The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-11-25


duce UnsuspectinE Women to In
scrupuIOus ACCOMPLISHMENTS
graphs of Handsome SWANS and
Benuteous Naidens Are the Usual
BATS. but the Originals Are Sell
dom in Evidence-Whnt Can BE
Done to Abolish the Evil:
Special.
NEW YORK, Oct. 14.-One would I'M
agine that it was hardly necessary
nrw-a- days to warn the public against
professional maria ge-monsefs- "nen-
ever the veil that covers the operations
of these gentlemen has been lifted 1t
has been made clear to the dulleSt COM
prehension that bunkum is the basis
nf the business and that really serious
swindles are it's common accessories.
But exposures and warnings nave not
stoned the supply of dupes. and these
xischief- making agencies are sun
pockcting the savings Of servant girls
ard the spare cash of hard-workln;'
young men who ought to know petter.
The recent prosecutions for missing
word frauds and other bogus compe-
titions show that 10000, or, perhaps, &c.
300. fools are always standing ready to
part with their money. They appear
to rely upon such theories as that
man who is not publicly branded as an
lmposter must be honest, that man
who advertises extensively must be
wealthy, that whatever appears IN
print must be true, that an enthuslas-
ii. testimonial must be genuine and
unsolicited.
None of these stupid notions will hold
water for a moment. 1t is no easy task
to reveal a rogues character ana ca
reer to the general public The law or
libel is so severe that a newspaper is
generally unable to publish sentence
until it has in it's possession a long
| chain of well-corroborated evidence. In
| the vast majority of cases the victims
| o a skillful trickster take no steps to
protect others, thinking that they will
thus avoid adding to the unpleasant
| ness of publicity. They say to them
selves, We have been fooled, but why
| should we let the world know what
| fools we are?'
Victims Don't Complain.
When the victimiZation is the out
come of their matrimonial schemes,
they are more Mortified than ever at the
| idea of attracting public cOmmenf to
| their ambitious aspirations. The dry
goods clerk who wanted to find a lady
with $25 900 a year and the dressmaker
who thought that the photograph OF
ner pretty face had beguiled the fancy
Of a Wall street broker are naturally
| not inclined to amuse their friends with
a recital Of their disappointing expert
| ances. The agents Of the marriage
| market know all this beforehand, and
thus it happens that course of de-
| ,eit and blatant humbug may be car
led on for months and years without
the interference of press or police.
| To place confidence in the simple dis
play of wealth is equally senseless.
Matrimonial agencies, like bogus loan
| offices have often proved gold mines to
| .heir INSCRIPTIONS promoters. The fees
| Of the foolish soon suffice for splendid
offices, the costly upholstery of which
| causes the caller to believe that he Is
| dealing with people in the front rank
| Of the business world. A staff of frOck-
| coated clerks are there to show the ten
1erest sympathy for the husband seek
ing shop girl or governess. Lifelong
| happiness is on sale for a small fee
| Who can wonder if they are dazZled by
the inviting prospect and part with
their hard-won earnings in response to
he honey toned suggestions of the cum
| ning raScals?
Cheap Game to Run.
At this game a big show can be made
with little expenditure. Most of the
Advertisements are evolved in the mar
riage agents Office, from the marriage
agents fertile brain. When genuine
Advertisement does come in, it is proba-
oily from some forlorn maiden who has
oeen waiting for years for a mate. The
| result-if there is any result-Of her
subscriptions to the agency will be an
introduction to some worthless adven-
:urer, who will borrow whatever money
she may be possessed Of and then fly
aW-ry after fresh quarry.
At these offices part Of the stock-in-
trade is a collection of highly orna-
mental photographs-hand fellows
with curly black hair and dropping
mustaches, doll-faced beauties with
those charms of face and form which
the photographer has touched up with
such consummate skill. If the custo-
mer thinks that a choice is offered
from these specimens it will prove a
delusion. for the best of them are not
on the books of the firm at all. The
others are probably dissolute persons
with whom marriage would be dire
full catastrophe.
Diamond Cut Diamond.
Perhaps the mos, amusing element
II such negotiations is the frequent in
, PRODUCTION of one adNenturer to an
pther Each is overjoytS at the oppor-
tunity of acquiring the fortune attrib-
uted to the other. If they wed they
/, cannot be long in discovering how alb
s1,rdlv they have worked at cross pur-
,oses Mutual hatred follows. and mis-
!, era BILE reproaches-and app opriat e
punishment for their mercenary enter
, prises.
How are these agencies ultimately tt
be disesta blshed? 1t can only be done
by multiplying the genuine opportunl
ties for the young of both sexes to NEE
one another at sociable functions
ought not to be difficult to get some
public spirited people TO organize ant
su,,erintend something similar to th'
institution which the Salvationist!
have planned. A committee of senst
bic women could be trusted to produce
workable scheme.
If the existing agencies were success
full in the slightest degree In bringinl
about happy marriages, we should be
fore now have heard Of some of them
But the only marriage that ever cam
into prominence as an outcome of tn
advertising system was one that ha
Its termination in a disgraceful divorc