Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-12
PROPOSALS OF MARRIAGE BY WOMEN,
One of the Days Best Cartoons.
ny EItI:DI:ItII j. IINSkIN


II YOU arc a od-looling bachelor
with Il regular income. now is the time
10 beat Il strategic retreat. This Wear
Is leap year, and certain members o.
the far sen have laid out :, radical
program.
Tn" first news from the nrng line
comes from Michigan. Last week At
N"unS woman WAS married in that
state. who advertised for "a husband
selected him from a flock OF applicants
and then proposed to him. She be-
iicv,s that women have not only the
right but the duty "f making use Of
their special privileges this year. and
sh. has the courage Of her convictions
Even up in conservative New Eng
land, the Who'll" senior class in one OF
the womcu's colleges unanimously in
d"rs"d tn" lcap-ycar principle Z, few
days ago. I'll. class prcsidcu, Is cred
!t"d with the statement that 1T is as
far behind modern progress for a ,.irI
|" sit waiting Tor tho man she wants
10 prop"s, 10 hcr--a thing he may new
or pluck up courage enough TO do-as
Tor hcr 10 promise To obey him |
could never respect q man sut'icicn,l,
10 marry him unless he had made me-
teci that h" WAS worth asking for"
Suffrage Lenders Dnctrinc.
Mrs. lncz Milholland Eoisscyaiu. a
suffrage leader aud peace propagaudIs,.
urges every woman TO "Ncrcis. her
!cap-Nc"r privilege in 1916 Sh" states
frankly that sh" proposed 10 Mr.. Euis-
scr"in, not once hut three times. be
fore he accepted. she considered IL her
duty to take such q coulsc. she says
h"cnus" lay securing a happiness tha,
would broaden and enrich her life. she
made IL Of greater value to the worl,l
Iic, husband confirms her statement in
tho matter. AMI adds that Nc owes his
pr"s"rt happiness To the courage and
perseverance" OF tho woman who IS nov
his wife. - hc had formerly a stron,;
disinclinati"n toward marriage
Mrs EoisSuvaiu's statement Of hcr
position * the subject of much heated
discuss ion, both in aud outside Of sur
fraSe circles. Numbers Of women are
coming forward To oNprcss the couvic-
zion that IL is more w"tuaniy ailJ dig
niii"d openly 10 admit preference for
- man than 10 employ any OF tho ira
ditioull. in!iroct methods 10, ciptur.
irr hi" regard ana, iucidrutally him
S"lf NJ least three other voting SUI
rraEc leaders arc said TO have follow
cd Mrs. EoisScvniu'S advice ulrcndN
ono Of them announced that sic had
done the proposing at the same time
that sh" announced her arrangement.
In Chicago there Is = regularly or
=anizcd MilhoIlaud Eoisscvain Cluh.
composed OF sin young women or
wealth and nigh social position. wh"
nave pledged themselves IN max. good
use q! their privileges this year Tho
ncw stand is being ,akcn up by tho
more advanced young women all over
tho country.
That thcr" is any connection between
the spread OF the feminine marriage
proposal and the spread "f suffrage
most OF the suNragi@is cmphaticallv
deny The census records for 1872,
which include the marriage records
have not yet been compiled. hut some
Observers claim that when these fix
Urcs arc made public they will show
marked increase in the marriages in
New York and several other cities
where suffrage has recently made no.
table progress The sumrapist lead
crs, however, say that the majority o.
women who arc working for political
equality do not show Il tendency to
propose marriage either during leap
year or any other time. While certain
individuals arc prominent in both
movements these suifragistS sec them
as quite without other connection.
Leap Year and Marriage.
If there is a notable increase in the
number Of marriages this year. il will
lie the first leap year with such u rec
ord to show. The statistics for 1912
arc not available, however. ana 1905
lies back in the dim past, times go
nowadays. The year OF 1900 showed
an actual decrease OF $1,000 maria gca
over 1903, but 1901 was year Of hard
times. The United states has always
leaned toward the conservative side in
IN" matter OF women proposing mar
rage, because over here the male and
female elements OF population are
more nearly balanced. Europe even
under normal conditions. has had more
Of these reversed proposals than we.
IN Europe before the war there wcro
100000 more women than mon. Af-
ter tho war it is easy to imagine what
the situation VIII he. Just how they
will deal with IL is already tho sub
icct of endless speculation. hut as So
biologists see IL, proposals coming, from
the feminine side will be Il common
place. Such n wholesale example can
not fail to have ita effect in America.
II will accustom MS 10 tho now ideas
and give is n chance TO sec how they
work.
Most OF our dealing with tho uues-
ton go far has bccn rather OF a Jest
ing nature and leap year has given