Manners & Morals

Strawberries, Blueberries & Men

O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?

O, stay and hear; your true love's coming,

That can sing both high and low.

Nonsense, snapped one Cora Carlyle last week. To get a husband, the modern girl must seek him out as relentlessly and indefatigably as a barracuda--with her standards held realistically low. Miss Carlyle spelled it all out in a book, and serialized it in the Washington Post and three other U.S. newspapers. "You are not the princess in the fairy tale," Miss Carlyle told her maidens. "Open your eyes to the men around you."

In an age in which most demands of social intercourse can be met by an ability to tune a television set, Miss Carlyle's methods might seem eminently sound. "The strawberries in the field, the blueberries on the bush, the clams in the sand, the fish in the sea will remain where they are unless you go out and pick them," said Miss Carlyle.

Church & Chairs. No delicacy of feeling or scruple of conscience should daunt the dedicated 20th Century maiden. Miss Carlyle cited approvingly a schoolteacher who set out to call each of 96 colleagues to ask if she had a brother or uncle suitable for marriage (the 87th said she had). Any place is a good place for the assault, said Miss Carlyle. On cruises, ask the booking agent "when and where eligible bachelors sail ... Kiddingly coax the deck steward into placing you between the two handsomest men on the boat."

Then there is the cultivation of the mind: "Select one or more courses at a convenient university. These classes are frequented by interesting and mature men." In picking a job, "the more important factor . . . should be its richness in opportunity for meeting men." Last but not least, says Miss Carlyle, "your House of Worship can be utilized as a means for meeting men. The advantages of partaking of their discussion groups ... are obvious."

The girl's own personality should not be allowed to intrude. For "Mr. Pleased-to-meet-you," the Rotarian type, "be a good saleswoman and drag out the wares you know will attract him--social position, education, prominent friends." Tell the flashy spender, "You're awfully good to people." For the stingy man, "make a virtue of his cautiousness by talking disparagingly of the man who throws his money around." Intellectuals should not intimidate her. "They all think more or less alike," says Miss Carlyle. "Some reading from the books of his authorities will give you the confidence to join the discussion."

Surgeon's Knife. "Nothing must stand in your way," warns Miss Carlyle. "If you are convinced the family is a detriment to your success, please don't hesitate to keep them in the background. After marriage, you can see your parents during the day-- alone." As for friends, "appraise calmly whether your friend or friends aid or hinder you in your objective . . . Examine the true state of affairs with a surgeon's knife. Your relationship [may be] a cancerous growth which should be removed."

Men were in for a hard summer. With lessons learned, friends lopped off, girdle smoothed down, and a misleading air of roguish innocence, Miss Carlyle's eager lovelies were already ranging the world--perhaps in the next deck chair.

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