Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-14
MARRIAGE BROKERS
They Make a Good Thing Of
It in Paris.
CHARGE HEAVY FEES
HOW THEY BRING THE INTEREST
ED PARTIES ToGErHER.
Lists and Photographs of Eligible
People-American Girls in
the Market.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

speciai correspondence Of The Evening Star.
PARIS, May 8, 1904.
You have heard of June brides?
There are June brides in Paris too very
mucn IKE ours, blushing and blooming: but
differing in one curious respect. This is the
commission 1t is not their fault
Yes, maam. The commission. It is a
colo fact that the majority of these June
orloes In Paris of the present hour are
earning money-commissions for the gen
tiemen ana ladies' who have been the inter-
meolarles of their matchmaking
VINO pays the commission. The man ma
turalIy, when the girl is very much richer
tnan me- When both are just well-off it
becomes more complicated, much depending
on the girls looks and her social situation.
But OF one thing you may be sure-it is the
French man who pays when the girl is a
rich American.
Is there not always the now historic ex-
ample OF the American railway king s
daughter, now the happy mother of three
frail, watery eyed little mobiles? Does not
the matchmaking maiden lady who
Drought the match off still bewail, in the
American colony. the immense commission
that the titled bridegroom promised her
but never paid?
But come up to date, the present hour
Here Is the really sweet descendant of i'm
mense quantities of sugar, as attractive
witty and pretty girl as ever quit New
marry title. But her mother thinks she
ought to! Therefore here is an affaire There
have already been presented to her five au-
thentic titles. If there were no business
mixed up in 1t, do you think 1t would be
SO played like game of chess? How Is
it that three of them, in particular, are al
ways posted as to the girls movements and
seem to have things made magically easy
for them? How is it that all kinds of ill
things are heard of their rivals?
One Is a Bonapartist count with cham
payne name. One is an Egyptian hey. One
is a French duke of illustrious connections.
A Choice Character
Let us look at the young duke. He takes
cocaine. His chosen companions are differ
ent from the New York girl. He has sold
every square foot of ground he ever owned
He has debts everywhere. But whoever
marries him will get into his family Ger
tainly the cocaine hurts his chances Thus
they balance family connections perfect;
body and mind less so. Had he married
the last New York girl he was engaged to
he would have been bound in honor to pay
between i per cent and per cent on the
fortune of family whose name is particu
larly well known in America.
Such are the ways of a land of settled
fortunes, where marriage is business. If
they can throw veritable network around
an American girl who does not want a
titled husband, what must they not be for
French girls?
1 have just met what is incoptestably the
most curious possible phase of this under
ground match making. The phase is a
mature, jolly looking French widow lady
with scarcely any pretentions herself to go
ing into society. Yet her pipes are so
laid that she has In her photograph album
the portraits of $50 nice French girls with
dots, and what is more remarkable (she
would not show themD 1 am told that she
has the portraits and lot of useful notes
on quite a bunch of our own nice Ameri-
cans!
This jolly widow lady, whomsI shall call
Madame *, passes most of her hours in
her discreet, luxurious apartment in the
smart Champs Elysees quarter
Going out so little, how does she meet
clients? How does she bring them together?
You will begin to understand when l tell
you that hers is the organization. Hers is
the central. Hers is the combining brain
directing the work at a distance. 1 will