Evening journal., 1902-12-27
MATCHES MADE
FOR THE MONEY
Romantic courtships Are
Not the Rule in Ger
many

many
In Bavaria every girl Is expected to
get married. Ask a Bayarian, and he
will tell you that It is impossible for
portionless maiden to find a husband.
II a girl has no money for a dowry,
therefore, she sets herself at work to
save one.
Marriage in Germany Is nearly en-
tlrely matter Of business. The father
OF the girl announces the sum which is
to 20 with her, while the papa Of the
prospective husband holds out for
more. That is the first stage Of the
negotiations. Little by little each yields
to the other. Finally. often after
months Of delay, the contract is drawn
up with minute specifications by a
notary, and then the lovemaking may
begin. The courtship is very circum-
scribed and is probably not altogether
satisfactory, for the German maiden Is
a romantic creature, and the opportunf
ties she has for getting acquainted
with her husband before marriage are
very meager.
The parental supervision Is so inbred
In the nation that even the government
takes hand in It with its servants. A
German army officer is a splendid crea-
ture to the eye, but his pay is very
small, ranging from a matter Of So a
week for a lieutenant TO $50 a week
for a full fledged general In order TO
prevent the possibility of seediness in
appearance or style of living the gov
ernment forblds an Onicer to marry I'M
less he deposits a certain sum--it Is
i $4,000 for a lieutenant and becomes
! gradually less for each higher grade
/ with the authorities, the income OF
which is doled out to him semiannual-
1 ly. This is in reality putting price on
the man. because the greater number
Of German officers are very poor and
can get the money required only from
their brides.
The money which wife brings to
her husband, unless there is an express
notarlal stipulation to the contrary, be-
!, comes absolutely the husbands proper
J ty Woman In the eye of the law has
. practically no rights except such as her
2 husband may allow her. He treats her
very often as merely a piece Of live
4 stock. If the woman rebels, which she
does very rarely, he displays a very
= short temper and an apness for WELD
; Ing a poker or a walking stick in a use
4 for which they were never meant.
o In German newspaper one may al
ways find a column devoted TO matri
e monial announcements. There is nc
Q romance in these advertisements. The
8 man tells how much money he has and
Q how much he wants. The woman
. names her dowry TO tho very pfennig
- Very often the maR has no money n
I, all and expresses his desire to marry
k into n business, but the woman knows
y that It Is useless 20 advertise at all un
d less she has SEINE money, IL It amounts
: only to 500 or so, which may be re
q garded as the lowest sum worthy o.
consideration as a might
= On the other hand. 1t is the woman'l
privilege to name the calling which shl
prefers the man should follow. Shi
\ usually chooses an official clerk or por
; ter, policeman or a car conductor, al
Of whom have tenure of Office and al
old age pension. She has more OF al
eye to stability than to ambition.
It is In the so called higher classes o
society that one finds the baldest an,
% most businesslike matrimonial trans
= actions. There are few young men o
e this class who have either money o
:. any prospect Of making any otherwis
4 than by n wealthy marriage. Whel
g they inherit fortunes. it is the fashion
4 to disslpate them. and when they don
lc inherit II Is against the prejudlces o
= their education and training to see
y employment or to engage in any kin
"a OF business.
r Therefore most OF them enter the al
5e my while waiting for a rich bride
Daughters Of rich brewers and mel
a chants are acceptable to these gentl,
le men. but their great aud persisten
~ dream is TO capture an American he'll
ess They confess the matter frank
to any one and every one who VIII lii
ten.
he Travelling American heiresses are nc
ID so plentiful in Germany as I'm Franc
,o,ss and Italy; still, they are 10 be foun,
he II would seem, however, that notwitl
re standing the fact that German title
ie are at least n little more valuable tina
those of the Latin countries they q
not possess the same glamour in fem
N. nine eyes, because the German tit
captures the American bag Of col
: comparatively rarely. Perhaps iei b
III cause the Teutonic woolng is more a
10 rogant and superoilious than insinua
ing.
& OF all countries Germany Is perhaI
that in which romanticlsm flourish
In most. 1t is instinct in its traditions.
re, its history and its literature. Yet
nd the affairs Of daily life and pre-en
k nently in its matrimonial affairs mi
ng tarism rises to the plane OF worship.
New York Sun.
re, A Hind Sale.
mol k.Ilc - N r.,~~o1 ~.