Girls Only

Warning: I am completely menstrual so any boys who got past the initial blockade, read at your own risk!

In the aforementioned book in previous post I found another interesting "fact". Again, I quote:

"And advertisement in The New York Daily Times reads as follows: "Two well-educated young men would like to make acquaintance of two young ladies, with a view of matrimony. They must be well educated, of loving temperament, and above all religiously disposed." The young men, a lawyer and theologian, declared that they were financially able to support a wife and gave their forwarding address as: Columbians, Box #272. Union-Square Post Office, New York City."

(What? No long walks on the beach? No dancing?) Okay, it WAS 1855 when this first "personal" ad was published. My, my, how things change.

First off...how in the hell did a theologian and a lawyer come to be buddies? In a cohort search for chics? OMG...were they roommates? Can you even begin to imagine their late night conversations? The philosophical one pondering points of law so soon after the "law" was born? There were so many "laws" up for debate, the 3/5 law on equality, suffrage was gaining some speed....I cannot imagine these two planning their personal ad.

Okay, the "well educated" thing I suppose I get. In the "Wellesly School for Producing 'Pleasing' Women" perhaps? One's that know their "letters" and can cipher a bit, enough not to run the household tin out of a rattle? One that knows how to iron, cook, and parent. Or mayhap, to run a household of servants, plan an "event" and look good doing it?

Okay, they weren't well off enough for servants...yet. But you can bet that was a goal so a bride-to-be must come from a family not too far off from servants and knew how to conduct oneself among them was a must.

And, of course, all this education would produce a loving temperament. They would have been well schooled in the fact of male superiority and how a male wants to come home to a "loving temperament" (read: give it up whenever, wherever...)

This goes hand in hand with the "religiously disposed". Or does it, this got tricky for me. I thought "religiously disposed" was something that happened to Mary Magdalene...she's a whore..dispose of her...The way I was raised was "dispose of" meant get rid of...so "religiously disposed" kinda begged the question! So I got out old trusty Webster!

Disposed: is to give a tendency to.... (though another definition was to "get rid of"!)

Okay...so they must be able to read and write, be sweet and loving and giving, and have a tendency to be religious.

TRANSLATION: Guttersnipes, indigents, immigrants or dyslexics need apply. Any PMS, educated, mad bitch who can't iron shall not apply either. And any chic who doesn't believe the Bible really means that the chic shall obey they dude shall not apply.

Well hell, that leaves me out...and I am southern! You can ask SE. I am educated (he yells because I use "big" words during arguments.) I have a "loving temperament" (he laughs when I PMS because I don't do "bitchy" well! I am rarely in a bad mood.) and I am religiously disposed...in a way! But you can bet if I would have showed up on their doorstep I would have been sent packing!

But really...is it that different from today's online dating services? I don't know...I've never done it and I've met people who've had great success and some who've had disasters (or both). Just wording is different...so let me update this one for kicks and giggles.

"Two Ivy League educated young men, would like to make acquaintance with two young ladies for possible, long term relationship. Prefer similar education. Prefer that you agree with everything we say (and put out), and prefer you be affiliated with a known church in case we run for office." The young men, a lawyer turned theologian, and a theologian/POW turned lawyer, declared that they were both able to run the entire country and support a wife and gave their forwarding address as THE WHITE HOUSE.

I honestly had no idea where I was going with this until I got to the end! Excuse the blatant inaccuracies...close enough! I was actually going to talk about my menopausal fears! Maybe later...so guys who got past the blockade be warned...!

Was geared up to do a MTM post...got the pictures and the research...but even though Lulu is in the hospital for an extended stay, I've been busy! Hopefully next week. I am amazed at the history in my small town and I'll give you a teaser...it could, quite possibly be the first town in the country to EVER do a MAJOR thing...but I'll enlist your help to see if we can verify this! Looking forward to it!