LONDON'S MATRIMONIAL CIRCLE.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13225, 19 September 1908, Page 7

LONDON'S MATRIMONIAL CIRCLE.

(BT CONSTANCE CLTIJK, 'is THS SIDNEY "daily TELKcnArir.") r

LONDON, July 30,

Is it a reflection on English social life

'that there exists, on strictly busonees lines, an institution for.tihoformatidh of roarri-42ear Tha matrimonial newspaper we all know- " u j-~ — "vV'eo 'for-

th© purpose of promoting, mercenary marriages, and it is fortunate wlmsh hotlung worse lies behind this object. Iter.' Mr GoamuorsalTa Social Circle, however; is quite, another matter- A year ago it was started by this deo-gy-rnan as a club for lonely Londonurs, there being.also a frank avowal that marriages were to bo" promoted thereby. Aiready it numbers some hundreds of persons, married folks, tabooed ;- whilo several hundreds of others correspond with matrimonial intentions under the caro of his busy and intelligent wife. . Financially the circle is on a sound basis. Tho members pay a small leo for the "season," and meet every month, sometimes in restaurant rooms set apart for thorn, sometimes at Mr GommorsalPs own house, visitors may bo brought at a fee of ono shilling, refreshments extra; very occasionally help is got from outside in tho way of entertainment. As a rulo, howeivor, tho candidates for matrimony find enough pleasure in listening to on© another. Lectures, canversaziones, concerts, spelling competitions, guctaang games, and an occasional dance, nia'so up "a round of amueomonts, while in summer excursions are got up to various places of historic imoresfc. Naturally thero is much rejoicing when a marriage takes place. Many of these unions result, however, solely from correspondence. Brides, for instance, aro sent cut oven nowadays to bridegrooms in Australia, who havo seen nothing of them but handwriting aad photograph. It is Mrs Gommersall's boast, however, that sho prevents as many marriages as sho makes. "Wait a whilo, and I will got you something bettor," is her mattor-of-fact advice to a damsel inclined to encourage an inferior suitor ,and surely enough the "something hotter" generally turns up! On tho evening whon I called at the cirole it was the last night of the season—a conversazione. The company was very mixed, for this club is both democratic and Hero was a shop boy, there a doct-or, a greengrocer spruced up for the cccatsion sat next a Par.se© student, who was paying attentions to a bright young girl who had just favoured us with a recitation. Tho guest of tho evening was a French demoiselle in ono of the new sheath costumes. Tho Social Circle is in many respects conventional, not to say bourgeois, and, having dared Mrs Grundy by owning up to an inclination, for marriaco, makes up for respects. The members were consequently not quite suce that mademoiselle's costume was quite "correct." However, mademoiselle enchanted us all by singing a little chan-' sonotte, after which we decided that her dress was. really quite pretty. The evening closed with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne," the circle for a few minutes really deserving its nam© as we. clasped, hands aod said good-bye.