The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-09
LOVE AND FINANCE.
A Cenversation in a French Salon
The Cost of a Wife.

A Conversation in a French salon
The Cost of a Wife.
New York Sun Paris Letterl
In France marriages are made not in
heaven. but in the notary's parlor. A
man with a position worth so much can
marry a wife with dowry of so much.
1t is all reckoned according to a sliding
scale. Theoretically the wife ought to
have dowry, the interest on the capi-
tai of which is equal in amount to the
annual earning of the husband. This is
the theory; the practice departs from it
but very slightly. Marriages of love are
rare, and marriages of reason are not
on the increase. / do not pro-
pose in this letter to treat the
question of marriage in France
from the point of view Of statistics which
would more than bear out my statement
above; l will simply treat it from the
point of view of a Frenchman, by re-
porting as faithfully as l can remember
conversation which / happened to
overhear in salon a few nights ago.
The salon was in the Boulevard Males
herbes, in one of those luxurious abodes
where the modern stockholders live like
princes. Two men, still young-that i
to say, on the right side of 40-were
luunging in a corner of the room. with
eyeglasses fixed and restless eyes, seeking
rather to see than to be seen.
At the moment when the orchestra
gave the signal for fresh quadrille, the
elder said suddenly to the other:
"Look, my friend, there is the charm
ing person whom l wished to show you"
"That little brunette with awhile rose
in her hairW
eyes"
every pretty, indeed; large blue eyes
and long lashes."
"Weil, you have only to ask her hand,
in the old style. You will obtain it."
"One question: Permit me. What
is the figure of her dowryT
''Three hundred thousand francs"
"A mere nothingl l might as well at
once buy rope to hang myself with.
Merci, mon tres cher"
"Whatl Three hundred thousand
francs; do you call that nothing3"
Certainly"
Explain yourself, I pray"
"Three hundred thousand francs in
1880. The game is not worth the can
de-"
"Well?' -..-.
"For safety's sake, in order to avoid
bankruptcy, dowry of three hundred
thousand francs would be placed in State
securities at per cent, or else in rail.
way stock guaranteed by the State"
admitted"
consequently it does not bring in five
per cent. Nevertheless let us suppose
that the dowry when invested does bring
in five per cent; that means an income
of fifteen thousand francs. The little
brunette with white rose in her hair
would cost more than that"
"Ah! you don't mean thatP
"You will see. My dear fellow, 90
to Bourse every day, and I must be al
lowed to know something about arithme-
tic. Now, let us consider and make our
calculations. The little brunette is
pretty; therefore she must be seen, and
therefore she must be well dressed She
must have at least two dresses each season
which makes eight costumes year.
These costumes will cost the trife of six
thousand francs at the least, considering
the present price of ribbons, silk, velvet,
and dress-lnakerS work."
"Good; six thousand francs"
Glove, and by love / mean marriage
likes linen white as driven snow. Linen
lace, gloves, hair-dressing, perfumery
jewelry, will cost say two Thousand
francs, and that is ridiculously small
sum. Then / have not reckoned shoes
She has the feet of f,iry, and so she
, needs silk stockings, chamber brodequin
like those Of Cinderella, and what not
Put another thousand francs"
"Well, that will bring us up to min,
!. thousand francs" w.. 49,.
"Have I included hats and bonnets
artificial flowers, feathers, wells, muffs
false hair?--for the fairest use false hair
No! Well. let me be liberal for once
, and not reckon those items. Still there
are certain small expenses which are in
dispensable; there is the piano and tn
tuning of it, new music, new novels, al
, illustrated journal, Vie Parisiennne,
writing materials, postage stamps, woo
work, seat at church or the synagogue
knickknacks to be bought, aims to b.
given. For all that let us say fifteel
! hundred francs. Total, ten thousapc
. five hundred francs. I beg you viii
remark that l have, out of pure mag
F nanimity, not said a word abou
the necessary things of life-house ren
table. cellar, and servants. I have no
done so, because in the actual state Of
society it is admitted on all hands that
wife is no longer an object of utility
but an object of luxury. We mus,
, therefore, continue our calculations ol
this hypothesis. Now madame havinl
brought with her dowry of 100000
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