victoria – Page 34 – Call Me Victorian

Privilege of Marriage

Rules from Thomas Paine’s Utopia – I don’t think anyone would be eligible for marriage today:

“Their women are not married before eighteen nor their men before two-and-
twenty, and if any of them run into forbidden embraces before marriage
they are severely punished, and the privilege of marriage is denied them
unless they can obtain a special warrant from the Prince. Such disorders cast a great reproach upon the master and mistress of the family in which they happen, for it is supposed that they have failed in their duty.

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Proposing as a fine art

Man proposes, but oh how bunglingly, how inartisticly, he does it. The large number of proposals result from words spoken by men; and how many more would result if the fine art of proposing was better known.

No 1. The Casual Proposal This is the most common, unplanned type of proposal. A man mentioning as he hustles you into a car, “By the way, will you marry me?”

No 2. The Condescending Proposal This is generally uttered by a middle aged man of the world who fancies that because of his wealth or position it is to any woman’s advantage to marry him.

No 3. The Prudent Proposal Never is there an outright offer of marriage. It is forced upon the subjects due to circumstances or misdeeds.