The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-11-06
NEW YORK wHIMs.

- hO AspV win WVStAt JOaAHui
clined to be little sensational recently,
gives an account of a movement in that
city, having for it's object the forma-
ton Of an anti-marriage club" The
Benedicts met last week, in the pri-
vate parlor of single gentleman, not o
thousand miles from Union square,"
The Worlds reporter was there with
his pencil, and he took notes and he has
printed them. 1t will be seen at the
outset that he Is a Fenian; for in his
very first sentence he tells us, in the
most Tipperaryish accents, that a we'll
known English gentleman, who is a resi-.
dent although not native Of the city /"
could anything be more beautifully
Milesian p" occupied the chair" The
Worlds reporter does not tell us that
the Z" well-known English gentleman I"
who was "not born in New York." was
smoking an imported Havana cigar
but he does say that the chairman "an-
nounced briefly the object of the meet.
ing" The Englishman, not born in
New York, said:::
The failure of the society organized by
some public-spirited ladies during the
war, for the purpose of promoting eco
nomical habits among their sex, and
cOunteracting the tendency Of the times
towardexpensivenes and the rage for fol-
lowing Paris fashions, who, he asked, of
all those ladies was now bold enough to
wear the badge of the bee, which they
then adopted? He was happy to believe
that all the gentlemen present were in
comfortable positions in life, so far as
they themselves were concerned but he
knew 1t was matter of common talk
between themselves that they could not
afford to marry on account of the ex-
pense of maintaining . wife. Some of
them had incomes of say fifteen hundred
dollars per year. Upon that, with strict
atteidance to their business or profess
sion, they could manage to get along
comfortably, but there was little left for
luxury. they We're to marry with due
consideration of their social position,
their expenses would increase to at least
four Thousand dollars per year. Well,
some of them had that amount ofincome,
but if they were tD marry, the same con-
sideratiOns holding good, their yearly
expenses wouldebe at least six thousand,
with rigid economy OH the part of the
husband. So the ratio would increase.
1t might properly be assumed that the
personal expenses of the wife, under the
present regime of fashion, and in the
present condition of society, would be
ut least double, and generally treble,
those of the husband. In view of the
failure of the movement attempted by
the married ladies, he suggested 1t as his
conviction that nothing would ever be
done in the right direction until the gen.
tlemen themselves took hold of the mat
ter.
"The next speaker" records the re-
porter, with vivid accuracy, "a young
gentleman of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association, about twenty-five
years of age '--whichis about "25," the
Fenian don't say-"thought the pre-
vious speaker had struck the right chord
in his closing sentence" and this wor-
thy continued to make speech diane
trically opposed to the previous speak
en-" The Young Mems Christian Union
man, however, was in "favor of calling
a public meeting at the Cooper Institute
or the Academy of Music to test the pcp-'
ularity of this matter among the young
men at large" Another brother, who
is described as "a small, weak-voiced
youth" thought it best to keep the
matter secret, at least for the present.
He felt very doubtful about its success,
and didn't want to make a downright
fool of himself" The Young Mems
Christian Association gentleman said
I" In the cause Of right and under the
flag Of duty. he was willing to receive
all the odium that senseless butterfly
Drained Flora McFlimseys could create
against him." and this sentiment Of the
Observation-Disclosures was received
with cries of "shame" and manifesto
tions ofapplause, which would indicate
that there was q want of harmony in
the Convention. This TEMPEST over,
"a gentleman Of modest appearance"
whom some of his acquaintances called
"Gil," moved, for the purpose of expe-
dfting matters, "that committee be
appointed to present general report,
embodying facts in regard to the organi-
cations in France and elsewhere, and
also to give estimates of the various ex-
travagances which they desire to abol-
ish." A committee of five was appoint
ed. In thirty minutes this committee
submitted as their report an extract
from foolish work Of Edmund About,
to which they added the following:
"While your committee do not en-
tirely sympathize with the excessive
cynicism that pervades this historical
sketch on the formation Of the society,
nor with the evident habits of partial
dissipation of the young men, they feel
that it yet presents many facts of great
truth in this connection.
!" Your committee have also prepared
the following table of statistics in refer
ence to the.cost of maintaining wife,
and only add that they have been as
carefully prepared as the necessarily
limited knowledge of the committee
enable them: reg.
Dress per year, at least $500
Additional cost of board or housekeeping 1000
Two parties per year 400
Summer trip to the country ............ 500
Carriage drives etc, ec........,. 90
domestic hep..--.-. 200
Etceteras. 300
"This statement has been made at