Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-07-14
BEWARE OF THE WIDOWS.

According to Government statistics,
recently gathered, widows have q
Claim to be considered the most for tn
nate aud happIest of women. In fact,
they ought to be regarded as consti.
tutlng q class by themselves in re-
spect to certain noteworthy advaut-
ages which they enjoy over all others
OF their sex. They receive moro at
tention from the men than do the
maidens, aud their expectation of
marriage is greater. In addition,
while possessing larger freedom an
getting more iun out of life, they
exhibit tendency to q superior lon
gevity. Widows, AZ shown by the Of
ticial figures, live longer than any
| other human beings.
Matrimonislly speaking. widows are
the most dangerous enemies against
which the maidens are obliged to con.
tend. 1t is shown by the statistics re-.
ierred to that for every 1000 bachelors
who would fairly fall to their lot, as
compared with spinsters, 1925 are
married by widows. In other words,
where forty maidens succeed in cap
turing an equal number of bachelors,
as many will fall victims to the bow
and spear Of the widows, with one in
addition-suppOsing that widows and
spinsters are equal numerically. Wild
ows marry oftener than spinsters do,
aud when it comes to widows between
the ages Of 20 and "A 1t seems to he
almost hopeless for the girls to enter
the field against them. 81 much more
clever are theyIn the exercise oi those
destinations which lure man into y
proposal.
When it is realized that every widow
married means one old maid the ser
iousness OF the problem becomes man.
ifest. 1t is q marvel indeed that there
has not already been open rebellion on
tho spinsters' part against the present
condition of affairs. Ii it be askep
why the widows enjoy better expec.
tation of marriage than the maidens,
an explanation is easily offered. A
widow has had experience which en-
abes her to play upon and cater to
the weaknesses OF the masculine crea.
ture. She is able to admit the man
to closer intimacy without exciting
gossip than the maiden can, and she
is free to take more Of the initiative in
the wooing. She makes it her bust.
ness to entertain the man whereas the
girl expects to be entertained.
There are according to the Govern.
ment figures nearly three times as
many widows in this country as wild
overs. For this fact there are two
reasons: First, that women, generally
speaking, live longer than men; and
second, that as rule they marry
men older than themselves. 1t is very
important that spinsters should realize
that widowers are the best marrying
men. The chances OF a widower's re.
marrying are always greater than that
of bachelors marrying, and OF all
men those most disposed to matri.
mony, as proved by the statistics, are
widowers between the ages OF ~ and
81. President Roosevelt married his
second wife, now the lady OF the
White House, during that critical
period.
One has only to look back through
history to find that many of the mos'
famous men have chosen widows fol
their wives. Martha Custs was a
widow when George Washington mar
ried her, and so likewise was the beau
tful Mrs. Robard when she became
the bride of Andrew Jackson: The
first and last wives of Henry VII
Catherine of Arragon and Mrs. Parr
were widows.