Year: 1871




There is class of men, says the Pail
Mall Gazette, who are danglers by pro
fession and who find that profession
by no means an unpleasant one---to
themselves. What it may be to those
whom il may concern Is another matter,
aud one tha: does not disburb them
As it is, they are in the position of an
intending purchaser - the potential
owner of all within their mcans-the
possible possessor of every pretty girl
within their sphere. All they have to
do is to make mp their mind and
choose.


Danglers, seductive and dclusive,
are the bad investments Of the matri.
monial market; but the waryest may
be taken DIP by tie plausibility of their
appearance, aud managing mothers
themselves, who are supposed to have
an extra sense in such matters, may be
deludcd by Them into laying traps for a
shadow, with small blame to their per-
spicuity. What can be thought Of
man young enongh to 1--we, with enough
to marry. and sufficiently interested to
dangie, but that he is good invest
meut Of ones hopes? Besides, where
does the time OF legitimate hesitation
end, and that of insuhcrable dangling
begin? The point is fine one, and
given to few to hit exactly Fathers.
as rule, have horror of thrusting a
girl on mans hands whether he wants
her or not, and our daughters. thank
Heaven, have no need of that So, out
of delicacy for the one, and the convic-
tion that Aranlinta is at premium in
the market for the other, danglers are
suffered to abound, and if mischief
comes of it, we make a row too late, aud
shut the stable door after the stced is
stolen.


Taking society all around, the one
who fails most signally in bis duty is the
bachelor dangler who could marry but
does not So, at least, women think,
and a few fathers With the multitude
of nice girls waiting pensively for hus~
bands, it is really too bad to see whole
class Of men feeding hopes they do not
mean TO realize, and tanning fires by
which they do not intend to warm them
selves in comfortable domesticity Be-
sides, is not dangler q species of
swindler, whose stock in trade is made
up of dummies? What right had he
to come day after day and dangle, if he
| meant nothing like business He
knew that he was standing in the way
of better man, and that the bargain
about which he was so fastidious, others
would take with both hands if they
only had the chance And he knew
too. that he never intended to close on
that bargain, and that he was but a
dangler, however much like taking hold
he looked. These men are essentially
English. A French mother, appraising
things at their true commercial value,
would make short work of the profes
sional dangler, if even the genius of
French society allowed him free access
to the house. which it does not. L'in>
genne Ia .fltie marier is much more
carefully dealt with; and no mother
who knows her business--and the Judi.
cious guardianship of her daughter ia
part of the business Of mother-would
suffer them to become the sport of o
dangler, the passive bait at which light
minded fish make tentative nibbles, bnt
never come frankly on the hook.


4 Sometimes, however, the daughte,
goes SO far towards consolidation as tc
be kept half engaged in ceremony o.
the nature of an understanding rather
than an avowed betrothal. 1t is state
Of things which binds no one, and he il
careful to point out it's advantages il