Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-09-16
THE EVENING STAR.
September is, 1878.
A wife.Insurance Company.
A DANISH PLAN FOR SECURING IMMUNITY
AGAINST BECOMING OLD MAIDS.

A DANISH PLAN FOR SECURING IMMUNITY
AGAINST BECOMING OLD MAIDS.
we nave insurance companies In this provi-
dent age for all classes Of misfortunes. We
can insure against death. fire. railway accident
anu acclaents In general, hatl-StormS ship
MIecks, moods and cattle plague. Why should
, we not nave company IN which unmarried
laoieS can insure against the terrors OF Old
maloenhood? 1t Is fate commoner than be.
ing struck by lightning or smashed by hail.
stones, and as common as being mutilated in a
railway accident. Against these and many
other dangers with which woman's life-voy-
age is beset method OF insurance has bsen in
vented. We extract the following account of
it from French paper. which locates its new
discovery 10 Denmark, probably because to the
average French intellect that land is one OF
Arctic gloom and Cimmerian mystery:
"Tbe gentleman TO whom a daughter IS born
at once enrolls her In an association formed by
families OF standing. depositing at the same
money: after which he is bound to pay every
year to the society another fixed sum, also
moderate In amount. When The girl has at
tanned the age OF twenty-one she finds herself
not only In possession OF a comfortable income,
but OF an elegant set Of rooms In the great eS-
tablishment OF the association, which is sur
rounded by park and gardens and Inhabited
10y other ladies young or Old, who, tn tnks ID
the providence OF their parents, have become
members OF the association. The young lady
need not live In the establishment longer than
she pleases. II the father dies before the
daughter is twenty one-and In this case the
yearly subscription is no longer demanded-the
once shelter In the establishment, and from
her twenty-trSt birthday her annuity COM
mences. On the other hand her death or mar
rage eXtinguiSheS all claims, and the money
paid to the association on her behalf goes TO
augment its capital. Thus her father may pay
the annual subscription for twenty years: II
she marFieS at that age she receives no return,
But 1t is the chance of this event, not to men
ton that or death, which permits the associa-
ton to demand only small subscription, thus
making the burden upon the father as small as
IN
forward With tranquility to the future OF his
daughter, knowing that In any case she will
have comfortable home and sufficient IN
come. This association has been successfully
established In Copenhagen for sixteen years."
suppose young lady to take shelter In the
establishment at the stated age. She receives
her annuity and her set Of rooms aud is nom
productive and, indeed, rapidly conSumptive
we mean acknowledgements OF the aSSo-
citation. But II the association can succeed In
getting her married within one, two or even
three years, 1t may still make very consider
able profit out Of her. Thus the establishment
Will naturally become home OF gayety and OF
all social delights. Ii will OF course be under
the control OF a committee OF experienced
match makers, and it might be well If sys-
TEN OF payment by results were adopted ln the
case OF these ladies-So much being allotted
them for every marriage brought about through
their tnstrumeEtaiity. All eligible young men
would be invited. There would be a continual
round OF crOQuet, lawn-tennfS and plcnfc5 10
summer, OF skating. rtnkin2 and indoor tennis
in the winter. Balls at least three times a
week WOGiQ Dc dDSOlutely ncCcSSary, ana OOXaS
| at operas and theaters might be INDUCED In
| occasionally. The establishment would become
| to the young men OF the neighborhood sort OF
| sirens island, dreaded yet Irresistible. Ulys-
Ses-nke, they might resolve to I'LL their ears
| with wax and exclude the voices OF the charm
| ers, but In nine cases out OF ten the wax would
| find Its way to the tips OF their mustacheS In
stead. Nay, to encourage matrimonial enter
prise, tariff OF surrender values" might even
| be arranged. young lady married the first
| year of her residence might receive as dowry.
father to the association; ii married in the Sc
cond year of her residence she might receive
thirty per cent, in the third year ten
per cent, and not until the fourth year would
She become absolutely portionless. Thus the
fair ones themselves would be stimulated TO ex-
ertion and the SWANS would be kept from
interest to come quickly to the point. 49, 0''
The Danish scheme seems to need elabora-
ton at its outset 1t would be absurd to make
daughters, or or the same father pay the same same
premium for all Of his daughters. Experts
would have to be appointed, skilled In finding
PUPPY carriages of infancy. A class OF matli-
monial actuar1es would grow up who could pre-
| dict for a three days-old female Child her
p the features and ngae
| one, or soon after that lesser climacterfc. The
temper would also have to be taken into &C.
turally be In the direct ratio Of the tendency to
| gratuftOuS screaming exhibited by the infant.
The health too. would be matter TO be in
qulred Ito, and here the principle would be the
the infant the smaller would be the premium.
Thus, those who would ,pay the smallest pre-
m1ums would be the children who promised to be
either very beautiful or very susceptible to
| teething, measles, Group, whooping- cough and
the other Ills to which infant life Is heir, while
| the highest premiums would be paid by plain,
StT0ng-lunged, healthy infants with phyStqueS
| prophetic only OF naughtiness and veracity. We
do not envy the position OF the matrimonial
actuaIy compelled by stern sense Of duty to
inform mother that her frSt-borD darling Is
| very ugly and Will have to pay high premium,
but II the salary be only large enough men
| will be found to face any danger.
| The social position OF the father must also
| be taken into account, and by what may seem
| a strange anomaly, the higher his station the
| smaller will be the subscription demanded. 1t
would be absurd to make IA lovely girl, the
| only daughter OF an Url," pay as high pre-
| MUM as the seventh daughter OF a half-pay
Major, even II their personal attractions were
have to be erected by which there should be a
| periodical re-examinatton and Reconstruction
Of policy holders. For instance, child who at
| the age OF ore had been classified as robust,
plain and embarrassing" might at five or ten
be qualified to enter the class attractive and
| slightly delicate" when the parents might
fairly demand dlminutiOn OF the premium.
| Conversely. q girl whose hair at five had prom
] ised to be golden might at fifteen labor under
unmltlgated carrots or und1uted sand, 10 which
case the association would be fully justified In
| doubling or trebling the premiums. The ap-
| pearance or disappearance Of freckles, the fr-
! regularity or regularity OF the second teeth
would In like manner form q valid ground for
| raising or lowering the premiums; and similar
| details, which would have to be thought out
| and tabulated by the promoters OF the aSSocia-
| ton, will at once suggest themselves to the
| reader.
There are other and yet remoter issues into
| which we can not enter here. The place OF
residence OF the father would have to be taken
| into account. For India or q colonial town the
| premium would be small; for a small provincial
| town In Britain, large. The number and char
| acter Of the young lady's little brothers would
| also be an important factor In the calculation
| OF the premium, which would, of course, In
| crease In the direct ratio OF their number and
| ''cheekiness." 1t may even be suggested that
| the existence or non existence, health or Ill
| health OF the young lady's mamma should enter
! into the calculation, as 1t would have power
| full bearing upon the great mother-in-law
question, SO important In all matrimonial con-
| observation-disclosures Figaro.
The ssBarrel,, Sermon q.
| OF course, there is one thing the minister can
do and does-put his hand In that barrel and
| preach the old sermon. AS rule we don't be-
| 1ieve In this rrel-sermOn preaching. Very
seldom does minister preach an old sermon
| to his people the second time with anything
approaching the fire and spirit OF Its first de-
| livery. The freshness the warmth, the out