The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-12-29


Women Have a Right to Propose,
They Want to- So the Judges Decided
A. very large audience, composed of more fe
males than males, attended the meeting las
Saturday night of the Sweet Air Lyceum, tt
listen to discussion of this subject: THAT
It would be better for mankind If women
were accorded equal rights to propose matri
mony." The Judges, com posed of two women
and three men, voted 4 to in favor OF the
fair sex.
Messrs. Elmer Price and Marritt G. Rasin
took the affirmative side and Messrs. Edward
j. Coean, Jr.. of the Baltimore bar, and
Walter r. McComas. of the Belair bar, argued
for the negative. The speakers confessed they
had never proposed or had proposal made
to them.
/. Mr.. Price started out by declaring himself
the champion of the ladies. He said all the
unwritten laws of society are unjust to the girl.
Girls are taught to be dignified, while the
boys are taught to make advances" he said.
Is it right that girls should sit home Sunday
nights until their hair grows gray?'
Mr.. Price said they should have the right to
visit their male friends. He thought women
should have equal rights with the men in
voting. In fact. he thought they should have
all the rights accorded men, and especially the
right of selecting proper helpmates. He said
that ifthe girls stayed at home and had brothers
OF retired disposition, or none at all, they
would lose their beauty and become old and
wrinkled. The pretty girls. he argued, have
lots of company, while homely girls are not so
lucky. Often a girl sees man she loves and,
not having the right to approach him, loses
her chance of getting husband.
Mr. Rasin said the custom in the old days
was for the lords of the manors to select hus
bands for their daughters, but times have
changed; people have adopted new ideas, and
he could see no reason why the women should
not propose.
In his argument Mr.. Colgan urged that wo-
man should not mix in politics. He admitted
she should have her independence, but argued
that she should cultivate ideas of home life,
and if she did so she would become more
popular with the men than by being forward.
He said woman was the greatest creature God
llad put on earth, and men should geek her.
s Mr.. McComas thought it would tend to
lessen the spirit of chivalry and admiration
man has for woman for her to take the liberty
of proposing Mans nature was inclined to be
conceited and if women were to propose to
him his conceit would have no bounds. He
declaredthat woman's activity in politics and
other matters had not increased her standing
in the eyes of man, and said her true sphere
was the home.
After the debate Mrs. Schmalhorst, wife of
Rev. w. j.. Schmalhorst, sang solo; Mr..
Thomas Burk gave a humorous reading;
Miss Eleanor L. Green and Mr.. Elmer Price
recited and Mr.. Elmer r. Halle, president of
the lyCeum, TeaO. MeSSIS' OOlSdu anu MI
Comas made short talks.
President Halle announced that challenge
had been received from the fancy Club, of
the Baltimore Law School, for joint debate
with the lyceum on Saturday night, January
18th, on the japanese school question in Cali
fornia. He also announced that special ex-
ercises will be held Saturday night, December
10Th, it being the last meeting in the Old Year.
THE SUNG COMMENT ON THE DEBATE.
last Saturday night was great time for the
Sweet Air Lycenm of Baltimore county. The
resolution debated was "that it would be bet
ter for mankind if women were accorded equal
rights to propose matrimony" There was a
large audience, with women in the majority,
and the gentlemen who maintained the mega
tive exercised such degree of tact as to be void
of offense. Mr.. Elmer Price and Mr.. Marriott
G. Rasin took the affirmative. They are both
of them young bachelors, and the speech that
each one made was fearful plea to some young
woman to take pity on the speaker and rescue
him from his miserable estate. But young
man who has not sufficient courage to pop the
question need never expect that any girl will
want him. IF, however, any girl should take
a fancy to either of them she will have not the
slightest difficulty in getting him. Nature has
endowed the girl with certain faculties which
make it entirely superhuous for the Sweet Air
lyceum to adopt the resolution in question.
The Baltimore girl can do more talking with
her eyes in a minute than whole sewing So
ciety can do with their tongues in a sitting.
SIS it right" Mr.. Price asks in somewhat
tragic style, "that girls shouldsit at home Sun
day nights until their hair grows gray p Long
sojourning at home on Sunday nights, he be-
lieved, will finally result in wrinkles. For our
part, we believe all this sympathy is wasted.
1t is far pleasanter to be asked than to ask.
And, then, consider the embarrassing position
a man would be in ifsome lady should ask him
to be hers. He might have previous engage
ment or he might not love the lady, and yet he
could not possibly reject her without being
guilty of extreme rudeness. He could not even
plead that it was so sudden. The generally &C
cepted theory is that marriages are made in
heaven, and if that is true, we need not trouble
ourselves about who shall propose. Mr.. Wal
ter r. McComas, of the Belair bar, contended
for the status quo the existing order. He said
that men are already intolerably conceited,
md If a woman should ask one of them to
marry her be would 60 thenceforth through
life with proud look and high stomach ex-
ceedingly and would become public nuisance
to be abated. Upon the whole, we are of the
opinion that the Sweet Air club had better al
low things to remain little longer as they
are"