Domestic Life.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 373, 2 July 1903, Page 7

Domestic Life.

A PROyPOSAIi OF, p, j|w|p|HEN a man aaks a girl to be msNffli his wife he is usually ex*S*a*wß tremely anxious for ,the - reply. But there are girls who have the bad manners to dear in evasions, and who never say ' No'' to any man, keep all wooers dancing attendance upon them, , ~ One is sorry'to add that such girls accept presents and other attentions when they know perfectly well in - their own hearts—or apologies for hearts—that|such PBKSENTB AND ATTENTIONS ABK OFFEBED in the hope—never to be realised—of eventually marrying the donee. This is a sort of moral swindling that a nice girl would never dream of lending herself to ; but unfortunately there are thousands of girls with so little elevation of idea that they think it great fun to get all they can out of men in such circumstances. "

The fingers of these dishonourable women will be covered with rings, their wrists loaded with bracelets, their rooms bright with flowers, their days and evenings gay with amusements, all of which they have secured under false pretences,

Dinners at smart restaurants, seats at theatres, pleasant visits to Sandown, Eempton, Hurlingham, Ranelagh, and so on, are offerings. TOO | WELL. APPEGIATED TO BB UCtHTXiT

} and many a man feels buoyed up with hope when such attentions aire accepted month after month, when the poor fellow has hot the least reason W feel elated.

The girl is simply regarding his devotion as a commerial asset, from which she determines to benefit as much as possible. Every right-minded girl or woman regards sueh conduct as this—and rightly regards it—as a slur upon the whole sex.

How one longs that the sharp practitioner! may be;shown how to regard her own conduct in its true light; that she may see how she has turned an honest love into a vehicle of gain! s .. ; <.

Marriage without love is almost a crimei In fact it would be regarded as one if the world were as truei as simple, as sincere as it ought to be. But society has so long wandered in a maze of complexity, and marriage, from monarohs downwards, is undertaken. for such a variety of reasons apart from love that only a few retain the correct impression about it: <■ •■•

And of these few the majority are women or girls who would rather die than marry a man they did not love.

Sir Walter Saotfc knew this well when lie wrote ■ The Bride of L»mmermoor.' His noble t .gentle, true, and tender spirit, awj.re of what love is,,could compute Jae? added horror of a loveless marriage when the victim was a sensitive girl. Parents who force theis daughters to marry men for whom they have no such feeling are as ; guilty as murderers. They kill the happiness of a lifetime; cut down to the xoots all the flowers of hope sttd love and peace and joy, such as should nourish in the home of married happiness. The miserable girl who plays fast and loose with the men who propose to her is often incapable of feeling love ; and if, as Madame de Stael, said, Toutcomprendre, c'est tout pardonner,' then we must do our best to pardon her. But she is guilty of a crime against goocF manners. Sometimes a man proposes in such" a way Wat a girl's pride is up in arms, and she feels jbhat her anaww can, scarcely be too curt. , , . ,-. His words, and his manner, alike, convey, the idea that he is certain of her consent; and also he 1b sure> of disown condescensionnh asking her ■' to marry him. > Such a man heeds the setting-down he is likely to get jf' thbugiv it must '••■ be confessed that there is some excuse for his' assurance with.«prjdes two a ; 'penny, 7 ' aa they aire now, owing to the unfortunate numerical superiority .&£.. our sex oyer the other,. .-.- -.,, ~ But even when justly* angry,-good, manners must not be forgotten, and the reply mu«t be'given withs-ar poxfeet courtesy and civility. . «.' Otherwise ''the/ girl : lets r herself down to the 1 'level of "man. It may, too, have, been her fault that ha, feels so perfectly, certain of a favourable answer.

A bright, pleasant manne . is-taken as encouragement by .some men, whose vanityis of a pronounced kind.

TACKLING A DIFFICULT*; , During the railway strike a new" hand was driving a passenger train which should have' stopped at Berwick j but, being unable to use the air-brake, he passed the platform. Having reversed .the engine,, he started back, and passed ..it Again* ....... Reversing once "more, r . he made. a similar mistake* ~,,.-* r , v . : . franja i « Let her Btand, Jock,'-shouted the, ; stationmastejy g lefc Jier * We'll. : «" t f shift the station.' ).isq ■< ' • ti (m ■? FIRB. ,> ' tft Burns and'scalds should be treated ' with HBti latter ; *W well heaped over the affected * Then tie round a linen bandage to exclude the air; if cotton wool is handy it is better to use for this purpose than linen, ~ iyjA woman always likes a man ibetfer ifjj the gloves : he Bends her are > about two inches too email. ~