Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-06-11
REPLIES TO PERSONALS.

Chicago Record.
Even the most intelligent and con-
servative Of us occasionally glance over
"personas' with a certain curious
interest
Many of them 80 obviously boar the
stamp OF naivete and gonuinenoss that
they sot US to wondering what there |
can be abnormal in tho temperament |
or environment of individuals to make |
| them resort 10 this peculiar method |
of extending the range OF their &C.
| quaiutance.
Tho motives for answering these por.
| sunala arc various. Oftuner than not |
| it il merely curiosity, with perhaps u
COY and sequestered houe that one may
| possibly thus chance upon tine souls
| affinity. And thcn there are always
romantic and hysterical young women
vino doto upon anything that savors
of mystery while newspaper reporters
and students of human nature have re-
sorted to this method Of collecting
MATERIAL from timo immomorial.
Several unique and interesting re-
suits Of these peculiar advertisements
have accidently come within the range
| of my own personal knowledge.
| In ono OF tho suburban towns of Bos-
ton three young school girls, their hair
| still IN hrnids down their backs, met
ono evening at one Of thoir homes to
study their lessons for the following
day AS they were drawn up around
| tho dinilg- room table a chance news
| paper caught their attention, and
seemed to interest them more than
their Latin gramnlars CHANGING down
the columns they came upon one of
| these word personals, and, prompted
by q spirit of mischief, they decided
to answer it. AS result Of thrir cor
respondence they made an appointment
to meet the unknown individual under
a certain trec at 1 O'Clock the follow
ing Saturday afternoon. Considerably
before the hour appointed thase three
| giggling girls were safely installed at
their point Of vantage, and nearly
screamed with laughter when they saw
approaching a somewhat pedagogical
looking man with book under his
arm, the sign agreed upon. They
watched him pace impatiently up and
down for the aunce Of half an hour or
more, and then go away quite detected.
This WIS TOO rood fun 10 bo relin-
uuishod. So little noto Of explana
tion us to the cause Of detention and
renewed appointment gayo them
repetition uf thcir amusement. They
continued their correspondence until
they hecame a little anxious as 10 how
they were going TO Withdraw from il,
and stilLmoro anxious as to what might
happen to them in case they were do.
tcctcd. So partly to roliege them
solves from furthcr responsibility, and
partly for thu huge Joke OF the
thing, they gave their correspondent
| IL ..l
prim New England old maid. u mcn.
Der of the church which they attended,
as the person to whom he had been
writing.
The beautiful denuupment of the
whole adventure was that the object
of thoir base deceit went, saw and con
querod. And IN the day that the
ancient spinster tlutterod up the church
aiblo in the whito muslin and blue
ribbons to tho tuno Of the wedding
march the three gay young girls sat
together on a back seat and secretly
gloated over the hilarious result Of
their audaCinus prank.
l once knew AN unusually bright and
clever young woman who, while in col
lege, answered an attractively wordcd
, personal, signed by a mans name and
desiring only an entertaining lady
correspondent " Letters passed back
and forth with ever increasing fro
quency and interest. Leading events
of the day, recent Developments in
science. art and literature, were taken
up and discussed in that delightfully."-
free and easy manner possible only to
the untraiumellcd scope Of tho nper-
, sonaI personal letter. Tho intercourse
finally became sufficiently intimate for
the PERSONAL to confess that ii was
} Il wonan that she, being an invalid
and Temporarily ostrariZcd from all but
duh people, and desiring some fresh,
young Intelligent interest in her ifo,
+ had taken this means of securing it.
The experience led to II sincere anu
{ lasting friendship, aud the older
' woman, being wealthy, was pleased to
{ extend many kind and graceful atton-
/ tiOnH to llcr young friend.
DIR. Arthur Macdonald of Washing
I ton, who has Nude special studies in
sociology, abnormal tpyos, &c, has
published book upon "Some Women
/, Who Answer Personals. " In this
? work DR. Macdonald publishes letters
from about 100 different women who
have answered personals which he has
had inherited IN tho prlncipal papers
t an empirical investigation of what ht
e Considers abnnrmHl wumon.
4 Ills first advertisement read az fol
q luws "Gentlrman of high social ant
university position desircs correspond
euce taC1ualntancp not necessary Will
J young, educated woman uT high soGia
i aud financial position. No agents; u,
trilers, must glvo detailed account d
life, References rnuuirpu y
This lettor, unsrnJational as it il il
i character, brought shoals of anawOrH
z There were some lctters from intel
u lcctual, college bred women who wcr,
e evidently studying along the same line
. as Dr. Macdonald and wanted to al,
Q to their collection OF mental curios.
Ono lctter that amused me exceed
ingly was fIom woman who cOnfcsse,
herself in Full middle life, but coul,
2 never feci old. " Shc did not "bcliev
~ in sailing under false coors," AM
:, acknowledged herself looking for
Z suitable husband. ~ do want big
warm heart, one who nootls Just m
y to round out his life and make it com
plet0; ono ia whom could he all th
:. world, aud make his every hour happy
/. aud could value tho wealth OF atiectio
a have to bcstuw.
I Dr. Macdonald, after little col
respondence, called upon his blushin
widow Of 80, for such she was, an
l,arhod that when young woman sh
n had come t0 the city and had answcre
vi some personals Just for freak. "
a. less than six months Hhp was marie
to ono Of her correspondents, and vowc
THAI u happier marriage mover WAS.
se And. NOW thar the luVs of hpr mourn