Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-08-23
Should Women Pronnsa2

Should Women Propose?
\ symposium of women have met on
the pages OF the New York Evening
Journal to decide the mooted question OF
whether or not women should propose.
Kate Stockton, the leader, thinks they
should. Dorothy Dix and Katharine
Leckie are with her. Heading the large
opposition is Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
tlnally the question was submitted 10
n jury of SIX women, prominent in So
clal literary. musical and club life. The
jury couldn't agree. only one of the six
fayoring proposal by the fair sex. one
remaining neutral, and four being over
Whclmingly against it.
Here are their yerdicts:
Il am inclined to the belief that men
should continue to be the wooers. | fail
TO see any necessity for disturbing a Gus
tom which is fraught with so much of
romantic sentiment; for woman surely
does not require to utter any words to
make d man understand she loves him
She is supplied by nature with the arma-
ture OF q mute oratory Which conveys in
more delicate ana refined way than
words could express that with which her
heart is filled.
when a woman will she will. and
when she wants Il man she's going to
get him whether he wants to or not. -
May Isabel Fisk, author.
mo words. no matter how convincing
they may seem TO the head. can persuade
my heart tiidt it would be proper or mod
est for i woman to do the proposing. ex-
cept under the most extraordinary cii-
CumStanceS.
And what need is there of her propos-
ing? Are there not many other ways
Just as potent as spoken words and Il
thousand times more amiable, which 4
woman may employ without derOgation
to her modesty, to make Il man under
stand she prefers him TO all others to he
her husband:
And so instnctiyely are these means
put into operation that the more modest
Il woman is the less conscious is she OF
employing them. Nor is there any Just
ground for branding these little arts OF
femininity as evidences of artfulneSS.
Were | single and found no desirable
man in New. York city to propose to mo
| would send to Washington for Il census
bulletin which the government furnishes
free of charge and look up some places
where the men are in numerical excess
of the women. | would 90 to that place.
and having thus created the opportunity,
il is more than likely the proper man
would come along and do the rest. And
ii may be interesting news To most peo-
pie that although there are 100000 more
women than men in New York, the couu-
try at large has 10000 more men than
women. Florence Sutro Clrs. Theodore
SutrOl.
The exclusive right to propose mar
riage is. after all, the only prerogative
man still retains. DO not let us rob him
of it'-MrS. Henry Siegel.
Women have finer SenSihilities than
men aud would feel 4 refusal more keen
~. and believe that the amount of I'M
happiness that would be imported into
the world from this source alone would
Infinitely outweigh any advantages that
might come from womans proposing.
Besides. man IS the hreadWlnner and
hay aN a
with whom he wishes to share his earn
lngS.
by all means do not let us ever Danish
all the noble sentiment and delicacy that
make courtship a period of so much hap
pinesS Do let rs continue TO look to
man to do the wooing and not to force
him to allow IT'S to thrust hOnors up0n
him. Mrs. ID. $. Broderick, social
leader.
To have a woman break through the
ranks Of custom and prejudice and say
to 4 man Il love YOU Is the highest
compliment. and | say without hesitation
that the woman who does propose hon
0rable. loving marriage to man Wouli
become a @cnls which any man might
come to appreciate in the home ire,
where honor love, truth and loyalty
count for 50 much.
The woman who loves deeply enough
To bring herself to this last rrSor: OF
women is most likely tot be earnest. hon
est. straightforward. and would unGues-
uonably make a faithful, loving wife and
conscientious mother.
The average woman does not require
10 give her sentiment voice. She in
SJinetively puts into practice what
Shakespeare. that universal genius. said
of certain sentiment Give it an under
standing, but no tongue
Any man who has thus been taught
p be on the alert thinks he is a skilled
hunter when. in reality. he is really being
pecoyed by the hunted And often
enough he discovers too late that the
quarry he has pursued so vearisomely j.
pug "A rag and bone and a hank OF
Hatr. while he has passed the women who
nave heart and brain but lack the art IL
aaHre and were barred by custom from
resident National Council of Women.
In regard - women proposing ms