The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-07-11

ner time; but Il useu 10 20 Oue " =,
with him two or three times week
The elderly woman's eyebrows expressed
her opinion, but being hostess, she con ,
trolled her emotions and the bride seemed
shamelessly oblivious OF chaperon traoi-
| tions. >,
Zone evening we were dining together'
she said, after little reminiscent pause
''He was reading the Sunday supplements
and | was looking over a dummy OF the
magazine. / glanced across the table DICK
was good-looking; | wasn't unattractlve,
He was buried in his work; L was ourled
in mine The situation seemed all wrong.
/ resented it. =,
"'We might as well be married. said,
Grossly.
"Dick looked over the top of his paper.
1--WE thought that for five months, ne
said.
my ring the next day.
The girls sighed.
at wasn't so very romantic" said the
pretty one.
The elderly woman frowned.
at is the sort of thing one expects In
these days." said she.
The bride smiled.
at satisfied Dick and me-" she said.
She has a fashion of saying DICK that
makes the name sound musical
"But the men do propose" urged one OF
the girls.
The pretty girl nodded.
"Thev do" she agreed. Then she set
tied down to giving expert testimony.
1--WE studied the thing good deal, she
said. =,
you've had exceptional advantages,
suggested the bride.
"Of course | don't know just how men
used to propose; but I'm afraid it is lost
art-that is, in its highest artistic form;
WHY. it was regular function in the old
DAYS. Now. we crowd it in during two
step. with 900 people looking on, or we get
through it while we are waiting for couple
ahead to leave the putting green.
Even if we do have plenty of time and
an appropriate stage setting for the cere-
mony, we don't manage it with any artistic
skill There isn't any trembling suppllca-
ton or trembling yielding.
"You see. man and girl know each
other so well nowadays before they get
to the proposing point that the result OF
proposal is foregone conclusion. When
orr grandmothers were courted they posed
as mysteries. :,
"The suitors didn't golf with them all
morning, and sail with them all afternoon,
and dance or sit on the veranda with them
all evening, didn't know exactly what the
girls thought on every conceivable SUB
iect, couldn't figure them out like mathe'
matical equation.
.Mv grandfather wasn't cocksure when
he proposed to grandmother that she d
saw YES. The uncertainty led to noble Ell
fort 1t might have made things much more
interesting.
"Thev were taught to conceal their real
feelings in any particSar instance at any
cost A girl may do that to-day, but II
she does, it isn't no general principles.
''Mv uncle says women used to be porn
coouettes, but now they are educated hlrts.
If a girl doesn't tlirt now, she shows man
frankly lust what she thinks OF him, up
to certain point.
"Given that much information, 1t is easy
to speculate on futurltes. A man Ism TAX
ing any chances in proposing.
Occasionally one will risk what he sees
to be forlorn hope, but the average mod
ern man feels very sure he will be accept
ed before he thinks of proposing.
"Then you think the percentage OF re-
iected lovers is going down." asked the
bride.
The pretty girl laughed.
81 do all 1 can to keep it up to standard,
but I'm sure it is falling.
"And the men, feeling sure of the re-
sult proposes in an offhand manner"
EXACTLY. l never had really artistic,
impassioned proposal in my life. Our men
are so deadly afraid of making themselves
ridiculous.
"They may be sentimental, when they
don't mean anything or sentimental after
they are engaged, and absolutely sure the
girls adore them, but no matter how sure
of girl, the modern man feels he isn't 60
ing to take even the remotest chance of be-
ing laughed at.
"He is too horribly selfconscious to
propose with flourish as his grandfather
did. / hope it is a sign of modesty, but l
suppose it is only egotism.
"Dick says" began the bride. She
usually begins that way. Probably the old
editorial instinct crops out and Dicks re-
marks are the only copy she has to work
with. "Dick says that it is hard for man
to make up his mind to marry to-day.
''In the first place, he is so abominably
comfortable as a bachelor. He doesn't
need home as much as his grandfather
did. He is free, has every material comfort,
and little responsibility.
ale must be tremendously in love to
marry for love. Even when he is in love
he hesitates and holds back and wonders
and questions.
"He has good thing, and knows it.
Matrimony is a lottery, even when one mar
ries for love.
$50 he puts off the fatal step and fools
around. If the girl is fond of him, there's
practically an understanding long before he
has come around to definite question.
Everybody takes the engagement for
granted, even the contracting parties be-
gin to take it for granted. The thing
drifts along and at last, after everything is
settled, the man asks the girl to marry
him.
"It's mere matter of form. Formal pro.
posals went out with knee breeches and
powder"
The pretty girl sighed.
81 suppose it is all right" she said. 81
Iott - 10 NTH Ia M