Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-26
MARRYING FOR RAEK.

Some years ago young girl whom l
knew very well as the reigning belle in one
of our smaller American cities married q
Hungarian gentleman who was an officer
in the Austrian service of very respectable
rank. He was kind, amiable, and there
was no question as to his social position,
and as the girl seemed very much in love
with him her parents reluctantly gave
their consent. She went with her husband
to her far.of home. She knew no Ger
man las he spoke English very welll aud
had no knowledge OF the world Think
what her life must have been. She could
speak with nobody for a while, until she
mastered enough of the language of the
country to get along. The few amusements
permitted her were not those she had been
accu3tomed to, and the absolute social
freedom TO come and 90 without suspicion,
that is one of the charms OF American
womau-life, was all gone. Two years ago
| was in a garrison town of Austria, on
the Lower Danube, and there | met what
had been the sweetly.pretty girl Of ten
years ago. l never saw such change.
"You are the only American l have
met that | ever knew before in ten years,
she said. 81 am not unhappy, but think
if our girls at home could only know or IN
ders5snd how different everything here is
from what they have been used 20, they
would never dream Of marrying man who
was not an American. They have to change
everything when they come abroad to live.
| have gone for years and never heard my
mother tongue. Leopold, my husband is
in command here. But there are no ladies
for me to associate with. In the Austrian
srrvice no man is permitted 20 marry until
he has certain income. The young Off
cers, therefore, cannot marry, for they are
generally poor. Those who are rich go
into the Guards regiments, which are at
Vienna or other large cities. So we get the
worst and poorest educated in the line. l
have not spoken to lady in six months.
You cannot imagine my unutterable loueG-
ness. Is 1 bade her good-by she broke
into torrent of tears, and said Sc am
so lonely; l am so lonely. On, that l
could 20 home Upon my return 20
America I saw her mother, and told
her that her daughter was dying of
homesickness, and that If she ever wished
to see her alive they must bring her home
for visit. They did so, but the bad iiv-
ing and miasms had dore its work only
too well, and she died within three weeks
after she again came under her fathers
rocf. If our girls could only know, or if
they would only think, how much unhap-
piness they would save themselves The
first thing foreigner thinks of in marry
ing is money, and not an American girl in
one hundred is married for any other
cause than that she has or viii have
money. This rule is absolute. For the
sake of her dollars the noble German, or
what not, bestows upon her his rank,
which he would never do if she were not
rich. Small wonder is it, then, that our
painstakipg Consul makes up such state
ment as that quoted from, and that the
result is invariably what he says it is
shame and misery until DEATH 1t may be
that the lesson will be needed, and if it is,
then Mr.. Potter has done work that en-
titles him to the thanks of every American
man or woman Washington Herald.