Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-01-15
A PERSONAL" AND WHAT CAME OF IT

Il wonder why so much money is
wasted by people on matrimonial ad-
vertisements, said Will Fowler to me
one day.
This was apropos of nothing in par.
ticular, for not word had been said fo1
ten minutes; but tLen he was always
popping absurd questions at you.
y l can understand Il mans going t.
the theater," he continued. " or sub
scribing to soup-kitchen, or even being
tool enough to send bouquet to some
pretty girl, but why on earth he should
'umble any more coin into the hungry
pockets of these newspaper men is moro
than | can understand. Where does the
fun come in? OF course the chaps who
advertise haven't an idea of marry ins
on such an Introduction, and equally, OF
course, no woman nowadays is COOS,
enough to answer sucn an 'ad that
is. nc. woman with whom it would be
any pleasure to correspond.
1t was a gloomy March day, and VIII
and | were toasting our feet befo1e the
fire in his Chicago office. He was
married man, with pretty wife and
several children, very clever writer,
and possessed of a private income more
than equal to his needs; I, younger
class college friend of his, and pin
feathered lawyer with certain heart en-
gagements which precluded all idea of
other love affairs. The topic broached
by him was argued pro and con. and
the result was that bet him a dinner
that a carefully-worded matrimonial
advertisement would bring in at least
fifty answers, the loser to pay for the
publication. After long consideration,
in which he good naturedly took part.
the following card was written and sub
sequently published in n Sunday paper
noted for its personals:
HAVING BEEN WIDOWER FOR
IL two years, l wish to marry again. I
am thirty-ive years old, five feet ten inches
IN height, thirty-nine inches around the chest
and have excellent health, mental and physi-
cal. Being OF a somewhat phlegmatic tenn
permanent, l neither ask nor proffer ardent
love, but simply desire that there shall be
mutual respect, as my chief reason for marry
ing is that during my frequent business ab-
sences from home my little six -year-old girl
may be left in cha. ge OF one who will guard
her with a mothers care. am a commercial
traveller for large Eastern house, own
suburban cottage, which is comfortably fur
nished and have $4,000 in U. S. bonds. Per-
iect respect will be felt for any lady who may
IL,
crecy will be observed, whether the application
be favorably received or not. Only those
need apply who will fairly answer to the fol-
lowing description: Age, between twenty and
thirty; education, good; disposition, not
given to pickering or fault-dnding; health.
good, and especially must be tree from any
pulmonary compliant; appearance, rather
pleasant than handsome; reputation that will
bear the closest scrutiny. In return for these
Inso dx.ot
treatment are offered. Address EDWARD
CLARKE. - Office.
Monday mornings mail settled the
wager, for by that delivery more than
the requisite number of letters came to
Iand. BY Monday evening the CITY cor
respondence was about exhausted. but
for days atterward notes came dropping
IN from the country districts, the last
one coming all the way from Salt Lake
City, until the total number received
amounted to one hundred and twenty
SIX. Of these a large moiety had been
sent on speculation by women of the
lowest class: The next largest assort-
ment came from the servant-girl class.
and nice collection Of pencil marks,
bad English and dirt they were. Some
lad come from sewing women, telling
pitiful stories, many of which bore evil
dence of their truth in their incoher-
ence. Others, again-and there were
a good many of these-had been sent in
joke, as we could easily see, while a
dozen, perhaps, were startling reyela.
tions OF life and sorrow among edu-
Gated women, whose want struggled
with the feeling of shame. The last
mentioned letters made us feel very un-
comfortable and blackguardish, for
their genuine grief, modification and
self-abasemcnt were a rebuke to our
thoughtless joke, the only excuse for
which was the fact that no such real
istic results had been expected. Will,
being good-natured, generous fellow,
salved his conscience by giving pecuni-
airy aid in several instances where in
yestigation proved that aid was needed.
While glancing over the second batch
Of letters, Will suddenly cried out:
: By George! here's a prize, and a
oily enc, too. after this alternate mass
of slush and sorrow; just listen to it.
will you, and bear in mind it's my
ooty, as made the find.'
He then reads as follows.
MILWAUKEE,, Wis, March Is.
Mr. EDWARD CLARKE?72?--Is believe
You're real hunibu9, Ned, and that you re
I'D 81