Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-11
T last I've found out why there
= "a are so many old maids in the
~ world" began the married man.

"a
~ world" began the married man.
4 - Don't let any one tell you
that it's because there are so
many unattractive women in the world
all women are beautiful to the mas
culine eye Don't listen to the old tale
that it's social condition due to choice
the human being who deliberately elects
single life is one in twenty or thirty thou
sand or SO. No; it's because while the die
tionary definition of the word beau is "a
man who is suitor to, is attentive to,
lady; lover; swain the definition OF
many parents with daughters is "a young
cub; young scoundrel an upstart'
When a young man, dressed in his best
buds. sends up his card to a young lady
whose parents hold this view he is treated
accordingly.
"A certain man, now married, went to call
for the first time on a young lady he had
known from boyhood. They had grown up
together. had attended the same school,
had lived in the same neighborhood and the
two families had been intimately acquaint-
ed for years. Yet the young couple had not
been in the parlor five minutes when the
mother entered. gave her finger tips to the
young man she had often held on her lap
as youngster. then calmly draw back the
portieres between the front and the rear
couple in the rear room and stayed there
while the young man remained
Naturally, that wasn't long. AS soon as
he could do SO, without giving offense. he
made his excuses and exit He never went
back. The mother frequently wondered
why to the young mans mother, and. pre-
sumably to her daughter. Whether she
found out | don't know, but do know that
the girl is still unmarried and likely to re-
main SO for some time TO come since she
is now considerably past-but l forgot my
self.
Another mother, who was blessed with
two daughters. would never think of al
lowing one to receive a trousered caller
unless the other were present. and when
ever young man endeavored to be par
ticularly attentive and requested the COM
pany of one of the girls on a walk or at
the theater, the mother always insisted on
the other girls being included, on the
ground that she did not allow either of her
children to be alone with man. no matter
who he was. No young likes crowd
about when he is calling on girl and SO
today the daughters, instead of making
be Interested in kindergarten work and
other peoples babies.
TT strikes me that almost as soon as
some parents have daughters intrusted to
their care they begin to plan how best they
can make old maids of them. Rhadnor and
his wife made me think that this is so.
They have a daughter, Margery. eleven
years old. in public school, in love with her
dolls and without SO much as a glance for
the little boys along the street. Yet some
such conversation as this frequently occurs
between her parents. according to the
wifes reports to her friends:
Will
Ugh?
"Will. what will we do If the child
should ever get the silly notion put into her
head that she must have a boy calling on
her some time?
What! Just let me catch any young
scoundrel-
And VIII. what If some man should
try to induce her to get married at the age
l did? Nineteen-just think of it! 1t would
be dreadful-simply dreadful
Do you hear me? If any young up
start
And Rhadnor. as he throws his arms
around and pounds upon the table by way
of emphasis, shouts out the various terri
BILE things he will surely do to the young
man who dareS to ask if Miss Rhadnor is
in. some eight or ten years hence.
Unless Miss Margery's parents expert
ence change of heart in the meantime it's
more than probable that the child will fig
ure prominently In an elopement before
she is thirty, for she Is already possessed
of much spirit. And let me add right here
that If she does elope hers will not be the
first elopement directly traceable to par
ents' treatment of beaus.
Every one of old Parker'S daughters
eloped. One day, when he was in a par