The morning news., 1891-10-11

I
| combination of this shrinking, tender aud
| appealing sentimentality and u monetary
strain of O curiously explicit kind. The
! well-preserved gentleman of 4S, who has
some $4,000 in real estate, is looking
| for, and explicitly asks fortune of
| like dimensions in the wellpreserved
| lady over 40 who may answer the adver-
| tisement. People who marry in the old
| fashioned way, like that bitterly disap-
| pointed pair in "Our Mutual Friend might
| profit by the example of those people who
| don't allow themselves to become interested
| in faces and forms until bank book matters
have been carefully discussed by letter.
Nobody doubts that SC res and hundreds
| Of marriages are mada every year by the
| advertising columns. But probably few
people realize how many hundreds and
thousands more content themselves with a
series of mail box flirtations which never
result in even e meeting. After making
| love in the dark, as it were. through more
or less candid correspondence. athnities do
! finally meet and matches are made. But
these hirtatious people have no intention Of
a serious elimination to their entertaining
correspondence Young women are espec-
| ially given to the variety Of correspondence
which has in it no intention of last chap
| ter. The young men who answer their
| letters believe, perhaps, that they are in a
| fair way TO realize that ideal or youth,
fantastic meeting. They are often led
| on by the fair romancers. who, when the
play seems to he becoming dangerous, drop
the correspondence without sign.
| Sometimes the young ladies who play
| with fire in this way have their fingers
| burned. Their rural letter box Is watched
| perhaps by hirelng of the young man, or
| their private letter box in the heart or the
| city fails to hold its secret. IL the young
I man is no. offensive the hunted one is
| lucky
| On the other hand there are a legion
iDsincere men who not only watch the per-
| sonnl and matrimonial columns INT look
through the situations wantedn for an op-
portunity to get an interview with some
unsusDecting girl. The other day girl
who was advertising for a position as a
/ lady's companion received a well written
| letter from man who asked her 10 meet
| him on a certain avenue at certain hour.
II hat we may recognize each other" said
the fool, let Us each carry folded news-
paper In our left band" The young lady
had q big cousin who went and met the
author of this ingenious device. The bio
cousin loomed over the dude who lowered
| about the appointed corner with the folded
| newspaper in his left hand, confronted and
confused him, fill I'd him with terror.
slapped hiuI In the side of the head and
| ended the interview with kick.
Tint the private letter box industry
should grow as it has may offer some iudi-
| cation OF the extent to which extremely
private correspondence has grown. Uncle
Sam gives pretty good opportunity for
| privacy, but he Is not only expensive, but
| in q measure public, Pcvate letter boxes
are set up in all sorts Of odd corners in New
| York, but chiefly in secondhand bo k
stores and stationery shops. These
agencies of confidential correspond
liz
| room containing a series of numbered
pigeon holes and number of lock boxes
Ii YOU hire pigeon hole-at say 80 ceats a
| molth--yolr mail is handed out 70 You by
the proprietor. Ii you have lock box
(Which will cost you 81 q montn) you push
open the swinging door of tho epis ssoIary
| sanctum and unlock your own box. A
glimpse Of some Of the people who patronize
this system suggests that widely
varied class are represented, but that in
particular mice people" are the chief Gus
toners. Among them are many women.
/ The shopkoeper understands the CONNER
cial value Of ninding his own business, and,
| moreover, of not allowing his letter box
customers to j9stie against each other. The
presence OF a collateral bu4in ss in books,
&C., makes it easy to blind an nquisitive
transient" Then letters are, by arrange
! ment with the proprietor, TeIaaied to an
other address. Eyen this address will prob
| ably not be the residence II the person who
| hires the box and receives the letter, but
| medium of receiving communication whicl
| shall render the chances of detection all the
greater. Although there is nothing essen
TALLY wicked about private letter box,
two people who catch each other in the act
of getting letters in that way generally feel
pretty cheap.
For lovers with nrgus-oyed parents, or
sinister married aunts the private letter
| boxes are over popular. 1t is unfortunately
| true that the boxes are used good deal by
married ladies who have cor espoudents
whose letters are not intended for the hus.
| ba9d's eve. 1t is urged that this misuse Of
the system does not condemn it, is not
poor Uncle Sam imposed upon without
thought Of abolishing his benevolent serA
ices?
One of the most frequently reiterated
passages in the modern matrimonial per-
sonals, il this: "No Agens" This means
that the Advertiser expressly does not want
the assistance of the matrimonial agencies
which, for a consideration, undertakes 10
bring kindred ,uls together. These matri-
m0nial agencies, Watching the wants Of
the lonesome with SO keen an eye, advertise
a good deal on their own account, and
several of them in New York are now pub
fishing very neat little bulletins containing
an extensive array Of appeals from these
unmarried who prefer the fascinating
method of changing their conditions.
These bulletins indicate that match
making is likely to become much
more Of an exact science than it is at pres
ent. Even in this practical channel the
element of sentiment IS present in constantly
| increasing proportions The ingenuity dig
PLAYED by people with fortunes Tor ct least
with very remarkable expectations in an
effort to make somebody Of the opposite sex
believe that they are dlsinterestedly pining
for lmpanioDship Is often delightful. The
art Of graceful and persuasive lying is no.
where carried to the point of absolute art
With 50 much nicsty as III these newspaper
and bulletin advertisements.
A New Yorker who is both a philosopher
and man OF the world, and who it one be-
| cause he is the other said 10 me: You
| must not think Of tbese matrimonial intri-
cacies as entirely fantastic. There are
many kinds of people in the world, and
they have not all the faculty of meeting the
| kind of people they really need to meet
| Thousands Of people who would otherwise
remain single marry through these adver-
| tisements Both the timid ard the mer-
| cenary find it a Useful medium. and you
/ mark my word that some day or other tho
! pairing of the human race will not DO left
| so much 10 chance a. il is now. People will
deceive each other, Of course, bnt the
matrimonial advertisement has a wonderful
facility for clearing the ground, ss 10 were
/ have heard Of many happy marriage as
resulting from personal c1rresp ndenee.
VTcToR SINS
GfAG~W Ann