The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-03
HEBREW MATCH MAKERS.
PROFESSIONAL GO-BETWEENS
 CAUSE HAPPINESS
In darrIage-Rsiatives Sometimes Have
 Hand.

The happiness which is characteristic Of Jewish married life is due to the fact
 that the great majority of the weddings among our people are brought about by matchmaking, either conducted by rel atives or by the professional schatchen.
 The love match is the stem from which grows the unhappy marriage. The reason for this should be plain to the thoughtful person.
 The young man and young woman in love are totally blinded to one another's defects, and consequently each expects of the other perfection in the married life. Marriage is an eye-opener. and necessarily a disappointment to them, since perfection resides in no one. Quarrels and the divorce court follow. When relatives make the match, as is the custom with many of our people, and with the peasantry of France and Ireland, this danger is overcome in great measure; although the blood rela- tionship of the matchmaker is apt to require too much for the relative even
 under that plan. Yet, in comparison with love matches, these unions are very happy indeed, as observation and reading inform us.
 The ideal marriage, the one most nearly sure to result in full, satisfying and complete happiness, is the one in which a schatehen-the meaning of the word is faithful messenger" some one exercising that function, discovers the exact suitability of the man and woman for each other and brings them together.
 The schatchen is the Jewish profess sional matchmaker. There ought to be such calling among people of all races and creeds, for its exercise is conducive in the highest degree to. the success of the marital union and to all the com fort and prosperity that follow from it. The youth and maid brought together by the professional matchmaker of skill are insured against marital disap- pointment. The schatchen has studied and judged fairly their tempers, tenn perament, character and habits; and be- cause the success of his calling depends on his skill as measured by the success
 of the union he is very careful not to make mistake, and his experience en-
 ables him to avoid it. s$s ': s...
 Of course there must be good health
 and good morals there must be indus try and thrift; there must be means of
 livelihood, and there ought to be a sum
 laid by against illness or misfortune. Given these conditions, the husband
 and wife are joined together without any illusions as to each other; there is no chance of disappointment, heart | burning and mutual hatred in the days | to come. H E
 | In fact, there is every reason to be- | leve from the records of experience that the longer their association in wed- lock the more will their mutual liking grow, and that it will eventually bloom into a lasting love, as ardent as that of
 unwedded sweethearts, which so often melts away in marriage. .
 Day by day is experience making plainer to those who think seriously and
 deeply on the subject that the first es- sential of a happy marriage is to have the match made by an outsider. It
 should be the hope of every lover of mankind to see the custom grow.-New York News. , F.,