The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-17

was not made again and again, and there probably never will be one. It would be preposterous to expect other wise. As long as marriage remains one of the most important, if not the most important, event in life, and so long as men and women prefer being rich to be- ing poor, so long parents will be ac- cused of selling their daughters and of opening marriage exchange in their drawing-rooms. It is easy enough to see how the accusation rises. A female Socrates would not have the slightest difficulty in proving, out of her own mouth, to the mother of marriageable girl that she was anxious that her daughter should marry rich man, and that she took her daughter out to balls and parties, etc.-put her in the shop window, in fact-in order to get her a husband. Do you wish your daughter to marry?" would be the first question of the socratic spinster. Yes, I do," would be the reply. From and have, on the whole, been very happy, and I don't think old maids are ever'--
 That is enough, thank you; please answer my questions plainly and don't give any reasons; they are quite super fluous for our present purpose. Now tell me-considering that you want your daughter to marry-would you | like her to marry a rich man or a poor | one?-a plain answer, please"--
 i "Oh, we'll, If knew neither of the men, I suppose I should say rich one. I've seen so much unhappiness come from poverty, and Agnes, though yod wouldn't think it to look at her, is so very careless about money-she has | twelve pairs of shoes, all quite smart, and bought two more pairs last week; and what she would do as poor mans wife I can't conceive. Oh, beg your pardon. Yes, certainly I should feel more happy if she married rich man. '" Very we'll" our female Socrates would continue, I've have arrived so far You want your daughter to marry a rich man. Exactly Now I suppose you will admit that when people desire a certain thing, and are anxious 1t should happen, they take certain steps l to carry out their object-do, in fact, what they can to bring about the fulfill ment of their desire. Even wild anil mals do so, do they not? How much more a reasoning being like you, Mrs. I Bowling? We may assume, then, that you take steps to bring about the mar 1 rying of your daughter, which you de- sire, and also of her marriage to a rich man. Now, as to these steps. I should like to ask you whether you did not | r16 d. 1ir to i'm 1 Hall last winter and take large house 1 in Eaton Place, and give three dances, because you said there were no young men in Fallowshire, and that it was not fair on Agnes, and that the poor child would never make a nice marriage un- Hess you did, since, in spite of her good looks and your position, nobody mar ried really we'll except they made friends in London; and did you not add that the idea of a girl with her looks and birth marrying a country solicitor l like MT. Tebbs or a doctor like young Brown was utterly preposterous?"
 well, suppose I did, 1t was no more
 Please, please, I did not want you to explain, only to admit the fact that you did give parties in order that Agnes might have the chance of meeting eligi- ble young men, and that you took her out with the same object"
 Well, yes; and I see no harm in it, '
 "Of course not. But please notice then, that we have come to this. You want Agnes to marry rich man. and you take her out and give parties in or der that a rich man may meet her and marry her. Now, admitting this, and knowing that, as you hint, every one else does the same, want to know. Mrs Bowling, whether you can deny that there is such a thing as the Bel gravian marriage market, and that you keep a stall in it with your daughter Agnes on sale? I have, as you will, am sure, acknowledge, asserted nothing myself, but merely arranged more clearly the facts admitted by you"
 Poor Mrs. Bowlngs reply to the final question of the female Socrates may
 we think, be more easily imagined than set forth. Probably 1t would be firm and incoherent, and something on this model: "Pm sure I never said anything of the kind, and I don't know what you | mean except that I know all this talk about marriage market is all non- sense and very vulgar too, and not the sort of thing that nice people ever have anything to do with, and what puts such things into your head, Miss Por- chester, I really can't think How car you know? You've never been married yourself and had children. If you had
 you'd think very differently. Don't
 please, tell me it was I who said there