Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-03-25

on a girl without first thoroughly
convincing her of his permanent, his
unassailable bachelorhood. He is
very reluctant to take her out eX-
cept as part of group.
The Cautious Correspondent
His social notes, in fact all his let
ana propriety. Even from the flowers
that he sometimes charity bestows the
sentiment is carefully explained away.
Chaperoned. fortified, protected at
every point, the professional bachel or
really does work hard, poor man, for
the freedom and security that he so
greatly values.
We don't admire him. any of us.
.. But we must admit that for this eN-
E aggerated attitude of his he himself
can't be wholly to blame. One or two
women must at some time or other
have frankly courted him before he
came to believe himself an object of
desperate pursuit by the entire sex.
One invitation too many from the
over-eager mother of daughter
scheduled to marry young-one smile
too many from a thoughtless. admira-
tion-loving girl - and the prudent
cover for the rest of his life.
There was a day, we all know.
when carly marriage, to any eligible
man that could be shared by diplo-
for woman. The more conscientious
a mother might be the more faithfully
did she spread snareS to secure hus-
bands for her dauhgters.
Now this system has been dying
out for some time. Daughters aren't
as passive as they used to be, and
they don't look TO their parents to
,.marry them on" They don't be
be married as young as possible and
that almost anybody who can support
them Will answer as husband. The
modern girl hopes to marry. But not
N Ntfr l,N a
meanwhile she has other plans, inter
ests activities-hosts of them.
Decline of misunderstanding
She's student, or wage-earner,
she's beginning a career She enjoys
meeting men and having them for
friends. But that old-time pressure
has been removed. 1t isn't demanded
fore she is twenty. Therefore the
husband question has dropped out of
her mind. and she is far from seeing
a possible husband in each new man
she encounters.
But the professional bachelor seems
not to have realized how greatly con-
ditions have changed. He doesn't un-
derstand the independence of the
modern girl. or dream how little she
menaces that complete freedom of
his. He still thinks Of her as bent
on capturing n husband by the end
of the weekly fair means or other
wise And therefore he still raises his
dCtenses at her innocent approach.
Husband hunting. once the serious
business of every unmarried woman,
Is now, however. so thoroughly out
of-date that before long | believe even
the professional bachelor will become
aware OF its decline-even in Wash
iEgtCn.
1t will be hard for him to believe.
He'll be shy for long time. He'll go
armed even after he's become con-
WINGED it's unnecessary. 1t will be
years. perhaps, before he can look
in a woman's face without secretly
fearing that she regards him as her
legitimate prey.
It's true that the professional
lachelor. if you talked to him in any
such fashion as this. would offer one
defense. He would say that he is
misunderstood. that he had always
expected to marry-somebody.
All he's waiting for is the super
lative woman-young. radiant. almost
divine. of dazzling beauty and vast
colder dowrv. That's the woman he
would be willing to marry. And he be-
lieves. ncor man. that he could ac-
ccmplish it.
It's rather touching, isn't it, Per-
laps we should be indulgent to tive
professional bachelor. after all We
shall not see much more of him.