The Portland daily press., 1870-02-09
-eTa''s So'OO per a',na,a,,, f,, od,.,,,oo
Nantronizing Youny -

n new ork correspondent of n p,,
phia paper describes the newest phase 90 S,
York social life" matronizino, youna ,a,.
which has been increasing for the last sea.
son or two and has now attained beautifuuv
large proportions. He says:
1t is only used here by certain set of pao-
| pie, a distinctive class of society that il
very hard to describe, but which does, in fact
in many things constitute the "best." For
| instance, no young lady may accept the invi-
| tation oil young gentleman TO 90 to any pub
| lie place of an evening, unless they get "mat-
roBized that is unless they are accompanied
by a married couple or by woman that has
been married, although she may be widow at
present You may be an old maid of 90, as ugly
as Venus was beautiful, as Virtuous as Miner
va, but you dare not iii you respect yOurselfl
accept young mans escort to church, to the
theatre, or upon any public occasion whatever
in the evening, unless you are "matronized."
The couple who matronizeyou may have been
welded only few hours. 1t does not mat
ter. That is sufficient The halo OF the hon
eymoon draws around the matronized couple
an influence as dread as the "awful circle"
of the solemn church that Z" Richelieu" drew.
This is one of the ingenious institutions of
that society which turns up its nose at the
shoddy nobility of the day, and will admit
none 10 lJS ClTcleS WHO CdllHOJ present tue pa
tent of birth or distinction. | have known a
case where the matronizing has been done by
a young girl, who was lett widow two hours
after her marriaoe-the marriage having tax
en- place with an old man, who was then on
his death bed. But this marriage was quite
sufficient to invest the girl with the qualities
necessary to matronization. AT church and
in the theatre she may be seen exercising the
solemn function, and making happy the young
people who like each other, ard who, but tor
the consenting to form picturesque and re-
spectacle background could never hope for
immunity from the worlds gossiping tongue.
In other words, it the modern Alphonso aud
Imogene are ever seen together, unmatroniz-
ed, it means that they are engaged, and socie-
ty considers itself at perfect liberty to consid-
er the engagement as a fact. l think that
matronization deserves to be called New
1orkism, since it spraug into being and at
tanned its present proportions here. 1t fur
nishes one OF the many refreshing sights
among the fashionable and exclusive phases
which the variegated life of the metropolis pro-
duces. Ladies who are good at matroniziDg,
and who may always be depended upon to ex-
ercise that function, are pretty soon found out
and furnished with abundant occasion for do
ing the agreeable. 1t you see in box at
theatre an elegantly dressed and well con-
Quoted trio, two of whom are ladies and the
remaining one gentleman, you may feel
pretty sure that the work OF inflammation Is
going on, though it may be impossible 10 guess,
from the respective ages of the ladies, which
of them is acting in the matronizing capacl-
ty. The position is one that bestoNs all the
condolences enjoyed by the companion"
with all the dignities asurped by the duenna.