Year: 1868

In addressing the ladies, the Editor of the :
Petersburg Lider says that he has never known
man address the ladies in public or private
that he did not then and there make fool Of
himself, and we have yet to see one of the sex
masculine who will not admit that even in his
own estimation he cut ridiculous figure, whe.h-
er in response to the toast Dear Woman or
in that critical moment of his life when he man
aged to pop the question. The last seems, in
looking back, to be one of those awful crises Of
life up to which we have dritted or been drawn.
and over which he tided in some awakened and
inexplicable manner, and found himself launch
ed upon the troubous of matrimOny or tho
still waters of single blessedness goiioss


But whether his iady-lOve accepts him or lets
him off easy, few men recall with feeling of
self-complacency that passage in their lives
which separates the smiling days of courtship
from its consequences. The way in which be
reflected it is invariably less suggestive of ad-
dress than the want of it. The fact is that it is
an awkward moment for both parties, aud it ia,
perhaps, more difficult to accept than to perform
gracefully To hit the happy medium between
| the ~ es and thank you too" style, and the
hesitation that amounts almost to q refusal
and yield with the .3 io slr3 ID aiz.4a
Coy submission, modest grace, ..s .s.
| And sweet reluctant amorOus delay"


which characterized the courtship in Eden
Rules for these occasions are perfectly useless,
and somehow the pretty little speeches which
are conned and memorized for such emergencies
never get delivered, and the dumb lover dies
with all that music in him.


| After all, it is best to leave the whole matter
| to that providence 9l
| THAT shapes our ends rough, ,e
| Hew them as we may" r.
and to the girls who have wonderful talent
for interpreting the pantomime and guessing
what fellow would be at. Fortunately for the
| bashful men who meet their fate this year. the
dear girls themselves are allowed to meet them


a little over half way. We advise young gentle


men, therefore, to be cautious how they hold


out signals of distress unless their intentions are


of the most serious kind and their malady has


assumed the malignant matrimonial type.


1t is very unpleasant to lady to find that
she has offered her services in a cure where


they are not needed; and though the feminine
privilege. of leap-year implies the masculine
privilege OF refusal, very few men will have the


hardihood to assert it, and before the year ex-
pires the rash youth who hangs out false signal


may find himself married in spite of himself,


and undergoing the congratulations of his
friends, which will sound to him maryelously
like ironical coincidence.


| When we commenced this chat with our lady
7 friends we had not the remotest idea of getting
| upon these topics OF love and matrimony know


ing how little interest they take In such subjects
We were much inclined to make some OBJ


servations on the weather and indulge them
; with few gttering generaIites on scientific


SUBJECTS but must contenl ourselves Tor want OF


space in referring them to the Encyclopedia


Americana where such subjects are ably treated


under their respective tites and If they vote all


our, talk parcel of pratting nonsense, wescan-


not help it. We never could talk anything but
nonsense to the girl we love, and they may at
tribute our frivoity this morning to a amorlnoni-


tick expansion of the heart which embraces them


all. ~ .bg3a 5 oiss5 i ID ~ sl5