Show I Season of Courtship The Duty of the Parents BY FLORENCE HOWE HALL Every ery young oung man m who has a proper sense of ot honor should take the earliest opportunity to Speak to tho the father of ot I Ithe the girl of his choice cholee after he has be become become become be- be come engaged to her The reason of this social law is obvious It has its origin In tho the customs of at ancient times Umes when a woman was absolutely under the tho power of her father until she was transferred to that of ot her husband In European countries s. where old traditions hol hold more strongly than thau the they do with us the consent of the parents must be obtained before a a. man offers himself to the daughter Man Many foreigners JIvIng living liv ing in the United States hold to this vi view ew Most Americans however leave the tho young people to make mako their own choice In theory tit at t least the they do eo so Nevertheless Never lever they rightly feel fed that their sanction sanc lanc tion to tho the engagement ement should be asked especially in fn the case of a n. daughter It Ii Is neither just nor honorable to seek isek to withdraw a 0 girl from the protection or of orthe ortho tho the parents who have cared for heler net her ever er since she sho came into tho world without l notifying them of the Intention 1 II 00 I I It unfair to her father and m mother ther but butto butto i ito to the young youn woman herself Her of ot the world orld is usually much less less' than thap that of a man and he ho should hould not nol take lake advant advantage g of ot her Ignorance to gain her consent to a marriage tha may be an Impudent one Where a girl girlIs girlIs Is supporting herself and living 8 a ti i from home the case Is somewhat different different differ differ- I ent especially If she Is no longer vera verj young oung Her parents parent should be Informed at once of ot tho the engagement but she ho will feel teel better qualified to tomake tomake make her own final decision than a 8 woman of less experience would On learning the happy happ news If It th the father knows little about his prospective son in law It is his duty to make car caro- caro ful inquiries without delay delav delaIn In Justice to his daughter he should find out about th the young mans man's family and antecedents his habits etc Unless some serious objection exists or unless unies tho the girl Is eo so young as M t to tomake l make It desirable to wait the parents should give gl their cordial consent Suppose that the they refuse It It without a good reason Then wo We should advise Ise the young young- couple to wait walt patiently for a year more or re less s. s according to circumstances and endeavor to win over the old oid people people peo peo- pie to their point of ot 1 view con before an announcing announcing an- an flouncing the tho engagement This dela delay will give them time to find out how much they really do care each other Parents Parents' are are sometimes extremely un unreasonable unreasonable unreasonable reasonable In these those matters Thoy They think no one ona Is good enough for an Idolized son or or daughter and frown upon any choice made mado by their children They forget that In the tho last resort tho the decision must re rest t with tho the two people who are ara going to pass pais their lives together If If tho the union Is to be a happy one John must love lov Priscilla and she must love him Whether or not Johns John's parents p like Jlko PrIscilla Is ts a 0 matt matter r of or entirely secondary tion Yet we have havo all known men and women whoso lives were ere sa saddened if not ruined by the Interference of ot Johns John's mother or the extreme extrema obstinacy of ot Priscilla's father who would not consent to tho the match |