On Mon, 24 Jun 2002 18:27:43 +0100
"J. F. Kaiser" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> One person I heard saying it was the number of
> years before you marry.
Presumably, those who have no desire to marry might try harder to skip the stone as many times as possible, while those in a hurry to tie the knot might purposefully misthrow.
I suppose if children are doing the casting, then they might still skip the stones many times and still be reassured, or horrified, to learn they will marry young.
This notion is most interesting, as it gives people the option to play-to-lose. Instead of being, like many marriage-indication-customs, rooted in the idea that wedlock is an innately good, morally proper, and wholly desirable state, it allows those concerned to act according to their own values.
Are us allegedly scared-of-commitment men better at skipping stones than supposedly commitment hungry women?!!
Graham.
--
Graham Mallaghan
Department of Classics (SECL)
Darwin College
University of Kent at Canterbury
Canterbury
Kent
CT2 2NZ
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