Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-02-02
ETGhES.!LE 2.Ai.aYL;G.
A Ean;:o'oa y t-.r,3>':: / bureau
ISaS Ia q : E..Saola
E"'dNi" = hi; TX -" ~ from rr~,aad
- 81. VAC Dem. i " ,'.-t.irrS for
Wives "a 1T Cou-tshi.s
Were t..r Lille.

"E1t r>~ny year, ayo was In the
w':"lc::' Matchmaking business" said
e. c%-nf.! er Of the Grily. according tn
Tho E'i7."a ~ Y Telegram lit was
mat hrl@.'.Dc # IT, Elatr;iaonial kind.
At th;.; LlIa,--in 1879 and lSso-sfarito-
ba was hing opcned u settlement. and
There was q rush Of colorists thither
from 0.-ario and Cuebe. and from
Great Britain The settlers were
mostly racn Some 81 them had falni-
lies and would send fDr hem rs soon as
they h:d got somewhat tsed. but very
many of them were bachelors. They
were making homes for themselves. and
naturally they found that they needed
wives Not a few OF them were sons Of
English farmers. and nearly all were
respectable aud Woodworking fellows
They could not aft I'd to go and get
wives. and so he!pnatcs had to be i'm
Ported for them Young wcElen. guar.
anteed as to responsibility, were
BROUGHT over from England in great
Plumbers. end the business rapidly . rev
u he an important branch of the immi-
grafton tra,.ic One philanthropic lady
IN Ei.Slsnd devoted her att ntion to cx-
Pcrting homeless bat worthy girls by
the shipioad 10 Quebec. whence they
were forwarded - Manitoba Trains
ID would come into ST Bcniface. across
the river from Winnipeg. bringing two
or three carloads OF availab wives at
time They were chaperoned with
due regard to prcpricty and were con-
signed to TIE land and mining agents,
who conveyed them to Winnipeg. where
suitable quarters were provided for
their temporary accommodation. The
accommodation was very temporary
because they were soon dis
posed Of The settlers, who
were bachelors, applied for the
girls as fast as they were brought in
Their applications were not considered
unless they were properly guaranteed
rs - their character and ability to sup
port a wife Few of them came to Win
nipeg from a shorter distance than two
hundred and City miles Most ccm-
monty they were certified by letters
fron land agents, stating that John
Smith. for example. was located on such
ard such tract Of land. was the owner
of fifteen hundred horses. was sound
and kind and so forth On making
81. formal application fer a wife John
Smith was asked what sort of a woman
he Observation-Disclosures blonde or bru-
nctte. tall or short. plump or thin, etc.
Having stated his preferences he WIS
irtroduced to one of TIC avail ing ladies.
whcreupon matters were quickly ar
ranged a remarkable point WINS that
no sritor had ever To be introduced to a
second girl Invariably he was content
with the first ono and Immediately mar
r,ed her Apparently the men consid-
cred that when they had .,cne 50 far rs
an introduction ,h"v hal committed
themselves irrctrievcby In this way.
by a process Of crti i'll selection, my
ecif and ether perS2ns officially in
charge at Winnipeg made matches by
wholesale The young women were
Civen free transportation. Of course. the
! object being to make homes In Mani
toba and thus secure the permanent
settlement Of the country incidental
~ the natural increase of the popula-
tion was provided for ! remember one
man who drove seven hundred miles TO
get a wife lie was present when a
train load of girls arrived end spotted
the young woman he wanted oF-hand-
Within seven minutes after the troin
: came in the pair were united in matri'
nony. and the bridegroom started away
with his bride IN blackboard wagon.