The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-02-09

sHoity. toityr' said the old-fashioned girl as she threw her paper aside few days ago, after perusfng the foreign news. Its a pity that Japan should have to make such an admission
 What sort of an admission?" said l, looking up and taking notice.
 Why, I've just been reading that the girl subjects of the Mikado have to be taught the first principles of courtship," said she, disdainfully, and in cpnse- quence a courtship course has been added to the curriculum of girls5 secondary schools in Japan
 "The innovation is great pity, which ever way one looks at it. I observed. Its pity for any country to admit that it's girls need to be taught some thing that comes to them as a birthrightt It is all right to teach girls cooking and sewing and how to wash dishes but fancy a man falling in love with girl who ac- cepted his courtship by rules!'
 Exactly my idea" said the old-fash- toned girl. What would become of the spontaneity, the thrill. tho elusiveness. the unexpectedness of love, all of which constitutes it's chief charm, which, all told, is nothing more than an outward and visible manifestation of inward and spiritual rejoicing over the discovery of one's real mate, and should be dragged into the laboratory of one's scrutiny and viewed under the masnifying glass and treated just like any other insignificant, wriggly little germ
 why, you horrid thing" said I, "to talk so.'
 "I mean every word of it," she retort- ed, "and T1n seitimentalist of the deep- est dye, even if I do indulge in pershage occasionally. What would become of that delightful country called Already, where those are wont 10 look at courtship in the beautiful way, and not through the eyes of a prim college professor"
 well, the eyes of the whole world un- doubtedly will be centered upon Japan" said I. At least. the feminine portion of 1t will, for we will be consumed with curi- osity to know what the course will be like.'
 .'So far only a few rules have been given" said the old-fashioned girl, as she reached for the paper that she had dis
 
 place, read:
 The well-bred girl will not hand around her photograph to her admirers; neither will she accept theirs Also that should she be so unfortunate as to fall in love before becoming engaged, she must be careful to conceal the fact, and bear in mind that proposal of marriage can never come from her"
 'crhen I suppose the learned Japanese professors will proceed to give lectures from which the poor little maids of Japan will be required to take copious notes,' suggested. becoming quite interested in the subject. "And when Ko-Ko-Ko-mo asks O. Ma-ean for her photograph before he has proposed 10 her she will write to him that she is very sorry, but she hasn't had a picture taken since she was baby (knowing full well thAt only last week she had some beauties made), and, be- sides, she is unable to gratify his honor able wish, since t is forbidden according to honorable Rule No. 2, Lecture No. 3, of the Honorable Book of Love-
 '.In itself you can see that while 1t ls an excellent rule for propriety u inculcates the first principle of n.y. pocrisy since it teaches tho girl who falls in love to conceal it, said the old . fash toned girl. Tt shows plainly, too, that such rules could never be car ried out with any degree of success h America.
 "The American woman would re- sent nothing sooner than that her Oourtship would have to be carried out by cut and dried rules," said I, and