{"id":7019,"date":"2016-11-03T00:10:37","date_gmt":"2016-11-03T04:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=7019"},"modified":"2016-11-03T08:32:45","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T12:32:45","slug":"why-shouldnt-there-be-a-bachelor-tax-theres-one-on-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/11\/03\/why-shouldnt-there-be-a-bachelor-tax-theres-one-on-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"A tax on bachelors? Why not? ‘There’s one on dogs’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Margaret <\/a>
Margaret Ramadan cozies up to Robert Geyer with some posies. He takes extra fuss in stride. (original caption for Aug. 4, 1968, Pittsburgh Press story.) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"On <\/a>
On stage, entertain-writer Bob McCully meets many people, but finds his work hampers his social life. (original caption for Aug. 4, 1968, Pittsburgh Press story.) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Robert <\/a>
Robert Palmer will teach next year, and he’s hoping older sisters come to some of the functions of his high school. (original caption for Aug. 4, 1968, Pittsburgh Press story.) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"James <\/a>
James Dunn circles date of his brother’s wedding. He’s been in 34 wedding parties, is looking forward to his own. (Original caption for Aug. 4, 1968, Pittsburgh Press story.) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Dean <\/a>
Dean Billick can cook if he must, but is looking for vivacious girl with brains. (Original caption for Aug. 4, 1968, Pittsburgh Press story.) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Cartoon <\/a>
Cartoon accompanying 1912 story on bachelor pins. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"You <\/a>
You can’t make your house a home without have meals in it … There’s nothing to be scared about in a good cook book. (From original caption in Sept. 18, 1938 Pittsburgh Press.) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Gathered <\/a>
Gathered with their publishers are some of the entrants from the book “The Most Eligible Bachelors in Pittsburgh.” They are, from left, front row, Arthur Simon, publishers G. Brinton Motheral III and Gretchen Burkhart, and Stephen Balaban; second row, Stan Cohen, Oreste Scioscia, Frank Copeland, Stanley Martin and Scott Sprague. (Original caption in .)Nov. 20, 1981 Pittsburgh Press <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Bachelor life in Pittsburgh can be tough. Unmarried men were once considered poor citizens, wedded to wickedness and vice. Years ago, some folks suggested a \u201cbachelor tax.\u201d Such a levy would coerce a few of those nightclubbing men to get on their knees and pop the question.<\/p>\n

It made sense to a man named Mr. Hennessey. \u201cWhy shouldn\u2019t there be a bachelor tax?\u201d he asked in a 1907 Pittsburgh Press article. \u201cThere\u2019s one on dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unmarried Mr. Dooley took offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose ye expect next year to see me trottin\u2019 around with a leather collar an\u2019 a brass tag on me neck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr. Dooley was part of a fraternity of \u201ccomely bachelors\u201d and considered himself quite a catch.<\/p>\n

\u201cBein\u2019 very beautiful, we can afford to be haughty and peevish,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes us more interestin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using a tax to bully men into marriage was a terrible idea, said a Pittsburgh Press writer in 1921. Any man who could be driven to matrimony by such a tax \u201cwould lack the nerve and stamina necessary to make him a successful husband \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The wife of such a man, the writer continued, would certainly be annoyed that her husband\u2019s motivation for matrimony was not love and romance but an overwhelming desire to avoid paying a $5 tax bill. Forget about diamonds and pearls.<\/p>\n

In 1902, a bachelor named Frank Harper expressed his frustration with women who continually asked him why he wasn\u2019t married. He suggested this reply:<\/p>\n

\u201cMadam, that query can be best answered by your own sex.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Mr. Harper would never say such a thing. Bachelors, he said, are gentlemen.<\/p>\n

Identifying unmarried men in a crowd was an issue addressed in a 1912 Pittsburgh Press story. One suggestion: Give bachelors special pins identifying them as unwed. Maybe it should be a law.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t good enough for Mary Coleman. \u201cThe distinguishing mark I\u2019d suggest is a black necktie,\u201d she said. \u201cThey [bachelors] should be in perpetual mourning because they are so foolish as to stay unmarried and deprive themselves of the comforts of a wife and home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, as the decades passed, we as citizens became more enlightened and tolerant of men who chose to remain free of a wife and family. Or not. Pittsburgh Press reporter Barbara Cloud was told by one bachelor in 1961 that when he tells his old high school girlfriends that he\u2019s not married, \u201cthey give me the evil eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bachelorhood does have advantages, though. \u201cNo anniversaries to remember, no special time to be home for dinner, weekends free to go fishing, a ski trip, just being lazy,\u201d Ms. Cloud wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Press decided in 1938 to devote a special spread to advising bachelors in a story headlined, \u201cHow to Live Without a Woman.\u201d Men struggling with unfulfilled paternal instincts should get a few cats, the piece suggested. \u201cThe most obstinate cases can be cured by visiting a few homes where there are children.\u201d<\/p>\n

We think he was kidding.<\/p>\n

Thirty years later, the Press returned to the topic of bachelorhood. Most unmarried men want to get hitched, the 1968 article said. They\u2019re just having a hard time because, darn it, the pursuit of success takes so much time.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething that girls should know,\u201d mansplained one bachelor who was irritated\u00a0that women placed so\u00a0much value on scheduling. “You get pretty tired of planning your life two weeks ahead. You need a girl that you can call to go out for a beer in an hour. How do I know that I\u2019ll want to talk over a beer to some girl two weeks from now?\u201d<\/p>\n

This guy spent his Saturday nights with the Marching Chowder Club, a group that took turns eating in each other\u2019s homes. Why couldn\u2019t he get a date? We have no idea.<\/p>\n

— Steve Mellon<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In decades past, life has been tough for unmarried men in the Steel City.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesA tax on bachelors? Why not? ‘There’s one on dogs’<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[946],"tags":[962,964,1357,1358,1034],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Digs_Bachelor001.jpg?fit=2000%2C1606&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2040,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/02\/18\/shame-at-east-libertys-infamous-bachelors-club\/","url_meta":{"origin":7019,"position":0},"title":"Shame at East Liberty\u2019s infamous Bachelors\u2019 Club","date":"February 18, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"There was a time when Pittsburghers flocked to private clubs.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/tumblr_mia8g4skm51rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C844&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2111,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/01\/25\/former-pittsburgh-mayor-tom-murphy-and-his-accomplishments\/","url_meta":{"origin":7019,"position":1},"title":"Former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy and his accomplishments","date":"January 25, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"On Dec. 30, 1993, he conferred with Mayor Sophie Masloff in City Hall and power transferred quietly.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/tumblr_mh53tmnlvd1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C757&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7964,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/06\/30\/mailmen-pittsburgh-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":7019,"position":2},"title":"Get lost in Pittsburgh’s mail","date":"June 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Print a recipient\u2019s name and address in the center, then place a return address in the top-left corner and stick your stamp on the top-right corner. 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