The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-05-07
PICK An IDEAL WIFE,
OLD FASHIONED GIRL FAvORITE
WITH CHICAGO MEN.
One Hundred and Ten Answers to
Inquiries; Large Majority Insisted
Young Lady Must Be Good
Cook; Very Few Want a Cling
ing Ivy; Must Be Able to Darn
Socks; Look Pleasant All Time.

Chicago, May Middle aged bache
Tors, widowers, and young unmarried
men to the number of more than 100
who have felt the call of springtime,
"when young mans fancy lightly
turns to thoughts of love-" Sunday
night made frantic appeals for wives
that is, the ideal kind-through the
Rev. D. ID. Vaughan at the Halsted
street Institutional church
The letters of many of the SWANS,
all describing in detail the qualifica-
tons of the women whom they desired
as helpmeets, were read to an APP
preciative congregation by the pastor
of the church. DR.. Vaughan preached
his regular Sunday evening sermon on
the subject of the Ideal Wife" His
material he obtained from the letters
which he read
While the qualifications for wivesto
be were varied and amusing in many
cases, it was evident most of the men
who wrote to the pastor were serious
in their requests. Every man wrote
that he did not wish his wife to be a
college graduate, nor clubwoman, nor
reformer. Neither was it considered
essential that she be pretty or tai
ented. What every man wanted was
an ''old fashioned girl
Pastor Questioned Them.
Last week DR.. Vaughan sent out a
list of questions to several hundred
unmarried men to ascertain the pre-
vailing opinion as to what the ideal
wife should be. He said in his SER
mon, however that most of the men
evidently had mistaken him for a
matrimonial agent" The following
were the questions which inspired the
appeals from the unmarried:
Must she be pretty?
Must she be a good cook and a
neat housekeeper?
Must she be stylish?
Must she be vivacious or quiet?
Must she be society or home
girl?
Must she be college girl?
Must she be talented?
Do you prefer the "new" woman or
the old fashioned kind?
Must she be club woman or a
reformer or interested in politics?
Do you want clinging ivy or a
sturdy oakg
Out of the 10 men who answered
the letters only three wanted pretty
wives. All insisted that the accept
able girl be good cook and neat
housekeeper. Only two men wanted
a stylish wife More of them wanted
her vivacious rather than quiet. All
of them insisted on her being al
"home girl" The prevailing opinion
seemed to be against society women
reformers, or those interested i'm poll
tics
Several men were partial to ''cling
ing vines" while others thought it
would be good idea if they could
was amply able to keep them well in
hand
Forget Age and Enter List.
One of the letters which created some
Spokane, Wash.
81 am a widower, so years Old
he wrote. "That may seem old, but II
want to tell you | am as active as cat
am fairly well to do and am amply
able to support wife in comfort. She
need not be young, but I do insist
on her having good disposition and
being a good cook. | have not met
my ideal woman for five years, so if
you can find her for goodness sake let
me know immediately
A bachelor of the stately age of
sixty-ive appealed for wife in plain
but honest terms.
81 don't expect to get a pretty girl
or a rich girl" he wrote. ct will not
he necessary for her to love me, either
If you know of girl who would
rather be an old mans darling than
young mans slave, kindly put me next
at your earliest opportunity"
Knows Many; Not the One.
Regarding the domestic qualiica tions
of the women who were wanted as
wives many of the writer's went out
side of the questions sent them by
DIR. Vaughan. One young mamie
said he as just past 2l-wrote as fol
lows:
81 am not particular about the girl
| marry being pretty. / think most
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