The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-02-18
LEAP YEAR PRIVILEGES.
The Women Have an Opportunity
w to do their Own Courting ard
they ShOuli Make the Most of It..
Atlanta Journal.


Almost any school child will tel
you that when the figures composing
any year can be divided by -four
without Il remainder, then we are
having what is known as lear
year.
Tradition has long assured us that
maidens and widows may do Their
own courting when they can run q
four through the figures of the year
without Il remainder, and conse
quently the joke about leap veal
goes the round whenever an engage
ment is announced or a marriage
cOnsummated The woman is sup.
posed to have signified her choice in
a direct manner, and with a com
nonsense view of the situation, ii
would appear to be entirely rational
and proper that the woman should
have one chance in four to be suited
in matrimOny.
The queens of England were always
privileged to do their own cOurting
but every year, as well as leap year
was the queen s opportunity to make
| pIopOSd1S.
Queen Victoria's proposal to Prince
Albert was always Il touclling remin-
lscence to her majesty, and although
the story is told that he loved another
girl better at one time, faithful Queen
Victoria never sWerved from her
choice and herchOsen consOrt during
her long and useful life.
| AS. +oJ 4
on earth (and perhaps but few in
Heaven) the woman should undoubt-
edly be satisfied with her selection OF
q llfe-mate when she is mated.
But Il good many people marry for
other things as we'll as love. In this
money-lOvin@ age wealth has IL file
showing i'll the minds of many of the
inatrimOnially inclined.
All OF us have witnessed match
making where no match would have
occurred ii there had been little or no
money in sight. Young women have
given consent to marry old rich men,
when the old man would have been
pushed aside except for his money, or
what his money would give the bride
i'll position or luxury. Girls well
raised have been known to marry
very sorry youngsters, lacking in
morals and even good character, il
there was money in bank or real es-
tate in sight. In all such cases it is
pr sumable the woman helped to do
Il courting, and asst happens many
tim'-, she is short on pHb!c syn
pnthy when the groom turns out to
be II cry sorry middle-aged man, as
we'll as IL very Indifferent sort o
Il bridegroom when she took him fol
his rent roll, instead OF his goOG
character.
My mind goes back to IL quarter O
Il century or more when d young MAJ
deplOred in my presence the marriage
of Il nice young lady to a snappy sort
of a fellow who had, unfortunately
inherited considerable property. "Sht
is too nice to be turned over to that
/ coarse, vulgar chub,' he complain
ed
"Why don't you go to her brothers
and tell them what you knOwY'
queried.
"Bless goodness! They don't care
SO they get in reach of the-money-'
"Maybe she is likewise Inclined"
continued.
"No, | don't think so, " he reioined
, "Her folks want her to marry rich
but she likes riches, too, maybe y
, "Then," | answered, "the case il
hopeless. She will have to 'dree he
weird, as the canny Scotch were won
to express it.
And she did, and when the divorc
, was afterwards obtained she had ;
J house full of little children, and tn
man found another wife as soon Il
: possible. If she had been obliged t.
pop the question during the near
est leap year, maybe she would hav
asked the young man some plai
questions, which would have save
her some lifelong regrets and mourn
full experiences.
Why shouldn't the young woma
signify her choice occasionally? W
have heard of maidens living all thei
lives in single blessedness, becausen n
word was spoken by those the
loved. To break the ice and reliev
the situation of its embarrassment
wouldn't have hurt either party
The young man might say ''No,'
course, but Il full understandin
would have cleared the atmospher'
so to speak, and saved the poor We
man some very silly meanings an
wasted sacrifices the remainder OF he
days.
Leap year should, therefore, /
taken seriously. There are as goo
fish in the sea as were ever caugl
J. out of it. and if the girl is quite sui
she will never love anybody else, Il
her make the young man aware
her selection, and then take Il
chances