I am putting all you gals on the spot by hearing a yay or nay. My vote is a decided &uot;Yay!&uot; My thoughts on the matter I’ll reveal to you and let you compare them with a few gals I taught with in New York.

My thought – with no man around, who will soothe your feelings when a project goes bust? If he’s a good (very good) soother it will be accompanied by soft murmurs in my ear, hugs and the inevitable box of Whitman’s Sampler. Anyone who knows not Whitman’s Sampler – where have you been, in the North Pole?

Another reason not to be without a man is the big K. of C. spring dance! Dare you be without one? You can’t hold up your head in the community. Shame! Shame!

Now, if you’re a New England gal like me, start considering the long, hard winters. Cold (very) snow) sleet and wind. You’d be out of your mind to be manless.

I’m not narrow-minded. You get your man your way. Marry him – the safest way in case you get entangled in lawsuits when you leave. Always protect your back!

Now, I’m going to leave my kind of arrangement and tell you about others. Many years ago there was a song called &uot;It’s Nice to Have a Man around the House.&uot; It declared further that &uot;a man is just a man. He’s the necessary evil in you plans.&uot; Don’t believe it ladies! Play your cards right and the results are better than an Olympic gold. I had two friends in NY – no men. Attitude?

&uot;Who needs them?&uot; Men, I mean! There comes a show they want to see, seats $65 each. Different attitudes. A dinner for education – they were teachers like me, but I had a man, a glorious man who should have had stock in Whitman’s and they’d beg me to have him fix them up – something he’d hate to do. I was his love so he’d do it. Funny, none of the fix-ups ever came back to my friends. They had looks, these gals, money (both had stocks galore.) After I analyzed it I figured the men felt the vibes and decided they wanted no part. One time, one fix up got to stay over and said it wasn’t worth it to Frank. I found this out not by the Whitman route, but others I was good at.

I’m telling you ladies, be smart and play your cards right. You’ll be fully rewarded. Your husband will see you as beautiful even if you aren’t. You’ll be wise, kind and most of all loving. I can’t begin to tell you how that pays off! Think before you act. I hate to see the woman as the loser in anything. Good luck, girls. I’ll take the man house or no house. You can always get a house.

Florence Arena is a regular News-Herald columnist.