Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-06-08
Marriage Brokers nj Home.
The National Matrimonial Alliance bureau
A Place Where WIeiesS Men and Has.
baHdiess Women May Seek Partners.


The National Matrimonial Alliance bureau
A Place Where Wfcies5 Hen and Ht,5.
bd"dtess Womea Nay Seek Partners.
In large double parlor of an old
| fashioned house in once fashionable
down town. street, in New York, an
old gentleman with "A white moustache
and sparse thatch of white hair on his
head sat at table opposite younger
man with bushy brown hair and nous.
tache and imperial. Two large piles of
circulsrs lay on the table by some bun.
dies Of cards printed in English, French
and German. There was very little
furniture. Four chromos gave ques
tionable adornment to the walls. On a
round table in the back parlor were
two large photograph albums, one of
them entirely empty and tho other
containing half a dozen photographs Of
young women. The two gentlemen
spoke with foreign accents. They were
waiting for bachelors or maidens. They
constituted the national matrimonial
alliance bureau, which has been orRani.
zing for two months past. The promo
ters of this benevolent enterprise have
been engaged i'm business of similar
kind in Vienna, aud have undertaken
TO reproduce here IA matrimonial ex.
change such as has existed in Berlin,
Paris and London for years. Their pur
pose is TO facilitate acquaintance be.
tween ladies and gentlemen as "A means
to lead to happy matrimonial alliances"
A reporter who thought he might pos
sibIy desire to undertake n happy
matriuonial alliance" called at the Of
| fee Of the bureau.
How is your bureau conducted p he
asked, bashfully, of one of the managers.
Not only respectfully, but with
great circumspection, discretion and
delicacy. We seek to engender conf
/ dence in ourselves as medlators and we
promise happy results'
"l want wife. for instance
The atfthle mediator opened the
empty album, closed il quickly and
/ opened the other one at the tiutype Of
| a healthy looking Chicago girl who
wants a husband. She is . years old
and large for her age. The other pie.
lures in the album were Of fair German
girls. All Of them were OF modest faces
and comely.
"You want wife" the broker con.
| tinued. "Nou pay s. and register your
name, address and business. look up
your reference and put your photo
graph in the album. Then you pick
out by the pictures the girl you think
! you'd like TO marry. She looks nj your
I picture, and, If mutually agreeable, you
meet her here on sunday afternoon. II
the promises of the photograph arc
/ made good IN person. you two are left
/ to conduct your future negotiations as
/ you please. and you pay me one or two
| per cent. on the money YOU give your
| wife or the doWry she brings you. See !''
"Do you find that the people who
come to you have much money!
Not "a a rule
"Who are theygN
People of all sorts"
Ii was noteworthy that the photo.
graphs on file were ell ofyoung women.
Separate days are set apart for men and
women to call, aud woman is in
charge Of the rooms on the days that
the women may attend. Negotiations
may also lee conducted by letter and
correspondence may be carried on 10
almost any modern language. The
managers appear to be perfectly honest
in their expectation that their mstfi
monial enterprise will thrive in New
York