Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-09-09
LIFE IN NEW YORK.
The Matrimonial Agencies at
-... Work.
Now Uneongenial Couples are Compelled to
Preserve an Outward 0emeanor Of Quiet
Rival es-Mousignor Caoel
and His 0~eatory-tord Chief
Justice Colebrdge
Specidl Correspondence.

matrimonial agency in this city; II Is
official, too. Its purpose is ito nsks
matches, but to smooth out the friction
after they are made: It is q bureau IN
the department of charities and corree.
tons. Inasmuch as failures by hus-
bands to support their wives and child
rem increase the expenses OF the poor
houses, the commissioners try to apply
the rule that prevention is easier than
cure. They take promptly in hand
cases IN which men are neglected. OF
their monetary-msrital responsibilities,
and by threatening legal prosecution or
by actually beginning it, compel the de-
linQuents to give a certain amount of
money weekly to the wife. 1t is pro-
vided that these payments shall be
made at the commissioners office, and
there the woman calls regularly for her
income. William Blake, the attache
in charge of this business, sits like a
Judge behind a high bench, and Is
severely judicial in his aspect and man.
ntr.
The Husbands
WHO appear before him see nothing in
his porIly figure and severe counte-
nance TO make them doubt that he
could deliver them over TO torture or
death if he chose TO. This assumption
Of authority y, i'll the absence OF any,
saves him n great deal OF opposition. DE
decides upon the amounts and periods
Of payment quite as though there was
no possible appeal, and in a majority Of
| cases bis mandate is obeyed. His gem
| eral rule is TO make the IA give a
third of his wages TO the wife if there is
| 10 further family, and halt or more If
there are young children. In an hour
| at the office | saw four neglected wives
draw their money, the sums ranging
from three TO seven dollars. One hus-
band was a~rraigued. He was q carpen-
ter able to EARN fifteen dollars a week If
he let whisky alone, but not inclined,
drunk or sober, TO support his wife. He
had been brought there 10y a policeman
OH a warrant charging abandonment,
al Il Mr.. Blake, after iecturlng him on
the enornlity Of his neglect, sentenced
him Ott-hand to come with five dollars
every Saturday afternoon.
My Court may be 4 little Irregular
he sj.id to me, ''but il dispenses justice
Il a fea,onaI le manner. Hundreds Of
| n,rn are here induced-most Of them
ihilk they are cOmpelled-tO support
their families; and a great deal OF
| money is saved for the city, because
these poor women and children would
oil erW ise become objects of charity"
There is another
Matrimonial Agency
IN CONNECTION with the depart mcnt o.
harit,s and corrections, and Que which
is much less publicly conducted. This
State, like most others, has II law pro-
viding that the authorities may, in
cases where unborn Legitimate child
rem are likely to become a charge, as
certain the paternity, and make the
father give bonds for the support OF the
infant. In "A great city, OF course, such
Instances are exceedingly numerous.
4 lawyer is employed 10 do nothing
else than deal with these unmarried
fathers. Much is left To his discretion,
and undoubtedly he is the most extern
sive matchmaker III the country, for he
endeavOrs to bring about a legal mar
riage between all the cOup.cs who come
before him. This can often be brought
about by persuasion if not, "A threat OF
criminal prosecution may suffice. Act
ual arrest il the final resort, for the aim
is TO settle the trouble without expos
urc, if possible. The counsel, DOuglS
Icvein, is daily to be seen in the police
courts obtaining warrants, and Occas-
iULal.y arralguing a prisoner; but III the
main his business is done secretly and
many Of the marriages which he brings
about are not known even to the ac-
quaintanccS of the concerned persons
as being any way unusual. Not only
is this all Immensely successful matrI-
mOuial bureau, but it charges no fees.
However, the couples there united may
lac supposed to pay pretty dearly III in
lerrupted happiness, if not IN the per-
mauCnt loss Of it.
MOnseigBor CapcI.
Poverty and crime have taken no
vacation this summer. Almost every
thing else has moved Ia2ily or stopped
altogether since the first Of July. The
autumn revival will begin next week,
but as yet not much il being done to-
day that can he put off until Tomorrow.
Even religion Is nearly ut a stand still.
U u hllon vi III WV aNNtlll'ldR'o
this summer that were held. On both
occasions a distinguished foreigner was
on view. One was MOnseignUr Capel,
the Roman Catholic priest who was
helped TO a reputation ~ a wonderfully
-uccCssful prOselyter by Di-raeli putting
ann into the novel "LOthar." He
preached a rather dlsappOn timg sermon
in the beautiful new church Of st.
Fran els Navler, and there was q tire.
ncndOus rush TO -ee him. The Cath0.
&c clergy of the city have been cold TO
Lin, however, and so really he has not
Macc the fashionable sort Of sen -atiOn
mat was expected-the latter owing to
his unwisely allowing himself to be
captured 10y q notorious small circle Of
utt hunters.
"Iut why is the New York priesthood
against him?" ] a,ked of a pastor Of a
Catholic church.
go, We are not against him. was the
reply.
Not for him.
mo, we are not for him. Why
should we be? His errand is to collect
money to pay the debt Of an English
church. Now there are plenty Of church
debts right here in New York 10 be paid
and we don't like to see any more taken
out Of the field in which il IL raised.
There are several churches in course Of
very slow construction, the building
going on only a. fast as the mOney is
contributed. Every dollar that CapcI
carries of to England is so much delay
for these home enterprises. Besides the
Catholic clergy and laity of this city are
largely Irish. Can you expect all Irish
mans heart to arm spontaneously To
an English priests appeal for money TO
spend? No, sir. Capei's mission will be
"a failere socially and financially.
The second notable foreigner to ill a
church, but not with worshippers, was
Lord Chief Justice COleridge. Old
Trinity ordinarily hasa mere handful Of
a congregation in summer, but when il
,ra. L. 49, ,lat IszI~.tl-. ,--II u. -.