The Washington herald., 1911-03-19

| serve the proprieties, and then the pun
ishment for infidelity was death. Hence,
the distinctive manner of her tattoo or
| as il was termed by the natives, 'moko,
might have been the means of warning
| off trespassers. The idea of applying
| anything of that sort to the civilized
women of enlightened America is absurd
and a piece of impertinence."
Another clergyman was greatly amused
| at the thought He laughed heartily as
| he said: DO not use my name please;
but allow me to state that there is no
one woman in a million who would not
| be an abandoned lawbresker if there
really were a law of such a nature. We
| have progressed, tell you. beyond that
| or anything like il. ! marry a goodly
number of persons every year, and in
! most cases / find the bride quite as in
| tent upon her innocent prinking and
| precning TO be sure that she is making
neat and attractive appearance as she
| Is upon the marriage ceremony.
: 1T would be a modern inquistion for
her 70 20 Immediately to the 'tattooing
parlor. or whatever it would be called,
and so forth with her new-made lord
! and master. with her pretty chin forever
disfigUred. She would cvade that law.
and ! am certain that her husband would
be her accomplice every time. As TO the
rubbing of noses in place OF the old
never go any better than the tattooing.
We are too 'sot' in our ways now to
profit by the New Zcalander's zeal for
our welfare.
Legal Point OF view.
\ young attorney who was asked his
opinion took the legal point of view. He
said that there are about 2G.OoO males to
every 1900 females of the natives of
+
a greater demand for women in New
Zealand" he said, and therefore it is
probable that this was done to protect
the husbands and warn the wihess ones
10 keep their distance. What gets to me
is what would happen in the case OF
divorced woman or a bona fide widow
who had been tattoocd at the time of her
marriage.
1t would not seem the fair thing for
her TO go about with the badge of her
former state displayed conspiCuousIy
and nothing to denote her present social
status. Prubab bly,. though. the preacher
has some other pattern to cover the
case. Maybe ne would have the widows
nose tattOOed to indicate that she was
"Sain pokinG it into the matrimonial
game What's that? When she again
married? Good gracious. this is beyond
my depth. The probabilities of the ques-
tion are lmitleSS and the possibilities are
greater and more perpleNinG. I give it
up. But let me tell you this: No woman
is going about advertising herself married
nowadays. and no law can make her"
"A lergymen just said that"
He knew. ANY one would say that. for
they all know. Not that it might not save
a lot of trouble and even tragedy II
there were some definite way of Identify
ing q married woman. There are men
who would not wantonly court a married
woman and ruin her home and reputa-
tion, who are carried along quite in iGno-
rance of the true state of the case until
it is 100 late to 80 back 1t many times
comes up in the divorce cases-I have
mad a few mvsclf-and II seems pity
Then. too. there are women who would
not think of acting the way they do IL
they knew that every one knew they were
married women. They'd be ashamed TO.
think a better solution would be to COM
pei married women to dress differently
than the unmarried women-say for
Heavens sake. don't quote me. I would
not have client in a month afterward.
Eut, Eonest. it's good idea.
Scouts kissing Substitute.
Rubbing noses. Well. that is simply
out of the question entirely. This Mr.
Rawhide or whatever you say his name
is, may make a few out-of-date remarks
about tattooing and such things, but he
won't make any hit interfering with the |
kissing game of civilization.
This rubbing of noses, I see, is de- |
scribed as looking like a kiss, but il |
isn't Our idea CT a kiss is not what it |
appears to he but what it is. It is no |
use to asSail our Old-established institu- |
tions. We have withstOod all the talk !
Of germs and microbes and diseases and |
evils galore, and we'll withstand this |
rubbing-noses reform, as well. Believe |
me-"
So much for the men. There is a young |
woman we'll known in Washington So |
Ciety, who has an opinion which throws !
another light upon the question.
Never Gives Prefix.
Il have a friend" she told us, with |
approaching a giggle, who is !
thirty-eight years old and has never been |
married, and when she goes into a store |
and they ask her name to send her pack |
ages she never gives them any prefix |
SO that the shopgirl who waits on her |
will put Mrs before her name. Now, !
that sounds queer. but really it is so. |
And my own mother-mamma is forty |
fCur-wasN taken for a Miss about a |
year ago-mamma looks awfully young |
you see--and she was just too delighted |
for anything. We made a lot of fun /
of her. but she didn't deny that it made |
her ten years younger. Now, do you |
think it would be right to interfere with |
these little pleasures by labelling all the |
matrons and old maids in that horrid |
way? l do not; for when 1 get married !
shall certainly not go about shouting |
II from the house tops-though. of course |
1 shall not fiirt. 1 hate a married fiirt, |
anyhow"
So when the clergyman from New
Zealand comes to the Capital City TO |
make war on our manners and customs |
he will find a delegation of reasonable |
to show him the error of his |
efforts We had supposed we were pro- |
crossing from the dark and uncivilized |
customs and We still prefer, il appears, |
to believe, that kissing is better than |
noses merely, and the men may I
work out their salvation in some other |
manner than by disfiguring their women's /
faces
SO far as the 'mashers" are concerned. |
Judge Afullowny does not care whether |
a woman is married or single II the |
case is proven. 1t costs Willie just |
as much for making break to a free /
and unattached female as to a married /
woman, and husky brother or father
is quite as severe and unappeasable as
is an irate husband on vengeance bent.