Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-20
CAUSES Of THE BACHELOR.
Theories Why Some Men Do Not Ask Women
TO Mary.

'Whlcn DdcntIDT .Sh'' nv ''N''i~
per woman. l
"rhe whole Species" with wide wave
of the hand. why don't they get mar
riedc"
Don't ask me. I'm not stopping
..Nor encouraging them, either" with
subtle flattery.
"Oh, yes, i am. 49,,
what, Not that good-for-nothinS
mo personalities. The encouragement
Is for what YOU call the whole species
II trust their powers of perception are
keener than mine are. May ! ask what
form this encouragement takesE
"A very practical form. I'm demon,
strating my ability to earn my board and
clothes. According to things | hear. the
chief cause of the falling off in matri-
mony is mans fear that he can't sup
port himself and Il wife. too
"Do YOU think that's really true?"
asked Mrs. Rugglesby. conildentially.
II haven't found II so.
what do you mean?
Am j married? After all my financial
demonstrations!
But of course. you could be II yod
wanted to-" with an inviting droop of the
could II" impassively.
There was pause; then Mrs. Ruggles-
bv sighed little over the wasted oppor-
tunity for condolences and began again:
But | wonder what the trouble really
is. | asked Mr.. Black the other night
what he thought about IL. Being bach
ought to know something about IT,"
yes. What did he say"
That. In his case. the reason was that
he hadn't had time
II, does take II good deal of time. gem
orally"
You mean?''
"Oh. nothing much. except that yes
being longer word than no and wom-
en- being so busy nowadays. IL ism
strange that they say no so much Oft
cner than they say yes.
DO they?
How many times did You say no be-
fore you said yes -
Mrs. Rugsiesby smiled coy smile.
How many times have you said no e.
she asked
OF course. il the newspaper woman wds
going in for comparative statistics Il
would be a good thing to have her make
the first statement. Then Mrs. hughes
by could live up to her privileges by go
ing that figure several better Bur the
newspaper woman calmly replied:
Il have always said yes
There is something particularly stag
SerlnS IN open mendacity. So Mrs. Rug
slesby sighed once more and proceeded:
But Mr.. Black meant mat he had been
too busy himself and he gave another
reason. too. His business is one that.
as he said. makes him witness OF
the caprices and the extravaganza and
the bad temper Of about five hundred
women a day. and he said mat he hadn't
any particular inclination TO go from
these five hundred capricious beings 10
one more Of the same sort when he went
home from business"
That sounds plausible"
Yes. but | reminded him how fond he
was of dining with us and spending his
evenings loatins among my sofa cush-
ions. He said that. with all women's
faults. men love them still. Which struck
me as being. quite as ungrammatical as
it was true"
Well, what did you think of the ex-
cuseS he gave
Think? / wished | knew her name"
The newspaper woman laughed
We women are prone to chercher IN
femme. she said, I'm cities of bachelor
hood. And not entirely without cause
Even a confirmed woman hater. who
wouldn't even love us still. much less en-
dowed with the power OF speech. will adj
nit that we nave cause. NJ
DO you rally believe, then. that man
often remains single because OF a homo
less passion"
Men have died and worms have eat
en- them. but not for love. quoted the
newspaper woman. No. I'm thinking of
getting uD a list of obsolete phrases and
hopeless passion will head the list
But, as YOU probably know by expa,i-
ence, men don wait for a hopeless paS-
sion. Generally they find time To pro-
pose TO 4 girl while they are vet boys
before they get busy and pessimistic like
Mr.. Black. All | meant was that If a
man first proposal was always accepted
there would be SO few bachelors that
Il
verify believe that We're the truth known.
precious few men have ever attained the
age where they become young bachelors
without getting to point where, IL the
girl had wanted them badly. they would
nave been committed TO matrimony OF
course continued the newspaper wom-
an, VINO was now fairly launched on the
tide of her own elouuence II don't mean
70 say that the man does not often thank
his lucky stars for having escan4d and
! doh l mean that he does not fit gayly
from flower 70 flower. only meant
that. if you're going back to first causes
most men can thank girl-and they
generally do thank her sooner or later
for their single hlessedness.
But, protested Mrs Rugglesby, why
do they keep on being bachelors?''
Maybe they are fond of gayly fitting
I just said 7'
But YOU don't think all bachelors are
are hittatlous? desperately coming a
DO you really want me to be serious
about it?'' asked the newspaper woman.
wei, as nearly as can make out. there
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
advance them with all due modesty and
any bachelors who wish to correct and
return them may do so and welcome.
IN the hrst place. girls are different
from what they used to be. They are in
dependent and queer. and complex. and
hlgh and mighty, and if | We're a man.
should think Just about a million times
before | introduced what might prove TO
be an Internal machine into my domestic
arrangements. OF course, / personally
know that the girls are all right at heart.
sound and true and womanly-most of
them. But there is a deadly fraction of
young womankind which is so erratic. so
emancipated from the time-honored
graces and qualities known and admired
as feminine, that their shadow rests on
all their sisters.
AS nearly as / can determine, there
mas been shifting of the common
ground on which men and women meet.
II used to be the sentimental plane Now
IL is the material and the mental. I've
read the gift books my mother received
when she was girl and the original
poems dedicated to her and inscribed in
a fine, flowing hand in her Album of
thoughts We've revolted against such
gushing sentimentality. People flop from
one extreme to another. and lust now
We're at the fippant, cynical point. A |
young man asked me while ago If |
mad any romantic feeling Then he felt |
ike goose to have asked me, and | felt |,
as II would be goose If | replied. so |
we both laughed, and that was the end of |
it. 80 -" u
The most winning and lovabfe trait in |
a woman Is her tenderness and GENTLE
ness Women used frankly to advertise
to the world these traits They even nre
dnd tn, lN.f Ell