Year: 1874

A paper of the late Lady Amberley, i'm
Macmilldn's Magazine, describes visit
she paid to novel institution in Paler-
mo. Picture large, long room, the CEN
tire portion of which is divided off from
the sides and further end by an iron
grating, which forms q cage, entered only
by a we'll barred street door, through
which visitors from the outer world are
admitted. Here they sit on benches to
converse with those OH the outside OF the
iron grating. Friends of the sisters, or
employees Of the place, and the foster
parents are the usual visitors. Once q
week, however, on Sunday mornings,
from ten to twelve, this place is the scene
of the most novel and ludicrous court
ships One of the objects of this motherly
establishment is to find fit and proper
husbands for the girls under their charge,
the one requisite being that the young
man is bound to show himself in posses
sion of sufficient means to maintain wife
in comfort before he is allowed to aspire
to the hand of one of these precious
damsels. Having given in his creden-
tials of fitness to the guardians, he re-
ceives card which admits him next
Sunday morning to the inspection of the
candidates for matrimony.


There, sitting on bench, if his Curl
osity and ardor will allow him to remain
sitting, he awaits the arrival on the other
side of the grating of the lady superior,
accompanied by girl. She has been Sc
lected by the order of seniority and Ca
pacity for household work, from the
hundred cr more between seventeen and
twenty-one, awaiting for a youth to de-
liver them from their prison. The two
poung people, both no doubt breathless
with agitation at the Importance of the
ceremony, have to take one long, fixed
look at each other. No word is spoken,
no sign made. These good sisters believe
so fully in the language of the eye that to
their minds any addition is futile, and
might but serve to mystify the pure and
perfect effect of love at first sight. The
look over, the lady superior asks the man
if he will accept the maiden as his bride
Should he answer in the affirmative, the
same question is put to her, and if she
bows her assent, the bethrothal has taken
place. and they part till the Sunday fol-
lowing.


The young lover again makes his ap-
pearance before the tribunal of guardians,
and there the contract is signed, the day
of marriage fixed, and he is granted leave
to bring the ring, earrings, wedding
dress and confetti and present them,
through the grill of course, to his be-
trothed. Everything has to pass the
scrutiny of the sisters, for fear of letter
or some tender word being slipped in
with the gifts. During the few Sundays
that intervene between the first love
scene and the marriage, an hours con-
versation within the hearing of the lady
superior is allowed, but not a touch is
exchanged. The empty talk, inter
spersed with giggling. consists OF in
quiries as to the wedding dress, the sort
of confetti most liked, and the occupation
and place of abode of the suitor. Should
the young man refuse the first damsel
presented to him, he is favored with the
sight of three or more, but should he
still appear diticile, he is dismissed. The
girl also has power of refusal.


The marriage over, the task of the
sisters is done, and whether happiness
and faithfulness are the result Of this
heathenish rite, they never inquire.
Visitors have wondered what tinducement
there can be to make the youths who
have the world to choose from, come here
in search of wife. Two hundred and
fifty francs is the great attraction. That
sum is given in dOwry with each of these
girls, and for that sum, it seems Sicilain
is willing to sell himself for life. Those
girls for whom the institution fails to find
husbands are allowed at twenty-one to
face temptations alone, and situations are
found for them.