The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-11-01

To the bellies of fashionable society
the summer is usually prolific of oppor
tunities to cultivate the tender passion
or at least to more or less simulate it.
Love-" says Byron, ''is of mans life s
thing apart; 'tis woman's whole exis
tence." But while marriageable wo
men may be said to be always more OF
less occupied with the theme, it is wher
they are at watering-places that they
have the most leisure and temptation
to become fishers of men. 1t takes 9
woman to thoroughly understand wo
man. To a man she is an enigma, 6
problem he rarely solves. Nevertheless,
so long as he remains uncaptured he
seems never to tire in his efforts to solve
it, and he often goes to the summer re-
sorts TO enlarge his field of study.
Young ladies are more easy of ap-
proach there, especially if they are stay
ing in hotels, than in the city. They
may be said, indeed, to live most of the
time under the public eye; OF, at any
rate, where they can be readily found
by diligent suitor. They are left &
good deal to themselves-perhaps toe
much in and about hotel parlors and
piazzas. They take long or short walks,
as they feel inclined, with chance caval-
iers of their recent acquaintance. Al
Saratoga they go to the springs or stroll
around the Congress grounds with them.
At Long Branch they 60 to bathe with
them. They sit in the cleaning on the
piazzas with them for hours together in
the evening, with only nominal super
vision on the part of their mothers OF
other chaperons; and in other ways they
practically enjoy all the liberty they de-
sire.
No wonder, therefore, when girls are
approachable there, that the watering
places should be the favorite hunting
grounds of native and foreign fortune
hunters, and other adventurers of all
sorts. Introductons are, as rule,
easily obtained, and so much are people
thrown together who wish to be in each
others company, that tie stranger OF
one day may be the intimate of the
next. Acquaintanceships thus sudden
ly-fOrmed often ripen into warm friend
ships with surprising rapidity, and en-
gagements to marry are sometimes
entered into almost before there has
been any courtship, and between per-
sons who know little or nothing of each
other except from common report. II
may be that Mr.. Jones is known or sup
posed to be rich, OF that Miss Smith has
or is likely to have good deal of mon
ey of her own, and this is often founda,
tion enough for the ordinary marrying
man or woman 10 rest upon in taking a
step of the first importance in life.
The motive is as contemplate as its fol.
ly is ridiculous, but, with nine persons
out of ten, money is always the prime
consideration on both sides in marriage.
That unhappy marriages should be
the usual rather than the exceptional
result of such laxity and mercenary
motives in entering into engagements
follows almost as natural consequence.
Hence we find the courts uutying by
divorce, all the year round, the knots
that were tied, not by Hymen, but by
Mammon, or some other divinity besides
tho only true one, love. The watering
places throw temptations in the way OF
both sexes to hirt and make love, fol
idleness wings the darts of Cupid. Girls
stand naturally more in need of protec-
ton from themselves and the wiles OF
designing matrimonial adventurers than
the sterner sex, and they get toe
little of it. Fashionable mammas, and
for that matter, mothers in general, in
this country allow their daughters toe
much latitude.