Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-03-20
FRENCH COURTSHIP.
How Jules Gets His Wife and What
She Brings Him.

How Jules Gets His Wife and What
She Brings Him.
Paris Correspondence New York Graphic.l
1t is the women VINO marry the men here, not
a possession Of value, and he will not let him
self go for centtme under his worth He need
not have fortune, but he ought to have name
or position. Names are very plentiful in
government, however poorly paid is held to
give man certain consideration. At 80,
Jules, who has run his little career of follieS,
begins seriously to think It time to settle. He
first comes to terms with himself and lays down
the conditions on which he will barter away his
liberty, with great precision. His wife must
have SO much fortune. There is no sense Of
shame about 1t, and no concealment: In fact
the widest publicity of q certain kind Is the very
essence Of the business As soon as he has
made up his mind as to the dot. or marriage
nine acquaIntances, takes them into his conf
dence, and asks them to report to him on all
manageable girls with fortunes In their Cir
Gle. No good-natured married woman can re
fuse an appeal Of this kind. She was married
in that way, and she Is disinterestedly anxious
to give her unmarried sisters the benefit of the
review and selects two or three she thinks likely
to suit her friend Jules. The confidential re-
port is made, the girl named and described, and
the swain is asked If he would like to see her.
He probably says he would. A meeting at the
house OF the amiable negotiator is accordingly
arranged, and all the resources of French tact
are employed to prevent 1t from compromising
one side or the other. The young lady is not
to appear by chance simultaneously with her
possible adOrer on visiting day. She drops in
with her mother; Jules drops In by himself
The mother is In the secret and looks at Jules;
Jules Is in the secret and looks at the young
lady, and II neither cares to go any further there
Is no possible opening for gossip, and the affair
sessed adorer is supposed to Judge Of the girls
capacity to insure his everlasting happiness
from her manner of answering his few spirited
OBSERVATIONS s, ABOUT the weather It would be
say much more to her. The French girl cannot
tirt; she has no opportunity for it; she is never
by any chance left alone during the whole
She is under the eye of her mother or some rela-
tive who consents to play the part Of watch
dog. All the exquisite play of passion is un-
SO in common justice to herself she is driven to
acquire that knowledge at later stage.
Celebs In search Of wife is thus familiar
figure OF French society. He looks in on his
If they have heard of anything in their line.
Passion, or even affection, is quite out Of the
question as preliminary consideration. The
first thing thought of is the union OF two for
tunes, or, more often, one fortune and two
names; the rest, 1t Is supposed, will follow as a
matter of course. The theory seems to be that
any two people are capable of liking each other
where the conditions OF their living together in
comfort are known to exist. The French, like
every other people, have a very rigid code Of
honor OF their own. 1t would be considered ex-
tremely base In man to attempt to win gtri's
heart, without having first consulted her father
and mother for their approval OF the enterprise.
The usual course after these preliminary in
spections is to convene the representatives of
each party to business meeting. The money
in question is discussed with extreme minute
ness; and when both parties have come to an
understanding, the discreetly imprisoned one
is permitted to ''breathe his fame" This opera
ton is conducted with rigid formality. He
visits the lady in full dress throughout the
whole period Of the courtsh1p; that Is, to say,
OF course, when his visits take place in the
evening, and it is hardly en- rege for him to call
at any other time; At every visit he is expected
to leave some slight present, generally nothing
more than bouquet. The mother sits in one
corner, the happy lovers in another, getting
what entertainment they can out of talk on
public events In due time the French girl
married In this fashion becomes the French
wife, sets up salon OF her own, and, In CRATE
full recognition Of her happiness in the mar
rtsge state, makes her salon kind of bureau
for the promotion OF the happiness of her I'M
married sisters.