Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-03-25
French COurtshiD.

\ here, not the men whonInapry tht
, women. A bachelor is a possession o.
value, and he will not let himself gC
for o centime under his worth. Ht
need not have fortune, but he ought tC
have name or position. Names are
very plentiful in France, and positions
too. for place under the Government
however poorly paid, is held to give q
man q certain consideration. At thirty,
Jules, who has run his little career oi
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 liber-
ty, with great precision. His wife
must have so much fortune There is
no sense of shame about it, and no con-
cealment; in fact the widest publicity
of certain kind is the very essence of
the business. As soon as he has made
up his mind as to the dot, or marriage
portion, he seeks the aid of some Of his
feminine acquaintances, takes them
into his confidence, and asks them to
report to him on all manageable girls
with fortunes in their circle. No good
\ natured married woman can refuse 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 custom. She passes
her acquaintances in mental review,
and selects two or three she thinks
likely to suit her friend Jules.
The confidential report 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 en-
ployed to prevent it from compromis-
ing one side or the other. The young
lady is not to know anything of the
matter, she is simply to appear by
chance simultaneously with her posi-
bic adorer on avisiting 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 Sc
cret and looks az the young lady, and
If neither cares to 60 any further there
is no possible OPENING lfor gossip. and
the affair is Brought directly to an end.
The lf-possessed adorer is supposed
to judge Of the girls capacity to insure
his everlasting happiness from her
manner Of answering his few spirited
observations about the weather. ItI
would be absolutely against All COM
Ce'sd7sce for him TO say much more to I
her. The French girl cannot firt; she
has no opportunity for it, she is never
.by1auyg left alone. during the
whole period of courtship, if courtship
it can be called. She is under the eye
of her mother or some relative who.
consBn IS to- play tde part of eh+dog.
All the e1qpisite play Of passion IS un-
Known to her at this period Of her ex-
perience; so in common justice to her.
self she isdriven to acquire that knowl-
edge at later stage. .3i on -9ld
Celebs in search of wife is thus a
figure of French society. He
looks in on his friends, and asks them
in confidential whisper if they have
heard of anything in their line. Pas
sion, or even affection, is quite out of
the question as a preliminary consid-
eration. The first thing thought of is
Che union of two fortunes, or, more
often, one fortune and two names; the
rest, it is supposed, will follow as
matter of course. If the qGrcon is
yeaatEJ the girl is supposed to be ready
TO love him at word of command
rom her mother. If the young girl
las sufficient dowry, he is quite pre-
Dared to give her all the affection it
would be good breeding, on her part,
% demand. The theory seems to be
hat any two people are capable Of lik-
ng each other where the conditions of
heir living together in comfort are
,nown to exist The French, like
very other people, have very rigid
ode of honorof their own. IL would
% considered extremely base in man i
0 attempt to win girls heart without
aving first consulted her father and
nother for their approval of the enter
rise. The usual course after these
inspections is to convene
he representatives of each party to a
usiness meeting. The money question
J discussed with extreme minuteness;s
nd when both parties have come to an
understanding, the discreetly impas-
.oned one is permitted to "breathe his
anne" This operation is conducted
.ith, rigid formality. r He visits the "
ldElin fqllsdtess tht5ughout The wholeH
eriOd of the courtship; that is to say, :
ie6qrse, when his visits take place fh s
le evening, and it is hardly en- NTeqZe :
II him to call at any other time. At :.
very visit he is expected to leave some s.
ight present. generally nothing more s
ian bouquet. The mother sits in s
le corner, the happy lovers in an s.
hen getting ntertainment they 9
IN Out Of a talk on public events. In 81
1e time the French girl married in 5,
lis fashion becomes the French wife, s.,
is up a salon of her. own, and, in q
'atefpl recognition of her happiness in 3
q marriage state, makes her salon a s
nd Of bureau for the promotion of s
e happiness of her unmarried sisters. 8
he only theory on which one can ac7 ;
unit for it is that which makes the
me elephants of Indiaso assiduousin 5
wing snares for the capture Of their s
lder brethren, who arestiil enjoying E
e freedom of the wood.-PGrSS Cor.