Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1912-01-24
A PRoMIsrN CLAP YEAR.

On the verge Of another leap year
what shall be said TO the bachelor
girl, the new woman. the suffr0gctte
and the millions who are neither, but
plain, simple girls, who, however
new fashioned in every other re.
spcct. are old.fashioned in looking up
aud down the road for the coming
man. At 1901 q. M, on December
81, it became the privilege of any
woman TO pop the question to any
man of her acquaintance. or, per.
haps, 10 one with whom she is not
acquainted. II woman is TO have
equal rights, why should she not, in
leap year. do as some men have done
during the last three years Of mon.
opoly, in stepping mp TO n stranger
OF the opposite sex aud asking; care
you game TO marry met" We should
like 10 see man suddenly con.
fronted with that question, coming
from a handsome woman he had
never been introduced TO and never
saw before.
A writer in the Globe. Democrat re.
marks that the chances are that any
one of us would run. But the ladies,
God bless them, don't always run.
They are Drawer than we, aud now
and then, through the medium of the
divorce courts, we are told Of their
acceptance Of such offers, and OF
their later repentance. II - safe
TO conclude that, IL any man finds
himself proposed to in such way
during the leap year now at hand,
and does not run away In terror, he
too will be sorry and perhaps have
TO tell us all about il on the witness
stand. For, Of surety, the age Of
miracles will not be at an end IL
ever one such marriage turns out
happily. l.,
We do not look 10 see the ladies'
so abuse the great privilege Of pop,
ping the question This is sweet
and precious privilege, indeed, and
one which should every year be with,
in as easy reach Of one sex as the
other. The advance Of unrestricted
suffrage is sure to bring an equal
privilege in this way, but with uni.
versal equal suffrage still some dis
tanee in the future, we wish now to
congratulate the ladies' on the fact
that their year Of jubilee is ut hand.
u promises TO he most suspicious
one. The figures are all favorable,
eloquent and convincing. The excess
in the number Of males over females
in this country, according to the
census now being compiled, is prac.
tieally double what II was ten years
ago. The census of 1900 showed a
surplus Of but little over 4 600, 900
males in the United States. The cen.
sns Of 1911 shows a male surplus Of
practically 100000, or somewhere
between that figure and 100000.
This must be encouraging TO women
who have been looking forward TO
leap year with impatienee. The year
IL now at hand, and with IL u surplus
of men twice as large AS IL was when
leap year dawned eight years ago.
The suffragette may turn up her nose
at the figures. The bachelor girl may
again declare her independence, and
say that she has leaguered herself
with others of her kind, in bachelor
clubs or flathouse organizations, just
to keep the men from bothering her
with proposals. A great many Of
them are pretty enough TO convince
MS. In the great army Of fashionable
young women who still stick to the
old.fashioned womanly wish TO get
married, there win be many who
know that they need not leap year
20 serve their hearts desire. We
have no idea how many women were
looking toward leap year with hope.
There may be many who never think
Of IL otherwise than as good joke.
What we want TO say Is that, IL there
are any who think Of IL seriously, tho
census figures show this 10 be a
more promising leap year than any
in a long time.