The Washington herald., 1907-12-15

pie Who Otherwise Might Not Meet.
A clearing house for Cupid. with State
superintendent Of public instruction. and
a judge Of the Municipal Court champion
ing its cause, has been organized by the
daughters of wealthy families of Oak
Park. IL. fashionable residence suburb
of Chicago
Dearth OF opportunities for choosing hus-
bands, together with what is denomlnated
inartistic counting in Chicago. is response
bic for the establishment OF the clearing
house. II is proposed to remedy condi-
tons with all possible speed
The educator, who declares Chicago's
young men and women know nothing
about the fine art of loyemaking. demands
that courtship be taught in the public
schools, Just as arithmetic is taught"
He declares such q course is a necessity
The jurist demands the enactment of q
law governing courtship. He says that
kind Of law would abolish the crime Of
wife desertion.
The girls who are back Of the move
ment which. in reality. is intended TO
rob the divorce court of patronage. plan
to get acquainted and help other young
women get acquainted" with lots OF
young men," so that each may have
better chance than formerly to find her
affinity before marriage, not after"
In this effort TO enthrOne the diety Of
love in a city that is notorious for the
great number Of its divorces. Miss Jewel
BUsse took the lead She Is not related
TO Mayor Frederick A Busse. but Is the
daughter Of wealthy manufacturer. She
has dimple in either cheek and a twinkle
in her bright blue eyes.
Miss Busse and about forty OF her fem
mime friends in the younger set Of Oak
Park society formed an organization
which they named Cupid's Club. That
was the nucleus OF Cupid's clearing house.
Miss Busse was elected president, Miss
Fay Ware vice president. and Miss Clara
Scott secretary and treasurer.
You all know what our purpose IS,
said President Busse. as she unblushingly
began her executive address.
Some Of the members giggled; others
solemnly nodded their heads.
Declaration OF Principles.
we must have a declaration OF prin-
ciples, continued the president. but
and her face flushed a trife-'it is not
leap year. and we haven't the legal right
to set ourselves up as wooers-"
It's time We usurped the right" in
terrupted rotund young woman. rising
from behind a big oil painting in the par
lOr OF Miss Wares home, where the first
meeting was held. As II scared by the
sound Of her own voice in such speech.
the second speaker Immediately hid her
self again behind the picture.
speech, Speech cried half a dozen
feminine voices.
Persistent calls brought the young mem
Der again to her feet. Not one Of the
forty win reveal her name. but any one
Of them is perfectly willing" 70 tell
what she said at that secret session. This
is the way she is quoted:
Since you must know what I think.
repeat: It's time we usurped the right.
Chicago girls are so hedged about with
conventionaIties that IL is no wonder
they fall in love with the first man they
meet at the seashOre or summer watering
place. Cupid no longer has a ghost OF a
chance in the city. People nowadays,
even some Of the very best people think
they have 10 live IN hOrrid fiats that are
Just Ike drygoOds boxes or else IN
modern houses that have no porches,
and are lacking in everything else pre-
senting an opportunity for spooning. How
many OF YOU ever did any Spooning?"
Dead silence.
The trouble with city girls is added
the young woman. '"they don't get ac-
quainted with enough young men. They
are just simply hothouse beauties. and
when their mothers pick out young men
they would Ike for sons-in-law and in
troduCe them-and them only-to their
daughters, why. the hothOuSe flowers
nearly wilt IN the unaccustOmed sunshine
OF the mems smiles and think IL Is love.
Perhaps we are not so situated. but there
are thousands OF young women and thou
sands Of young men in Chicago who have
opportunities TO meet almost no one eX-
cept those with whom they work in Of
fees or stores. Their circle Of acQuain-
tances ought 90 be enlarged. and l pur-
pose that we go about enlarging it"
Bravo chorused the party. as the
speaker again hid behind the oil painting.
Miss - must have given the subject
a good deal OF. thoSght." suggested the
president
Give Heart n Chance.
Then another young woman arose. She
had come prepared to make a formal
speech. for she held the notes in her
hand.
I'm for the old-fashioued courtship."
she began. There's no romance IN
courtship nowadays. Young people meet
in the most formal fashion. attend formal
parties or the theater. and propose and
70 "a inc
rules Of etiquette What we must do is
to conduct a campaign that shall enable
love 10 develop. The heart must have a
chance.
This meeting is like Chicago's love
making" spoke up Vice President Ware.
Its altogether TOO formal. 1 move we
adjourn and talk il over
The motion was carried. Then the
young women got together in knots and
all talked at once. The outcome was that
the club decided to send invitations to
forty young men to attend the clubs
first party. Each young man was re-
quested to'be prepared TO sing song or
tell a story, and each was informed that
the affair was TO be informal
Receipt OF the invitations was the first
inkling the young men had Of the fact
that a Cupid's Club was in existence The
name aroused their curiosity. There was
not a single declinatiOn.
At the party the young men asked many
questions. All they could learn of the Oh
jects of the club was that 1t was orga-
nized with a view to getting acquaint-
ed Each of the young men knew only
one or two of the hostesseS when he
reached the scene OF the party, but he
knew them all as soon as intrOductiOns
could be made, and the evening was pass
ed with songs and stories and an Occa-