The National tribune., 1908-09-17

perennial interest. If your luncheon
party drags and your guests appear
rather listless, start the subject of mat
marriage are subjects no woman ever
gets tired talking about, and are abso-
lutely 7fnexhaustible. In this country a
maideuais supposed to show no sign OF
the passion which is consuming her, If
it is, but to wait patiently until her
be his. 1t is a dishonest, misleading
custom, and frequently results in blast
ed hopes and the throwing away OF
much valuable time, for Nine Grundy
demands that this delicate point shall
be gradually approached, and only after
an acquaintance of more or less length.
In many other countries both boys and
girls are given a much better show, and
some of these marriage customs, besides
being far more honest, are very pretty.
In the more remote Swiss cantonS Is
held what is known as the feast of the
garlands The marriageable girls as
semble at sunset wearing a wreath of
flowers on their heads and carrying a
bouquet tied with bright ribbon. They
dance, sing and make merry, and the
lad who is specially attracted by some
particular girl picks a flower from her
bunch .,ne pretends not to notice him.
: but if she has taken a corresponding
fancy to him she throws the bouquet
inside the door of his cabin on her way
home, which is considered equivalent
to an acceptance. In another part of
the world they have a still prettier way
of selecting mates. The girls wishing
to marry meet in the market place. In
front of each is a lighted lamp. The
attracted youth blows upon the flame,
putting ii out. If the girl relights II
she viii have none of him, but if she
leaves it alone the implied offer is ac-
cepted. What nicer or more desirable
way of murmuring the fateful yes" or
mo- could there be? Or, better still,
how easy, simple and direct is this ex-
: tremely difficult and delicate matter
made for the sterner sex. There is no
doubt but that many more men would
propose il they could do it in some such
way as this. The difficulty of getting
the courage up to the speaking point
deters many a bashful man from putting
the all-important question oft-times un-
til it is too late Tho the girl may
cleverly bring the conversation around
to the desired topic. and assist him in
every way possible consistent with
maidenly dignity, the words stick in his
throat, and he cannot get them out OF
his system. Decidedly we need in this
country the pretty custom of the lighted
hmp.
All questions have two sides. No re-
form was probably ever accomplished
that did not lead to some undesirable
results. Man that is horn of woman is
: far from perfect, and all human insti-
tutions faulty and unsatisfactory. The
best we can do is to do as we'll as we
can, and 10 strive for that happy mean
IN making our laws, for that safe and
sane middle course which is a compro-
mise between extreme conservatism and
radicalism. Now it is said that the
Iixaye of prohibition which is sweeping
over the country has been followed b!
a greater evil than intemperance, Ii
possible, that of the drug habit: thai
those unfortunate persons, men ant
women, whose craving for stimulant:
has outgrown their powers of resistance
/: being deprived CT liquor: have taken tt
cocaine, morpa g and opium. DR.
Hamilton z. Wight, one of the three
United States Commissioners appointed
to the international Opium Congress tt
meet in Shanghai next Winter. and who
has made exhaustive investigations witt
regard to the use OF opium in this coun
TN, says l1dI he mas lOuHu lHt III us
habit much further advanced in th'
prohibition States than in those which
have not adopted anti-liquor laws. il
the Massachusetts Penitentiary he fount
that 10 per cent of the prisoners wer,
opium ''fiends." There is probably no
the slightest danger OF the opium habi
spreading among our people as il has il
China, yet the evidence of its showin'
any strength whatever is disquieting
In c
knows, but even the babitual whisky o
beer drinker has his sober periods whei
his mental powers, such as they are
seem unimpaired, and his sense of dut
as a citize.. not entirely destroyed. H
may be brute to his family and neg
iect his work when drank, and hi
sprees may be frequent, but betweel
times he has possession of his faculties
and is possible subject for redemp
= ton. But your opium fiend is lost fron
the moment he yields to the fatal fas
cination of the drug. The mind almos
at once becomes affected when the habi
has been formed, and the moral sense
- quickly blunted, soon disappears entire
ly. Nothing makes any difference at a.
to the victim of the drug habit. Low
. of family, esteem of friends, social po
sition, wreck of fortune, nothing ca
- touch him further-al may go SO lon
as he can get his opium, morphine. co
caine or whatever thedrug may be whic
he has allowed TO become his master
Therefore, If II develops that prohibl
tion has attracted from his lair ne'
monster TO be fought with, the temper
ance people or some other class of re
81. formers will have to get out their sword
and make ready TO slay him, il indee
he can be slain.
Who does not feel throb of symps
thy for the park lovers, for the coupl
occupying about 1-16th of the empt
seat in the dark corners of our park
oblivious to ali that is going on aroun
them, and content with the innocer
bliss of holding hands? Yet Bostol
:. our pride and joy. the seat OF cultui
and home of the delectable baked beal
las shown itself absolutely hard
heart and devoid of sympathy for II
? tender passion by issuing an order tn;
ell couples found after a certain hol
in the parks, bearing any signs
Courting shall be imprisoned and fine
This is pretty hard on the girls ar
boys OF Boston, whose fauOrite time Il
counting is the good old Summer tim
and who want to get away from u
parental eye to do il. No place SO re
Ommends itself for this purpose as Il
cool, shady park, where the soft air
the Summer night, gently caressing Il
cheek, naturally tends TO thoughts
love and the encouraging chirp
the cricket lends courage to the falte
ing tongue. Boston is SO occupied wi
the cultivation of its mind that it h
undoubtedly forgotten that il was on
young and liked to sit around on pa
seats and hold the hand of its best g
as well as anyone
d. A-,s,.,.l.s - t1,o yvandorhiIt mon n coon