The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-11
The Modern
marriage MARKET"
A Book by a Quartette of Distinguished British Danes That Has
Caused a Great Sensation in England-Cupid
Is Severely Handled.
Written for the Sunday Standard.

Written for the sunday Standard.
London. Sept. IA boob written by
a quartette of w~ell-known women on
the ever interesting subject of marriage
has created a sensation here. The title
has been changed from the antique one
of advice to Those About to Marry"
that has done duty for so long. The
new book comes into the literary field
under the name of TT Modern Mar
riage Market" and ii certainly is caus-
ing a greater amount of talk and en-
%countering a fiercer amount of cTfti-
cism, than any market volume ever
printed.
The writers are women prominent
here. and their names are sufficient
guarantee to Americans that the book
is by NJ means an ordinary volume.
The quartette of writers are Lady
Jeune, Mrs. Flora Annie Steel. Miss
Marie Corelli and Susan. OF
Malmesbury. There has evidently
been no getting together" of the dis
tinguished authors for the purpose of
comparing notes before writing the
book, for the opinions differ widely,
and the writer's do not hesitate to
speak their minds freely regarding he
writing of the rest of the four.
One fact concerning the book that
has been seized upon with avidity by
its critics is that the only one of the
writer's to TAKE Cupid in her arms and
pet he little god, is Miss Marie Cor
ELI, who is also the only unmarried
one OF the four. This strikes the crit
les here as being a peculiarly rich bit
of irony, and they are making the
most of 1t. Miss Corelli refers with
lofty scorn to the ideals of some of her
married friends, and has such advanc-
ed ideas on the subject herself that il
seems a pity hat she should ever spoil
these by a practical experience of mar
ried life.
The other three, Lady Jeune, Mrs.
Steel Inc the Countess of Malmesbury,
undertake to set each other right in
the understanding way peculiar to the
high-born British dame. who patron
ICES the world with unruffled good ma
lure and is seldom disturbed i'm her self
%conceit. Lady Jeune." says Susan.
Countess of Malmesbury, writes from
the practical standpoint of a woman
who has a wide and intimate knowledge
of the special class which she describes,
but she confines herself to do that
alone" Mrs. Steel, again, is snubbed
by the same controversialist and told
that she is more conversant with the
matrimonial affairs of our Eastern
than OF our western sisters.
The antagonist that Miss Corelli finds
most worthy of her steel is the lady
of that name. Mrs. Steel takes the
stan that marriage is as much devoid
of a as the most ordinary BUSH
ness of life. Mrs. Steel looks at the
world of women through lorgnettes
that have been turned on much mis-
cry, matrimonial and otherwise. in
their time, and the conclusion she ar
rives at is this: Compare ii tthe V
match) with the position which our
present system condemns, which nine
out of 10 women would be ashamed to
confess. / do not expect intense per-
sonal qualification. but / wish to mar
~, to have a home and children, to
take my share in the glory n toll.
and here is my chance. II you come to
analyze this, you will find not only that
it brings with il a far higher ideal of
life, but hat IL leaves us something
more of a foundation for marriage than
a mutual physical and mental attrac-
ton: an attraction which the individ
ual experience of nearly every man and
woman in the world teaches them is
evanescent."
Ii is only right to say that the COM
mon sense critics side with Mrs. Steel.
However much 1t may CRATE OF the
sensitive nerves of the romance hunt
er, il is felt by the majority Of people
in practical England that where the
choosing is left TO the man. and the
girl has no voice in the matter until
she is asked to use her voice-in saying
yes" or "no"-that the girl is apt.
after waiting a reasonable time. TO say
to herself: Here. IL l don't accept the.
first offer that comes along. l shall
be left in the race altogether" So she
gees to the altar with a man for whom
she has little regard, and. the novelty
Of marriage gone. she is left with moth
ing but the loveless life. As to the
poor mar who is carried of in his I'M