The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-05-12


America in 1886. and, carving out an
idea which is still the vogue with our
foreign visitors, wrote Il book about the
country. met 4 woman who was Il
model wife He SAYS: Ills virtue to
know her. wisdom to converse with
her, and JOY to behold her; or Ito do
her Justice in fewer wortls) she is the
counterpart of her pious husband, who,
without her. is but half himself
There is startling lack of romance
in the marriages of some of the hum
bier classes, more particularly foreign
crs. For instance. there are firms in
New York city engaged in the business
Of importing wives for foreigners who
have become permanent residents Of
the United States. The largest num-
mans engaged III the Pennsylvania
mines, the big cotton mills in New
England, and workers on the farms in
the south and west. German laboring
men seldom marry American girls:
they prefer wife from their native
land. As Il rule. such Ilrn drop all of
their home acIuain,ancr> when they
come to America but, after they have
been here four or five Years. and have
accumulated little money, they be-
come weary Of single life and desire to
marry one of their own country women.
The plan of the New York wite-im-
porting firms is simple. The man who
wants wife writes to them, stating
from what particular rt.ion he desires
the GIRL. what age, what color of hair,
and a general description of the kind
ofwoman he would like to marry. The
firms have long lists of addresses of
girls who want To come to America,
and, after brief correspondence, the
prospective bride is selected. 1t costs
between thirty and fifty dollars to land
her in this country, and an additional
sum for the railroad fare TO the point
where she is to be ''shippcd," which is
to be her future home. Sometimes the
man comes to New York to meet the
woman and marries her at once, usually
by civil process at the city hall. The
honeymoon, lasting day or two, is
frequently spent at Il hotel, often owned
by the same parties who brought over
the wife, who make about fifteen dollars
by the transaction through commits
sions end rebates from the steamship
and railroad companies.
Charlie Lamb speaks of the kind of
wife who would meet the aspirations
of gentlemen convivially inclined. In
a borrowed book, "Coclebs in Search
of a Wife" he wrote:
If ever | marry wife,
III marry landlords daughter.
For then | can sit in the door,
And drink cold ndy-and water.
Then there is the case of one man,
at least, whose persistent search for i
suitable life-partncr deserved a better
fate. He says:
My. first was a lady whose dominant passion
Was thorough devotion to parties and
fashion,:
My second, regardless of coniugal duty.
Was only the worse for her wuni, II Il
beauty;
My Hhl was vixen in temper and life,
Without one essential to make good wife.
JubHate' at last in my freedom revel,
For am clear of the World, the Flesh, and
the Devil,
What is the proper kind Of wife for
genius? 1t is generally admitted
that there is 4 limited supply Of the
suitable kind Of women, but this is off
set 10y the unleniable fact that there
are very few gcniuses. AS for women
themselves, in early times at least -
in the days when there were intellectual
ants,-emincnce in literary pursuits
was ignored. Petrarch's beautiful
poctical phrases seem to have made no
impression upon Laura, and Dante,
whose works are now critically studied
by bright women of the period, did
not enk indie a glow of enthusiasm in
Beatrice
1t was Sir Walter SCOTS candid
opinion that the wife ola genius should
have either taste enough to relish her
husbands performances, or good nature
enough to pardon his inrmitics."
Another authority is of the opinion
that 4 genius should have Il wife as re-
markable among her sex for the woman
ly qualities Of reccptivi,y, grace, and
sympathy, As he is among men Tor the
manly quality of creative energy.
Balzac claimed that 'apprccation is
complete equalitv.' The wife Of
genius should be worldly enough to
protect thinker from the world, and
unworthy enough to live with him in
the world of his thought and imagina-
ton With such woman even
genius could live Srrrnrly in the most
desirable society.
George Eliot says that when the
whole field of reality is laid open to
woman as well as to man, then 1--WE
shall have that marriage of minds which
alone can blend all the hucs of thought
and feeling in one lovely rainbow of
promise for the harvest of human hap
pincss." Richtcr's ideal wife was one
possessed Of moderate cNccllcnccs,
| .sWhoSn ewes and heart may he wide