The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-01
MATCHMAKERS AMONG JEWS.
OF American Love-Maling and ure
Very Pessimistie.

This has been a hard year for the
Cupids of the Ghetto, as the matrimoni-
al agents of the Jewish quarter might
be called. To the Jews he is known as
the schatchen, but unless the marriage
business picks up the broker is going to
drop out of sight. Already he is
branching out into other ways of max
ing a living. He writes letters for the
illiterate acts as interpreter in business
Transactions or does odd jobs around the
synagogs. Marriage brokerage used to
be one of the best paying businesses on
the east side, but that day has passed,
and the schatchens think it will never
return.
# When the Jews began to come to this
city in large numbers and to crowd the
Z Germans out of the east side district
they brought the marriage broker with
them. They had always been accus-
toned to having a Professional match
maker arrange their marriages, and at
that time they did not know how to get
along without it. The young men We're
bashful and Were more than willing to
give up 10 per cent of the girls dowry
If some one else would put the question.
Besides, they made sure of getting a
wife in this way. They would go to the
BROKER or schatchen, and outline their
ideal of a wife, not forgetting to men
ton the amount of doWry they expect
ed. The schatchen would take note of
all the young mans advantages-per-
Sonal appearance, education and mon
ey-making ability. Then he would so
among the young women of his extend
ed acquaintance, and speedily find some
one who was willing to wed on the
terms which the broker had to Offer
The schatchen's fee was paid as soon
as the engagement was announced. 1t
usually amounted to 10 per cent of the
dowry, but in some cases a stipulated
fee was charged, where the girl was
very pretty and her people unable to
give a large marriage portion. Some
times the schatchen had trouble collect
ing his fee, and in these cases he
evened things up by breaking off the
match. There were many ways of do
ing this. If the man was at fault, the
schatchen would get the girl more de-
Eirable match, and as love had not en-
tered into the first engagement it was
speedily broken, leaving the man sad
der, but wiser, If the schatchen dis
covered that the girl had objected to
paying the fee, he found a prettier girl
for the man.
This was the way it used to be done.
Let the Oldest schatchen in the colony
tell why it is that his services are no
longer in great demand. He is to be
found In Hester street and the sign
outside his door asserts that he writes
letters, makes translations and teaches
Hebrew or English.
II would Starve to death in month |
If / depended on matchmaking for a
living" he said bitterly. "Once l lived |
on the fat of the land, and most of the
young men and women in
the quarter depended on me to make
them happy for life. Now they believe
n love and all that rot. They are MAX
ing their own marriages, and many of
them will be unhappy. Sevreal things
combined to bring about the change.
In the first place there are too many
girls in the Jewish quarter. There are
;ix or seven girls after every man.
This makes the young fellows hard to
ieal with. They can marrylinto almost
my family in the block just for the
lsking, Some of the women still come
~ lie, Dul IL is nara TO ina mates Tor
hem.
'They learned how to start their own
owe affairs from the Americans, and it
8 one of the orst things they have
licked up. How can a Jewish couple
Expect to be happy in a marriage of
heir own making when it has been the
'ustom of their fathers and mothers for
lges not to see each other until after
marriage? The love which they have
earned to put so much faith in drlbbles
ut In trips to Coney and walks around
ne parks before marriage. In a month
hey are figuring out ways of getting
i'd of each other In the old way every
month of married life made the young
'eople more attached to each other
hey may come back to the old way of
DING things, and for their own sakes I
ope they do.'-New York Tribune,
THE YALE DEBATERS.