The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-07
y 70 S1fif1ER{tEzanE

sedalia, Mo.-SDear Miss Lamb: Judging from
an enlightened moral and Christian viewpoint is
II right for young lady who Is engaged to be
married to 60 driving and attend places Of
amusement with others than har future hu.bandf
Does the fact that she is OF house party
away from her home and that Of her betrothed
at tho time excuse herr An answer will be Of IN
terest to your very truly A b. Il.
My dear lady. this Is a matter that cir
cumstances alone can govern. You can't set
iown any rules for young women who are
engaged. Tho ruling depends entirely on
what they want or want not to do. And
tenuations that no one can foresee or pro-
vide against
A young girl who engages herself to
man supposedly prefers him to all others.
When she makes an appearance at the the
alter or the summer garden with another
man, there Is usually some excellent rea.
son for 1t, provided the girl is not q Rfddy
trtfer. once knew the gossips in q big
town to set Up a great hue and cry BE-
cause. forsooth, they beheld the belle OF
the village eating ice cream at a church
lawn fete with a strange young man. who
apparently was interesting her TO a marked
degree. The belle had Just become engaged
TO the minister of the church that had
the lawn fete under its wing.
You can fancy the agitation. 1t grew tre-
mendously by o'clock. especially as the
belle did not offer to introduce the strange
also the Notwithstanding man to any
Of the other village maidens. The belle was
q mischief. l may add. BY 10 o'clock groups
Of well-meaning matrons were standing
about watching the pair. commissioning the
clerical gentleman who seemed strangely
blind to the ''goings-on" of his fiancee, and
wondering what they ought to do about It.
One of them-the most well-meanng, Of
course-finally deemed II time for action. so
she strolled up to the pair OF reprobates,
nod ofphanf TX IN he Cir1 and
waited for an Introduction. 1t came.
Mrs. Jones. allow me TO present my
friend. Mr.. Montmorency Jackson of Bal
timore" said the belle, her eyes sparkling
with ghoulish glee.
The matrop bowed with great hauteur.
to find herself looking into the face Of
young person who pulled off a slight blonde
mustache, gently uplifted an equally blonde
curly wig from q girlish forehead. and
said. entreatingly,
Don't give me away. ma, I'm having tho
time OF my life. and all the girls think I'm
q lovely man."
oh. yes. Mfr. Montmorency. etc." was
the well-meaning matron's madcap daugh-
ter. and you may be very sure that the
W. NJ NJ. almost had stroke Of apoplexy
on sight.
But to return to the Sedalia affair of the
house party. can see no reason why a
young girl. or with a party of friends for
the weekend should not enjoy all the at
tentions which young men also Of the party
care to show her The fiance, unhappily for
himself. is not invited or unable to come.
That 10 his misfortune. to be borne with
fortttude. The girl is by no means unfaith-
ful II she goes to drive with a pleasant
friend in the house. She is merely exer-
cising her prerogative to enjoy youth and
youthful pleasures while she il yet young.
Don't. my dear lady. deprive her of her
birthright. She will meyer be young and
giriish and gay but once.
There is another side to the question. Ii
the girl has unthinkingly engaged herself
to man. care not how worthy OF her he
may be. or how fitted to take care Of her
the rest Of her life, II she has discovered
that he does not occupy her whole mind
and soul, and that she is rather relieved
than otherwise when out of his sight, then
by all means let her find 1t out before the
marriage bells have begun to ring. Moth
ing assists the finding-out process so much
as separation, and mingling with other
people
Engaged persons can often see too much
or each other. Friendships and deeper af-
fections. too, require careful handling, a
slow and cautious cultivation. and while
en- engaged pair may naturally desire each
others society often, 1t doesn't do a bit OF
harm to occasionally discover that there
are other people In the world than each
other. Besides. unless they do remember
this fact. how in the world are they ever
going to enjoy the pleasure Of comparison?
Somebody gtrl-once declared in my
hearing that this was the chief Joy of being
engaged-it gave one such a chance to note
how very superior the man was to all other
men.
Miss Caroline Newman. regret to say,
is seriously Ill at her home, and has been
for a week or more Miss Newman. her
frieLds are convinced. has had decidedly
moro than her share Of illness for the last
year. though she declares, / believe, that
there are compensations, 50 solicitous have
the friends been IN matters OF calls, books
and flowers. The Newman-Taylor wedding
is not to tnke place before next November
There was some talk Of late June, but Miss
Newman's illness has decided in favor Of
the fall.
The William c. Titles have this last