Evening star., 1936-02-29
% WOMEN OF TODAY NEED THEIR LEAP YEAR PRIVILEGES?
Traditional Permission
To Pop the Question
Is No Longer Required
Legendary Origin of the Ceremony Is At
tributed to St. Patrick and St. Bridget
Themselves.

finally, after much wrangling, one year
out of every four was established as
the golden era. Furthermore, st. Pat
rick, in an apparent burst Of gener-
osity, told st. Bridget that he would
make that particular year leap-year,
which, he said, was the longest one
of the lot" st. Bridget, still not real
izing the true state of affairs, promptly
popped the question" herself, to st.
Patrick, who politely, but firmly, re-
fused: he consoled her, however, by
a kiss, and by the gift of a silken
gown. (The old tale, apparently, en-
tirely overlooks the inability of those
in religious orders to marryD
The legend is somewhat borne out
by the following old laws and regula-
tions which have come t. light. deal
ing with the observances of leap year.
In the year 1888, in Scotland, 1t was
ordained that in each year known as
"lepe yeare" every lady of high or low
estate should have liberty to "bespeak"
any man she chose; if he refused to
accept her as his lawful welded wife
he should be taxed in the sum of FL,
or less, depending upon the size of his
fortune.
A FEW years later similar law was
= passed in France, and just before
Columbus sailed for the New World
the same privilege was accorded the
young women of Genoa and Florence.
In England, the observance of leap
year was accepted as simply unwritten
law. The ladies were accorded the
privilege of proposing, and up to a
century ago man still was expected
to present the fair one with a silk
gown if he was so ungallant as to
refuse her hand.
Nowadays the situation is taken so
lightly that the real meaning OF the
old customs has all but disappeared.
We 60 to leap year dances, where the
girls "cut in on" the men; few hardy
souls venture to ask men to take them
to dinner or a show, without waiting
for hint from the sterner sex Gas a
matter of fact, this latter trick is not
confined to leap year any longer).
X 4 X X
THE truth is that women don't need
leap year any more. AS far as
proposing marriage is concerned, any
daughter of Eve that wants man for
husband can give notice of her in
tentions just as surely as If she got
down on one knee and asked him
right out" to marry her. The coy
ness and the patience on a monu-
ment" attitude have gone out of FASH
ion along with the notion that wom-
ans place is in the home, though the
majority of women still prefer to draw
veil of coquetry across the face OF
the proposal. But they take good care
that the victim does not get away from
them through the meshes of the veil.
and there is always excellent visibility
from their view of the situation.
And women don't need just one year
in which to assert themselves in other
ways, either. They are asserting them
selves every day of every year. and one
by one the frontiers to the mans world
fall before their encroachment. Slow.
ly, but surely, the field of manly en-
deavor is becoming their very own,
and soon there will be no place where
the beleaguered male can creep to lick
the sores of his wounded self f-esteem.
Unless, perhaps. before very long,
the women make generous gesture,
and turn the privileges of leap year
over to the men.