The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-20

ton III the contracting parties, the campaign
beuta II, s,arfpst, and unless sof1le unforeseen
iml,rdimsrlt should occur to put spoke In the
wheel the chances are that Monsieur I'M tel
and M atienpisellsl ,,e teife, who have perhaps,
seen each other twice IN their lives, previous
TO the pisites III. rtgne,1. are man and VILE be-,
SYMPATHY or similarity of tastes exists or not
bt,tween The newly united couple, is q matter
Of complete indifference to the matchmaker;
her part IN the little drama is played out and
she has absolutely nothing to do. When the
knot Is tied. her interest In the affair natur-
ally cpases Whatever may happen after the
bride and bridegroom have left the. church
door concerns her no mofe than 1t does the
witnesses who have inscribed their names be-
side her own in the yestry book; and II, In
spite Of all the trouble she has taken in their
behalf, they are not the happiest of the happy,
II will be their own fault. and not hers. It Is,
however, only fair to say That the majority o.
far better than might be expected, and more
than one modern Philemon and Bhlcis might
be cited III French society, who, at the period
of their betrothal had scarcely o single
| into wedlock with the consolatory reflection
that. their partner for life having been already
| selected for them they we're spared the per-
picking alternative of choosing for themselves
With zig, things have not yet got quite go
far. Int the difference Is less IN Che principle
| than In the mode Of proceedings, fonr-fifths
| of what the fashionable newspapers pomp-
ousIy term matrimonial balances are made
up matches arranged as nearly as possible
on the Gallic system, but rarely needing the
Intervention Of any ono uneonnected with the
family Young ladies', nowadays, as q general
rule. prefer being their own III atCb-inhkers
and very sharp practitioners they are, witt
! Debrstt and Burke at their fingers ends, and
every desirable rent-roll u the kingdom as
the Items Of the catalogue In the British
museum. "Whos whoT' Is the first problem
submitted TO them on leaving the schoolarootn
and, to do them justice, they are malr.yelouslt
uliel in dissolving the solution. They have
this advantage over their sisters in France
they are free TO pick and choose where they
list, and have thousand opportunities o
carrying On their little game. which arc total
ignored on the other side vi the water. They
may tlirt with half the men In n ballroom, j
the fancy takes them or sit out dance after
dance In n snug corner of their hostess bou
doir with bashful youth who needs encout
aging; there is no fear Of their chdpeoH
being SO indiscreet as to spoil the sport, no
Ii II incumbent ON their partner, at the eonclu
sion ri q waltz, Ms In benighted Parasitic escor
them back to mamma, make his bow and re
tire. They can improve their intimacy will
young Broadlands or Harry Hardcash by In
ytinp them 10 lunch (which men lke) or to
o'clock tea (which they donb; they can rid
in the park Mt n particular bour, or sit In TIN
shade opposite Hamilton Gardens on SUNDAY
afternoon: they have princes, tho opera ant
birmingham ut their command, and, depeil'
upon It, they know how to mako The mos
But their favorte field Of action Is coun
try house. where the chatslaine- who. by tn
| way Is the nearest approach we have to th
traditional French tiatehmaker-ha stuff
! cient discernment to limit her invitation t
strictly eligible people; in other words, +
J secure the right man Mt the right time. Ono
in this garden Of Armida exposed to tn
, peris Of daily intercourse, and to the thou
sand and ono plots and pitfalls eunningly dc
: vised for his subjugation the object of o
these seductions must indeed be fortunate
II he escape scot-free. and resist the con
binrd destinations Of pGncs. lawn tennis
tste-a-lete walks and Arthur Suivan's bal
! lads 1t is n recognized fact that more mat
, riages are arranged" during these countr
, gatherings, than In tho entire course {
the London season, when the beauties Of tn
year are subjected to the dangerous ordeal {
open competition, and compelled toyestrlt
their operations to u species Of guerilla wal
fare. from sheer want Of opportunity 10 orgat
ise o. blockade In tho former case they hay
. their victim all to themselves. and can reg,
Y late their plan of attack according to eircun
stances; In the latter they must be content :
blde their time, and take their chances wit
the rest Then comes the tug Of war, the ~
suit occasionally depending less on the youn
, lndys personal charms than ON the amount
, three por cent invested In her name; for ha
not 'Iovein cottage long been an explode
> theory ? and do not. In these degenerate days
nine-tanths of our jeunesaee d0ree conside
themselves entitled to g,iid pro quo?