The age-herald., 1902-02-23

From Cassel's Saturday Journal. decade ago guest providing agen- cies" were comparatively few in number, but now there are dozens of them.
 From time to time an advertisement, such as follows, may be seen in the columns of a morning newspaper:
 wANTED-DANCING MEN; MUST be gentlemen and accustomed to move in good society. Address, In confidence, A. E., Box GOO.
 Many of these advertisements are in serted by retired army officers. who very considerably add to their incomes by doing a little quiet guest providing.
 ''You probably have no idea" said one of these gentlemen-a retired captain-to the writer, ''of the difficulty experienced by the average London hostess in obtain ing eligible young men for her dances and evening parties. Dancing men are becoming scarcer every year, and, con sequently, their value (from 'profes- sicnal standpoint is going up by leaps and bounds.
 "In the summer there is always de- mand for young fellows who know how to liven up the monotony of a dull coun- try house party. Some hostesses insist on their guest being a first rate tennis player, as well as a good reconteur; but of late the chief requirements from the hired guest are rather that he shall have a thorough knowledge of the game
 of bridge. and be a past master in the
 art of ping-pong!
 "All my assistants are of good family l and posses the gift of being able to en-
 terta Members of the junior bar, army | medical and literary men are perhaps the
 most successful I can, however. supply | a dozen more titled guests. should | my client care to pay for the privilege l of entertaining them At the present mo-
 ment I have on my list the names of 1 three impoverished peers and seven equal I ly impecunious baronets.
 "All fees are of course, paid direct to me. and my charges vary from five to 100 gulneas ($26 to $500), according to the rank of the guest selected and the cir cumstances of the case. My commission for placing guests also varies Many of my assistants belong to certain smart clubs, and they often recommend their friends to me. Hence. it Is only when am exceptionally busy that think of ad- vertising; for less than per cent of the answers I receive are of any value Some of the applicants letters. l can assure you, are really extraordinary. The following is a typical example.
 Despite the fact that I distinctly ad- vertise for gentlemen only, 1t is by no means uncommon for 'gentlemen's gen. | tlemen' to reply to the advertisement | One man gave as his qualification the | fact that he had always been elected | M. c. at the dances given in the serv- ants hall at Lord H-'s town house. He,
 at least, had certainly been accust omed | to move in good society!
 "The replies I receive do not even al- | ways come from men. You would hardly
 believe the number of ladies of the bal | let who answer my advertisements One l girl wrote that, having played a boys | part in pantomime, she felt perfectly at I home in male attire!'
 Among my clients the wives of | wealthy stock brokers and other city men J figure prominently. Those with social as- Y pfrations frequently apply to me for | smart friends to lend tone to their | dinner parties. For this branch of my profession the greatest care is requisite EI never send an assistant to more than t one hoetess in a certain neighborhood. for Ehnk1zhun the aHikSard combinations that