Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-12

more material TO tho paragrapher and
til" "ColyumiSt" than To tho writer on
American social conditions. To this
general rule there Is one notable OK
ccpiluu. one OF tho biggest thinrs In
our nationa! history, OF course, WAS
the winning OF the West. The West
was won largely by the homcstcadcr
VINO stdked out his little $50 acres and
stuck tn IL through Hood. drought. In
dian raid and financial panic. And only
those who know the subject intimate
~ know how often the plucky home
st,adcr was woman. often She
found that the task She had tackled
was beyond her strength She could
not hire man To help her because
propricty forbade. SO she married one
instead And such marriages include
an unusually high proportion OF hap
~ ones Not q single divorce is on
record among them, and tho children
arc. rs a ruic, healthy and Intelligent.
So feminine proposals have at leas, a
precedent in our past.
Whnt Arc Men to 10.
II women arc going 10 take up pro-
posing. tn" question arises as to what
the men are going 10 do about IT, 4
man docs not count \ rejection as
very serious matter Popular girls go
abont collecting proposals as the Iro-
Iu"is OF old collected scalps. II IL
still! too carly in the gam" FOR the most
popular bachelor TO do anything like
that II a dcbuiantc proposes to him.
they must both regard IL as a humilia-
ton :or her II she is rejected 80 II
he hc chivalrously inclined he may
marry her whether ne wants to or
not The tendency is to regard tho
@irl who proposes as a heroine, who
should be properly rewarded But oil.
Ni"USlN. II woman ~ going in FOR pro-
p"s"ls, Sh" must u" prepared for fire.
VUcut "Jc"tipns-SUch as mon hay.
been getting for 5000 or 1000 wears.
ia this respect, mon arc better of
today than they once were Look
at TINS. for instance: 81, IS nr,i,int
that during tho rein OF her maisthlisst
niaScste for ilka year known Az lcape
wear. iika hayden OF bottle high aud
lowe c*tait shall hac tho liberty 10
bespoke the man she likes !Nbci, he
refuses her he shall hc iuuictcd In -
SUNNI" of 600 "r less as his cstait
may h". except he can make il apporr
that h" - hctrothit>to anither woman"
thus law VAS enacted in Scotland in
VIC reign OF queen MARGARET. ani a
number ~ Instances where II was on
forced arc SIN on record in Scottish
pttiSh'S
\ similar law was in effect In old
Franc" in the thirteenth century, ami
Florence and Genoa In Italy. at the
.''-'FN''' - ''''li IL tiSlI' 'tllf tOlnnCTC"i
rrcdominamce. had statutes 10 the
same effect. queen isabella Of Spain
was trying to have such a statute in
c"rporatcd int" the laws uf the king
dom when Columbus sailed
English Lcap-irnr Customs,
lh"i" is no record of tho actual pas
sage Of such law in England hat
II was recognized there as sort OF
len non Observation-Disclosures law An
authority Of the sixteenth century .ava
tIat as every lcapc year does return.
the ladycs have the privilege OF max
ing love hothc bv words and looks
as TO them sccmcth proper. and no man
shall he entitled TO tho benefit OF cIcr-
~ who shall treat her proposal with
slight or contumcly." AS late as 1856
the man who rejected girls leap
year proposal in England was expect
ed TO huy her a silk dress
OF late years writer's and philoso-
phcrs in all countries have been trying
To expose as Il fallacy tho traditional
id":. that womans part in coUriship *
that OF tho fugitive and mans that OF
the purSucr. Bernard Shaw gave the
new idea its most striking and definite
form in the play that sums up his
philosophy. Man and Supcrman." In
this play the heroine chaScs tho hero
over half Of Europe in an automobile.
with tho result that he finally marries
her. though along with his desire for
her he keeps to the last an almost
( equally strong desire to escape. what
ever may be tho final merits Of Shaw's
philosophy in tho matter, it cpitomizcd
much serious thought Of tho now TWEEN
tcth century. and as such il was re-
ccivcd and discussed
SO the stand few women have taxi
on whether il he right or wrong. is
| entitled to something more than liI
mor"us consideration. This Is the day
when big forces arc astir. and any
surface indication OF tho trend OF the
currents beneath is worthy OF serious
| attention.