The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-06

The management of the Cosmopoli-
tan Magazine has started another
monthly publication which 1t calls the
Twentieth Century Home. 1t says in
its opening number that Its birth is
due ito the belief that there are many
millions of people who have arrived at
the point of demanding the treatment
of household topics in a scientific way"
and that the matters relating to home
should have the attention Of the ablest
writer's and thinkers Of the country.
This the Twentieth Century Home
proposes to do and to that end the first
number contains a learned article on
books for women to read by Prof.
Harry Thurston Peck and a poem by
Charlotte Stetson Gilman, who is moth
ing If not scientific. There is also
dissertation upon widows signed "Raf-
ford Pyke," which 1T is well known in
some quarters is one of the literary
aliases of Prof. Peck. So the Tween
tieth Century Home opens auspiciously
and is a most creditable number,
though we would suggest that the size
of the magazine is unwieldy and the
carrying over of the finish of each ar
ticle to the back is most annoying
first number is one relating to the most
approved methods of choosing a life
partner, written by the editor of the
Cosmopolitan. Here is considered what
one may call the philosophy or science
of love, advice is given, and plea for
persons not to enter the holy estate of
matrimony without careful considera-
ton, not only Of the man or woman in
question, but of the tendencies and
diseases of their ancestry. When a
man becomes attentive to q young
woman and the latter is modern and
scientific, she should Immediately look
up his family tree, and when he pro-
poses she can say: Il love you, Harry
but on account of your great uncle
having had a cancer and the fact that
your grandfather stammered, I will be
unable to marry you, as nothing would
induce me to entail any affiictiOn upon
posterity." That is scientific Modern
science, as interpreted by the Tween
ueth Century Home, is going to work
such revolution in marriage that be-
tore long the world will be people by
gods and goddesses. Now, of course,
we all appreciate the efforts of the
editor to marry us all off according to
rule, but what about the men who re-
fuse to be bound by laws and regula-
t1ons about their wives, and will Just
go and marry whom they please? They
VIII NC OSCA dCAoSu, dL ledSI Dy the o01COr
of the Cosmopolitan and Twentieth
Century Home. According to the scien-
tltic way when a man is attracted to a
young woman he should study her
mother and grandmother, if within
reach, and reasoning by analogy he
Will be able to discover what the
daughter will become in the course of
time. This method is destined to have
a powerful influence on marriage a la
new mode. He can say to her-hon-
esty is required by science-"My dear
L admire you tremendously and thought
OF asking you to marry me, but after
seeing the dark line on you grand
mothers upper lip, and the generous
waist line of your mother, 1 am panied
10 inform you that it is all off," And
II the girl is endowed with the proper
scientific spirit she will reply: That's
all right, George, / don't blame YOU at
all, and when it comes to family his
tory and your fathers red nose I think
We are quits
Now we leave 1t to our readers if
this sort of thing is not infinitely bet
ter than all the fuss about love and
sentiment Which has been the old way.
Science is not veN'y much on love ANY,
way, and does not recognize sentiment
at all, not being able to find a bump of
1t anywhere. There is no doubt that
the Twentieth Century Home Is going
70 do a great work. Mrs. Charlotte
Perkins Gilman's ideas are exactly in
line with its motif and she will prob
ably write for it each month. The idea
is that you must not marry for your
SELF but for the good of your posterity.
even though posterity may not have
done thing for you. Try and be a
good ancestor and you Will not fail tn
make good citizen. Cut out romance
and unhealthy sentiment and live for
science and health. Love was all very
well before the world was civilized and
educated, but in an age of Nenlighten-
ment and progress 1t should take
back seat.