The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-04-30
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Why Single Girls Fail
Where widows
Win.
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occasion gave the solemn advice to
his son, the irrepre s3ible Sam OF
"Pichwick" fame. "Samivel, my boy.
beware OF vidders." But it is evident.
Judging from the number Of widows
who set married every year, that the
average man is inclined 10 pay little
heed to Old Tony's warning. This IS,
perhaps, because widows have I'M
| proved in character and disposition
somewhat since the Pichwicklan
days, or maybe their wiles and fas-
cinations have become stronger and
I more irresistible.
What1>er the reason, the fact re
mains that widows frequently win
/ husbands where spinsters fail, and,
according to official returns, there IS
a growing disposition on the part OF
| the sterner sex to share their homes
and fortunes with ladies who have
! already had some experience Of mar
! ried life. Probably the fact that
! widows previous knowledge OF men
and matrimony secures for her an
/ advantage over her single sisters mas
! a great deal to do with this rather
! surprising state of affairs. Much
/ married happiness is often frittered
! away before the average husband ana
! wife get to understand the vagarles
of opposite sexes. And this, as
| the celebrated Mark Twain has oo-
served, lis just where the widow
comes in. She has served her ap-
premiership, and has parted with her
| illusions, SO that the man she con-
descends to marry has a fair start.
Undoubtedly men are attracted to-
wards women who understand them.
and no one knows this better than
the widow herself. What widow, for
instance, ever objects to smoking!
She knows a man loves his cigar or
pipe of tobacco. Therefore she
makes study of man in order to
gain knowledge of his likes and dis
likes and never neglects an oppor-
tunity of catering to his whims, A
widow has the happy knack OF being
more anxious to please than to be
pleased, and as very many men have
a weakness for little adulation, she
invariably succeeds in her object.
She is wise enough, too, not to
argue with the man whom she would
like to be something more than
friend, or, if she does, she contrfves
to convey in a fascinating manner the
impression that she is convinced he
is right. She is aware that argu-
ments are the crypt of friendship.
and the everlasting doom of love.
She knows that when a man leaves
his office or workshop he Is DESTROYS
of leaving there all worries and per-
plexities, with the result that she
does not try to force her opinions on
him.
It is often said that widows angle.
or run after men; but in five cases
out of six the accusation is an I'M
Just one, the real truth being that
their popularity causes men to really
run after them instead OF vice versa.
AS a rule widow Is so sympathetic
and gracious to all her male friends.
seeming to so thoroughly understand
their fancies and feelings, that they
instinctively seek her society.
She may, or may not, care to enter
the bonds of wedlock once more, but.
having grown accustomed to hus-
hands comradeship, she enjoys the
society of other men. She enters
into their pleasures as far as she pos
sibly can, and endeavors at all times
to make them feel as comfortable
and "at home in her presence as
they would in that of men compan-
ions. What is more, a widow invart-
ably shows herself to be of an econ
omical turn Of mind, the result of her
former marriage experience. She
knows the value Of money; that the
most elastic dollar only contains one
hundred cents, and no one can make
! it go further than she.
Consequently, If anything were
needed to convince a man of a WI
dow's fitness to be his wife. it would
be her practical and sensible views
on economy.
It is, however, as a practical wOm-
an that a widow appeals most for
chilly to a man. He feels convinced
that by marrying her he will be sure
to have obtained wife who can
manage a home. OF course, to some
men the thought that another man
had once held first place in the wifes
! affections would be great objection
to marriage with widow. But men
hold the reputation Of being proverbi-
| ally selfish. and when it comes to