The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-14

ana middle West han in the East
you VIII md such mothers i'm almost
any town OF fair size In America.
new YORK Is the great marriage
market when they can afford it
ana hundreds make sacrifices to af-
fora H-these mothers bring their
to New York. The daugh-
ter Is exploited. exhibited. One of
the common methods is to get the girl
on the stage. This advertising Is
most conspicuous. But the stage is
not the only show window. What
ever the method the girl must meet
men, n rich men, and the purpose
Is marriage, and for money alone.
'But whatever the condition of life
throughout the country the entire
education of too many young women
Is colored with the idea of marriage
Tor money. Romance is not dead:
romance will die. But il enters
into the lives of young women less
and less.
Marriage as a profession Is per-
maps one of the most ignoble profess
sions. Fraught with evils. tending
toward social corruption. the dissolu-
ton OF the home. the modern marriage
sale II young women demands atten-
ton n condemnation. Women are
not prize horses. And such traffic as
places them in the class of blue ribbon
winners is demoralizing.
A conditions of life in this country
nave become more and more settled
the opportunities for getting mon
have become increasingly difficult. We
are getting down to a social condition
similar TO that abroad. We have
evolved a caste based very largely on
wealth. We don't hear much of good
families in America. our aristocracy
Is bred in a generation. With money
people can have leisure. education.
comfort: they can travel. attain Gull
tue. But the prime necessity is
money. The line OF social demarca-
ton has become plainly drawn; on the
one side people with money. on the
other people without money.
with such a condition ii Is In
evitable that the people without money
should develop schemes to get money:
the struggle becomes more and more
intense. n in this marriage plays it's
part.
"One means of jumping the line Of
social demarcation and Of getting
money is obviously marriage. Thus,
coveting the money enjoyed by the
rich, mothers bring up their daughters
for the profe ssion in which they can
get 1t. A young woman is old she
must advance materially n socially.
Marriage is the open sesame to the
cave of treasure.
with good looks. education and
charm there Is no reason why any
girl. however humble her birth. how
ever poor. cannot attain any position
socially.
Society here has undergone a
change. The old New York Four
Hundred idea is exploded. New York
society is not limited to four hundred.
In fact, there are many circles of So
ciety. Anybody with money can enjoy
a society quite independent of the
Aston Vanderbilt clique. But whatever
the society, money Is the means of
getting there.
What Is the Modern girl brought
up to desire? In many cases not a
marriage for love, a home and chill
dren, but a home in New York. a
yacht, a winter at Palm Beach. "A tour
of Europe in the summer. That is the
American idea Of feminine success.
Reaching the proper age a young
woman fares forth on the great ad-
venture. The poor but earnest lover
is looked upon askance. and should
the girl listen to the pleadings of q
sincere heart poor in the worlds goods
the mother promptly appears. IT'S
the modern mother. and not the
father. who gives the ~impecunious
Romeo the boot.
Finally the gilded man appears. He
may be young or old, or very old.
Every art Is used to capture him. He
Is OF course led to believe the girl
loves him. Perhaps the end is at
tained-a religious ceremony marks
the bargain. AS for the woman-what
nobility. character or honesty can long