Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-27
THE INVASION OF PICTURE BRIDES

erness. to marry a man from our far
West. decided that she couldn't go
thru with the arrangement when she
saw her prospective mate.
Il feel that should marry you since
you've paid for my passage over here.
but I simply can't, she told him. You
look very nice and kind" she added
gently, but I am sure we wouldn't
get along. Your letters sounded dif-
ferent somehow thought-well,
guess I'd better cable my people for
passage money back home"
Another girl who was not disposed
to accept kindly the husband fate had
awarded her, was not so polite. She
was a large and buxom Syrian lass,
with a pair of fine brown eyes that
sparkled with excitement when she
talked.
Il will not marry you." she declared
contemptuously. as she took in the
grotesque appearance of the small,
bent and somewhat elderly Syrian
gentleman. who claimed her as his
property. You are not the same as
your picture-no hair, perhaps no
teeth-and you dare to think you marry
mel"
At this point. a member of one of
the several social service organizations,
which offer a protecting arm to the
picture brides at Ellis Island, hurried
to the scene, and tried to straighten
out tho difficulties, The man explained
he had fine house, n fine automobile.
was wealthy. He would treat her well,
he said, and she would not have to
work. But the girl remained obdurate.
SO the social worker sent her to an
immigrant home. Here, a Syrian So
ciety became interested in her case,
and she soon had most of its member
ship list as candidates for her hand.
mn cla Ev,a
to her liking. who paid the picture
suitor back his passage money. and
the incident ended happily.
In the great majority of cases, how
ever. the course OF picture love runs
smooth. The girls have no fault to find
with their SWANS. and the men are
usually moro than pleased because the
girl turns out to be better looking than
her photograph. which is a cheap and
badly posed likeness. Occasionally, a
man feels that he was led to expect
a great deal more than he got, but he
is apt to take 1t philosophically like
one Armenian. who. upon beholding his
bride. exclaimed. "Ah, veil why waste
the passage money. All wives are the
same in five years
Suits Europeans
The fact is that picture marriages
are probably as safe and quite as ro-
HldhliS dS any olHcI hlHu. l uS pC&1Sdut
girl OF Europe is accustomed to the
idea OF marrying a man she does not
know, because over there the parent
arranged marriage Is the conventional
thing. No self-respecting girl would
think OF marrying the youth of .her
own choice. unless by some stroke OF
good fortune ho also happened to be
tho choice Of her parents. She has
been taught that marriage must bc
governed by economic considerations.
The man must be well established in
his trade or profession, and the girl
must have her dot and trousseau.
The lack of dots and trousseaux since
the war Is another reason for the rush
of picture brides to this country. where
a bride need havo no property at all.
except a feather mattress. Even a pic
ture bride is expected to have this per-
quisitc. Hence, n huge. unwicldy,
lumpy mattress. rolled and tied with
a piece of string. is a conspicuous
item OF picture bride luggage which
has recently been doubling the work
of the health authorities stationed at
tho docks
AS for the man. ordering a bride by
picture from the old country is a con-
vcnient arrangement for him. too.
Coming from Syria or Jugo- Slavia OF
cZecho-Slovakia, hc lives in his own
foreign settlement in th!s country,
where thcrc is probably not one single
satisfactory unmarried girl. The young
ladies' born in America do not inter-
est him wives. They are apt to be
too independent, too irrcverent of the
homo customs. and unable to cook his
favorite national dishes. So what IL
moro natural than that he should write
to "A relative in tho old home village
enclosing his photograph-and request
ing that n good. husky, swect-tompercd
wife be selected and shipped to him.
How much better an elder relatives
Judgment than ones own, And how
wide a choice there will be in the moth
crland with half the men destroyed by
war! Thus argues the young man, and
10. ho is right. Within a short timo
comes tho answer from the relative,
with tho girls picture and refer
cnccs." and she Is better than any pro-
duct he could get in this country at the
same price. Without hesitation, he
sends tho passage money-it is practi-
cally safe bet.
Wives are always much better II
you do not see them first. declared
one glowing bridegroom ut the immi.
grant hall on Ellis Island the other
day, as he put his arm around n chub-
by. young woman. in white skirt and
red shawl. who had Just left the boat
This girl now amt she fine?
never have tho good luck to find her
myself. She mako me VERGE good wife
My fathcr-he know-hc pick her out"
ONE YEAR AGO TODAY