Evening star., 1883-06-06
From the Philadelphia Times.

From the Philadelphia Times.
There are companies in successful operation
that issue policies OF insurance guaranteeing the
titles to real estate that take risks on all kinds
of personal and real property, pledgins indem-
nihcation in case of loss by fire or water, and
there are corporations that make wagers on the
longevity of mankind, after careful physical in
vestigation. There is now organizing and pre-
pairing to spring into full-fedged existence,
Minerva-like.a unique and remarkable company
for the protection of society from designing per-
sons who may contemplate matrimonial alliances
when they are not legally free to enter into such
contracts. The corporation will be known as
The Matrimonial Protective Insurance Company
OF North America Limited and its methods will
be based on those of real estate title insur-
ance companies. AS a cardinal distinction how
ever, it will undertake to guarantee to pros
pective wife or husbands that the person with
wnom he or she is about to make the matri-
mOnial contract is free from entanolinr alliances
Inc project is direct OutgrOwth of the recent
disclosures in the case OF Major Nickerson, of the
United States army who might have been spared
great deal OF trouble and scandal if Mrs Nick
erson No had required from him some such a
ceFtlncate OF Insurance before she uttered the
fatal ''yes." SmOuldering in the daily unpub-
lshed records of the courts. but occasionally
breaking INTO flaming notOriety, as in the Nick
efson case. are countless applications for di-
vorce. Cases of technical bigamy are becoming
SO frequent that tine projected corporation is
likely TO become exceedingly popular.
HOW 1T WILL EARN DIVIDENDS
1.-THE Matrimonial Protective Insurance Com
paDy OF North America, Limited will issue
stock to the extent of half million dollars
Then it will open an office for business Each
holder OF policy will be Insured for specified
sum against deception when she or he proposes
TO marry. The previous career of the person
Will be carefully searched and if the title be
clear the company will give the interested per-
son guarantee. Thereafter. should such a
pOllcy-hOlder discover that she or he has been
deceived. and that there Is another who has q
claim upon the husband or wife, specified in
demnity will be paid by the company for the
persons support. The insured will be fur
nlshed with stamped certificate bearing the
Endorsement, In official red ink. Entitled to
Marry The great aim of the organization
however. Will be to prevent all such complica-
tlOns oy obtaining satisfactory evidence in ad-
vance that intended wives or husbands have
never been married before, or at least that they
have no living obstacles to their marriage In
order to do this it will have to be conducted
somewhat on the plan of the mercantile agen-
cles. with an agent or correspondent in each of
the large cities and corps or special reporters,
VINO Will work up the cases. Records of the
marriage licenses issued from year to year will
be kept in alphabetical order; lists of all
divorce proceedings; dOckets of the orphans
court. and even without a clue but especially
with clue as to the former residence of the as
pirant for matrimOny, his or her whole record
can be brought to light and carefully scrutin-
lied.
PERFECTLY PRACTICABLE SCHEME.
The project is not SO Utopian as might at first
appear. The two leading mercantile agencies
of the country, Bradstreet's and Dunn's. have
long had to contend against the pressing desire
OF their subscribers for this class OF information
Until lately they have had continuous inquiries
that bore on their face the evidence of matri-
monial intent. Anxious fathers, at the solicita-
tion of more anxious mammas have propounded
the most searching inquiries about the financial
standing. private character and antecedents Of
prospective sOns-in-law, residents at other
cities.
The inquirers have sought to find ont how
much such persons are worth, what their sala-
rles or incomes are. their future prospects, their
habits, whether dissipated or not. On the other
hand. young men often made solictOus inuuir-
les concerning the amount of the worldly pos
sessions OF eXpectant fathers-in-law. and there
were cases where questions were asked as to the
number OF relatives the estate would have to be
divided among. This class of investigation for
personal ends became SO papable that the agen-
cies had to introduce in their contracts an
agreement that the inquiries must be solely for
mercantile persons and for mercantile purposes,
and this agreement now appears in ali their
printed blanks.
PROTECTION AGAINST BOGUS TITLES
Why the general plan of real estate title in
surance company is selected for the new organ
lzation is as yet a matter of speculation, unless
it be that the association between matrimonial
matters and questions of real estate grows
daily closer and more intimate The real es-
tate concern divides the dangers that it has
to guard against into three classes: those
caused by defects in title, those caused by
errors in the search for membranes and those
caused by liens and unrecOrded claims
generally. 1t is proposed that the new
ASSOCIATION will also guard against de-
fects In the title make diligent inquiry as to |
the existence Of any membranes and also look
out for liens and mortgages. Latent defects"
a real estate Insurance company says in it's cir
cular. "may exist in any and every title. The |
greater the care and research the less likelihood
of undiscovered defects, but no certainty Of their
Loss may arise not only from |
undiscovered defects, but from those that are |
discovered. but which are not deemed to be such |
by the examiner. for after every examination |
that can be made is made and all that can be |
learned of the title is briefed and tabulated, the
Judgment must be exercised as to what is the |
result of it all" The same rule holds good in |
the estimation of the projectors Of the new en-
terprise, concerning defects in matrimonial |
titles.
A.SAFEGUARD FOR MOTHERS
Where there are so many young ladies with |
mammas, whose sole aim is the cap |
ture of the first wealthy argosy that comes |
along. whether he be widower or bachelor.
there always must be rich harvest of defective
titles. Possibly in time the enterprise may be
extended so as to take in the examination of |
the genuineness of the titles borne by foreign |
upon whom American girls had |
cast their affections. In every emergency aris-
ing to invaidate the marriage tie OF to interfere
with its happiness the Matrimonial Protective
Insurance Company of North America Limited,
will prove useful and beneficial factor and
the fact alone of the existence of such an or
ganiZatiOn will do much to throw q damper
upon the unjustifiable separations and illegal
divorces that are being procured in so many
states The only anxiety among the corpora
tors, as disclosed to reporter, seemed to be
lest designing persons would cOnspire to make
matches that subsequently proved to be Illegal.
For Sleeplessness.
A physician writing to the Christian Union on
the subject Of sleeplessness, remarks:
Physicians who used to prescribe bromide OF