POPPING THE QUESTION.
1. MAKING THE DECLARATION.—There are few emergencies in business and
few events in life that bring to man the trying ordeal of "proposing
to a lady." We should be glad to help the bashful lover in his hours
of perplexity, embarrassment and hesitation, but unfortunately we
cannot pop the question for him, nor give him a formula by which he
may do it. Different circumstances and different surroundings compel
every lover to be original in his form or mode of proposing.
2. BASHFULNESS.—If a young man is very bashful, he should write his
sentiments in a clear, frank manner on a neat white sheet of note
paper, enclose it in a plain white envelope and find some way to
convey it to the lady's hand.
3. THE ANSWER.—If the beloved one's heart is touched and she is
in sympathy with the lover, the answer should be frankly and
unequivocally given. If the negative answer is necessary, it should
be done in the kindest and most sympathetic language, yet definite, positive and to the point, and the gentleman should at once withdraw his suit and continue friendly but not familiar.
4. SAYING "NO" FOR "YES."-If girls are foolish enough to say "No" when
they mean "Yes," they must suffer the consequences which often follow. A man of intelligence and self-respect will not ask a lady twice. It is begging for recognition and lowers his dignity, should he do so. A lady is supposed to know her heart sufficiently to consider the question to her satisfaction before giving an answer.
5. CONFUSION OF WORDS AND MISUNDERSTANDING.—Sometimes a man's
happiness, has depended on his manner of popping the question. Many
a time the girl has said "No" because the question was so worded that
the affirmative did not come from the mouth naturally; and two lives
that gravitated toward each other with all their inward force have
been thrown suddenly apart, because the electric keys were not
carefully touched.
6. SCRIPTURAL DECLARATION.—The church is not the proper place to
conduct a courtship, yet the following is suggestive and ingenious.
A young gentleman, familiar with the Scriptures, happening to sit in a
pew adjoining a young lady for whom he conceived a violent attachment, made his proposal in this way. He politely handed his neighbor a Bible open, with a pin stuck in the following text: Second Epistle of John, verse 5:
"And I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment
unto thee, but that we had from the beginning, that we love one
another."
She returned it, pointing to the second chapter of Ruth, verse 10: "Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him. Why have I found grace in thine eyes that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?"
He returned the book, pointing to the 13th verse of the Third Epistle
of John: "Having many things to write unto you, I would not write to
you with paper and ink, but trust to come unto you and speak face to
face, that your joy may be full."
From the above interview a marriage took place the ensuing month in
the same church.
7. HOW JENNY WAS WON. On a sunny Summer morning, Early as the dew was dry, Up the hill I went a berrying; Need I tell you—tell you why?
Farmer Davis had a daughter. And it happened that I knew, On each sunny morning, Jenny Up the hill went berrying too.
Lonely work is picking berries, So I joined her on the hill: "Jenny, dear," said I, "your basket's Quite too large for one to fill."
So we stayed—we two—to fill it, Jenny talking—I was still.— Leading where the hill was steepest, Picking berries up the hill.
"This is up-hill work," said Jenny; "So is life," said I; "shall we Climb it each alone, or, Jenny, Will you come and climb with me?"
Redder than the blushing berries
Jenny's cheek a moment grew, While without delay she answered, "I will come and climb with you."