERY
| probably looms up before him and chill
the ardor of his blood.
After all, I don't know but one of th'
very best reasons is one 1 heard a mar
give. He said that in a city most men die
not really have chance TO meet the wo
man they would want to marry. He sal,
that many men come to New York and g
into business. They have almost no ac
| quaintance and they are too busy to de
vote their time to social duties. In fact
most of them have no social duties, siTnpl,
because they can't afford them. They pei
away at their work and they may know
few nice girls and yet not happen t,
want to marry one of them. Perhaps
girl whom they would be glad to MARI!
lives on the next block. She might a
we'll be in Afghanistan. And so the year
drift by and the goodly company o
confirmed bachelors grows and grows"
Well said Mrs Rugglesby, "all I sa
is, don't ever repeat all those reasons il
the presence of unmarried men, becaus
If they hadn't already been afraid to ge
married, they'd never have the courage /
do it after hearing you talk.
The newspaper woman was not payin,
attention.
What puzzles me-" she said rehectively
lis why people are always wondering VIII,
bachelors don't get married. AS If tn
whole matter was dependent on their at
titude AS If women were waiting breath
less and eager, for the chance to say yes
to omebody-anybody."
well" said Mrs. Rugglesby, II suppos
It's because man does the asking-take
the initiative, you know"
THE initiative! As If the proposa
really amounted to anything! You know
what 1 mean. AS f-well, you under
stand"
And Mrs. Rugglesby seemed to. Perfect
ly.
Shall We Find Them at the Portals
VIII they meet us. cheer and greet us,
Those we've loved who'Ve gone before
Shall we find them at the portals,