The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-25
TOWN WHICH IS in
NEED OF WOMEN
Vancouver ViIlsge, Where the Fair Sex
Is ia Great Demand.
SOME RARE BARGAINS IN MATRlM0NY
Lonely Maidens Can Procure Hus.
bands to Suit the Most Fastidious.
Big Sums Awaiting Those Who
Will BE Life Companions.
From the San Francisco Examiner.

| From the San Francisco Examiner.
| There Is a city In the western part Of
Canada. close to the Pacific Ocean.
which is named by all who visit 1t the
most desolate spot upon the face OF the
earth. Its climate Is good. its natural
| resources excellent. its houses fair. Its
streets well paved. yet within this town
there is an air Of forlorn detection that
strikes the most careless traveller that
| comes within its boundary.
It is on Vancouver Island, a sweet,
fair spot. And the desolatiOn Is caused
BY one thing--one only. The lack Of
women and girls.
This particular town Is scarcer Of the
product than any OF Its locality. There
| are many towns upon the island. but
this one lacks women SO sadly that In a
recent census of the place 1t was found
nearly 10000 short. This number in
cludes q count Of serving women. wo-
| men to do the work of the house, COOK,
wash, and iron. 1t also includes work.
| ine girls and women Mho are not ex-
pected 70 marry. And, of course, 1t took
| in the queens of the city. the fair ma
irons or the homes and the mistresses
OF the pretty establishments.
Today the doorsteps OF these houses
! yawn vacantly and the vines fiuttering
over the portals seem to say: "She
comes not yet"
PROPOSITION.
II is not to be expected that such u
condition of affairs could exist without
| becoming unknown. The thrifty long
| shoremen Of the place and the wood
men, the miners. and the merchants
have written east about 1t. and a few
days ago the mayor of the place was
surprised and delighted to receive let
| ter containing Il suggestion. 1t was
that, as women were too numerous In
the east to find the homes they desired
| he. the mayor. should devote part OF
| the funds Of the town to sending east
for u car load Of marriageable young
women to come out and settle in the va
cant homes. The letters suggested that
| as the young women We're not III anu
ent circumstances. most Of them living
with married sisters or supporting
themselves, 1t might be good thing TO
provide each with small "dowry' with
| which to equip herself to come out to
the frontier coast and marry one Of the
| needy men.
| The letter so impressed the Mayor OF
the place that he laid 1t before COM
mittee of men and women, for there ore
a few women there, and they decided
: that nothing could be better Their
| fertile brains hit upon the expedlent OF
| fitting up a hotel or "home" for all the
new arrivals, and they suggested re-
ception committee of men and women TO
meet them. when they get on the
train" said the chairman OF the COM
mittee, I'VE will approach them, snake
hands with them, and make them feei
at home at once, men as well as women
being there to say. How do you do?
The scheme at last reports was being
carried out, and hundred little grip
sacks in the East were being filled with
the small belongings Of the femininity,
the same that were to transform that
corner Of Vancouver from the most
desolate place upon the earth into par
adise.
| In other countries especially those OF
Europe. women are SO much more beau
tiful than men that certain induce
ments are held out to men to marry.
These people can hardly believe that
there is an Ell Dorado for women, where
a woman needs only a wedding gown
and a bouquet to take possession Of BY a
delighted and worthy man.
| In these European countries the men
have been thinned out by emigration.
They have gone out to Australia, have
gone up into the high seas, have come
here But the women have stayed at
home. Hence the dover question be-
came important. and grows more and
more so every year. In France the
poorest girl must have her dot and II
her parents cannot give 1t to her she
must work until she gets 1t. Here q
| girl, If she be poor, works only to give
herself a trousseau. and Is very fortu-
nate IL she comes to her husband with
a $5 bill In her purse. Women OF Amer
lea do not know how like queens they
are compared to those Of other coun-
tries.
WORTH HER WEIGHT IN GOLD.
There are places upon the frontier OF
the United States villages bordering
upon recently opened places, Territories
and upon the limits OF cultivation
where woman Is worth her weight
in gold and great deal more. There
Is a genuine baterng of women con-
stantly taking place.
Let a woman from the city go there
and the "courtship" begins irnmedia-
tely, and great rivalry there Is for hei
hand The men have gold ore to offer
they own claims" they have partly
worked farms. and they want good
home to live in. They will hire China
men or half breeds, anything to do the
hard work. IL only a good-looklng wo-
man will light the parlor lamp at night
and sit In the window and wait for them
to come home.
The price" for a pretty woman OF
good education and family in a newiy
constructed town Is great enough to es.
tablsh q man in business in the city
and introduce him to society The
agent of matrimonial bureau In Chi.
caCo. who, as much out of curiosity as
for business. kept himself I'm touch witt
frontier needs. received q letter from
n wealthy miner Of certain desolate