The Springfield herald., 1897-07-02


We depicted mans last word on man
kind as THE younger generation don't
know how to behave" and Where
will you find the servants like the old
ones?' We ought to have added a third
tho complaint that the fashionable
world is nothing but marriage mar
ket in which unfortunate girls are ex-
posed to sale to the highest bidder by
the cruel, heartless and avaricious
mothers. 1t was grave oversight to
have left out that extremely hardy per-
ennial among complaints ancient and
modern. There never was an age in
which the marriage market accusation
was not made again and again. and
there probably never will be one 1t
would be preposterous to expect other
wise. AS long as marriage remains
one OF the most important, il not the
most important, event in life, and SO
long as men and women prefer being
rich to being poor, so long parents will
be accused of selling their daughters
and OF opening marriage exchange in
their drawing rooms. 1t is easy
enough to see how the accusation
arises. 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 anx-
ious that her daughter should marry
rich man and that she took her
daughter out to balls, parties. etc.
put her in the shop window, in fact
In order to get her husband. DO
you wish your daughter to marry?"
would be the first question of the Soc
ratio spinster. Yes, | do" would be
the reply Tom and l have, on the
whole, been very happy. and 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 rich man or a poor
one? plain answer, please"
''Oh, well. if l knew neither of the
men l suppose should say a rich one
I've seen so much unhappiness come
from poverty, and Agnes. though you
wouldn't think it to look at her, is so
very careless about money-she has 12
pairs of shoes. all quite smart, and
bought two more pairs last week; and
what she would do as a poor mans wife
l can't conceive. oh, l beg your par
don. Yes, certainly, should feel
more happy II she married a rich man."
Very we'll" our female Socrates
would continue, I'VE have arrived so
far. You want your daughter to mar
ry rich man. Exactly. Now, / sun
pose you will admit that when people
desire certain thing and are anxious
it should happen they take certain
steps to carry out their object-do, in
fact, what they can to bring about the
fulfillment of their desire. Even wild
animals do so, do they not? How much
morea reasoning being like you, Mrs
Bowling? We may assume. then that
you take steps to bring about the mar
rying of your daughter which Won de-
SIRE and also OF her marriage to rich
man. Now, as to these steps. 1 should
like to ask you whether you did. not
persuade Mr.. Bowling to leave Bowling
hall last winter and take a large house
In Eaton place and give three dances
because you said there were no young
men in Fallowshire and that it was not
fair to Agnes and that the poor child
would never make nice marriage un-
less you did, since, in spite of her good
looks and your position. nobody mar
ried really well except they made
friends in London; and did you not add
that the idea of girl with her looks
r1H
like Mr.. Tebbs or a doctor like young
Brown was utterly preposterous
well. suppose l did; it was no
more"
please, please, did not want YOU to
explain-only to admit the fact that
you did give parties in order that Ag-
nes might have the chance of meet
ing eligible young men and that we
have come to this: You want Agnes"
We'll, yes, and l see no harm in it,"
"Of course not. But please notice
then. that we have come to this: You
want Agnes TO marry a rich man, and
you take her out and give parties in
order that rich man may meet her
and marry her. Now, admitting this
and knowing that. as you hint, every
Mrs. Bowling, whether you can deny
that there is such thing as the Bel
gravian marriage market and that you
keep a stall in it with your daughter
Agnes on sale? l have. as you will, l
am sure, acknowledge, asserted moth
ing myself, but merely arranged more
clearly the facts admitted by you"
Poor Mrs. Bowling's reply to the final
question of the female Socrates NAV.
we think, be more easily imagined than
set forth. Probably it would be firm
and incoherent and something on this
model:
I'm sure | never said anything of
the kind and l don't know what you
mean except that | 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, l really can't think. How can
l..