A NEW MATRIMONIAL AGENCY.

Southland Times, Volume 1, Issue 8, 5 December 1862, Page 3

A NEW MATRIMONIAL AGENCY.

Wj •' '{Etomt\k9&*trdaf.Ret>ie»J If men the census retunji exhibit «1-f«»5 MM a million females over males in the United K?oSom' tis very obvious that a great many KSeToung sptnjters are destined to taste of *&t blessedness which Miss Kay and other ladies CdKTmarriedlife. All circumstances con«SAwed the discovery that men are rather de trop iftfc' world,Tnd7hat they are totally unnece^ En ■to the comfort of the fair sex^has been iMj IVin .iceedinclv opportune moment. It » not { fnd^S.So/dJrwith Ordinary riwggg Cinciplos that, as>artic e grows scarce, f^n «ele.s valuable- attd less raSemand; bat women Etriots are wiser than Adam Snuth, andwe are «ound to believe them when they teU us £»' Consider the disproportion between^ ee wj an ffivanuge.rathi^thant^ ZgffJ&rfgfc SP^'^i ß^?* 1 - Jw-ffiSftSto "matrimony so Jfcould ex Pl«*. «\° minded of their •■uddenly acquired by the. Bt £ n sv.r theorv o f t h e «ffi«? or^SrSiS their living!' by depriving men B?^'° JStons. But those who will , and SLSwho^TS get. carried are.on a perfect ttK We are told that fluitors do not come •S'asiheyused to do, and tha a genuine E t"e matrimonial line maaket is extremely W!^ to find. • The ordinary agencies- for matchl£hav;broken down an! the. lower classes Serially are driven to a fresh mode of commuISS with each other. While champions of Me sex are laboring to keep y?ung women unified, the journals in which the poor take delight in are W then- best (or worst; to find iffem husbands. It is a cunous fact, indeed, that »Ko or two halfpenny papers, lately started, trust X popularity solely to their « matrimonial •miumns " The editors of these publications must *K experienced in every phase of the grand pasMm and they give their judgments with Rhadai»«iithine severity on the numerous crowd- who I*tercede with them for mates. Persons who ca'•lually fall accross one of these journals may be sAclined to suppose that the "Answers to Correspondents" are only a continuation of the romance •» tbe first page. This is an entire mistake. The of letters which are apparently sent to ejLy of the cheap weekly journals— especially to zKe London Journal and tbe Family Herald, the *Mostpopular of them all-^an only be explained WL the principle, that there are more fools than m*, inen in the world. Moving atter mormng Vseems, brings packets of letters from all manner '•Versons and 'from all parts of the countrydflune containing portraits, others, specimensof hand •riting and others locks of hair, usually very rod llideed and saturated with rancid fat. So at least '^re infer from the the tenor of the " Answers to '•' iorrespondents," which have all the appearance of replies to genuine letter*. It is lot a little curious to remark the kind confidence •liat are established between the managers and jAaders of these journals. slB-The chief portion of the letters relate to affairs AM love and marriage. One young woman wishes ■«e editor to tell her whether it is proper for her to Wgs a lover, to whom she is engaged, before marIsßgge The answer is, that tbe deed in question ) Sould be decidedly improper ; but we very much 3oubt whether this decision "satisfied the. querist, RlSid we haves till stronger doubts whether it guided ■er in her subsequent conduct. It is odd enough ftat any girl should consider a stranger more ' c ff n jpet6ot to counsel her upon a point of delicacy «H propriety than her own mother or brother ; but oMe explanation may be that the readers of these '•• urnaU invest the unknown who dispenses s decrees on the last pagn, with almost pernutural attributes. He understands every- '- ing, from getting rid of a corn or removing su;ej rfluous hairs fa transferring an estate or obtain-' ' r g a divorce. In the matter of hair, we might ft deed, think him afflicted with colour blindness; . it it is no great failing after all to mistake red r auburn, or to call a greasy kind of tow "golden . :ks." These things are matters of taste. Be. ;l( les, it is not always easy to tell the truth with. > i t "iving offence, especially when the inquirer is iai woman. Happily three-fourths of these correondents are gifted with every personal grace; „„ e other forth are what in stable language, are . own as "screws." The former want husbands i' wives; the latter have either bald heads or bow s and Beck remedies for both. "There is no aedy," we letely read, "for bow legs on the part a person who has passed childhood ;" and this !no doubt, sad tidings for many readers. But u<vde»l with beauty first. The damsels on the k-ojttt for husband deserve the first consideration Journal has a large store of faU to choose' from. They are nearly all aciplished, and one of them, " Madoline," U I Undid into the bnrgain. " I have," she s»ys " a [>H te that looks best at night, and I am fond of -_j, mpany and pleasure." " Snowdrop," who write* }-.a Monmouth, declares that " she is equally at J lll r ease in the drawing-room and the kitchen" "? there is no doubt of it. Another of the sirens I * es not sing a very enchanting strain :— i I "lam twenty-9ix years of a^e, tall, and with loj ht hair and lue eyes. I have a heart to bestow 3H any person who would think it worth his while n answer this appeal. I should like a kind-hearted - Arking man, as I am in tbe habit of working for ini w own living. lam not at all good-looking, and *P«i rather pale." in ■This pale young person is not more downright jtßp "G. S.j" who "wishes for a respectable young b a Sn," and says so without any assumption of ' Bdesty. "Tall gent'emen" are in great demand, . >W it is generally a sine qua non that the lovers [C 'Suld be Volunteers. Moustaches are considered " Iftreable, and always gain the preference. In altfte eases the interviews do not result satisfacr Mly, and the answer to one correspondent is suggestive of the end of these singularly- j .Bulged marriages — '' get a detective to find out /B whereabouts of your charmer." Matters do *m always reach this extremity ; at any rate, there '' V? °^ to r ' se 6t t!je * Ja * t- Touclistone ) ft«vill be remembered, was rather onxious to hear a . iBB^* 6 opinion from Audrey concerning bis face. _Kn 1 the man yet ?" he asked. " Doth my r ,^B)le features content you ?" " Your features, " '*[HJ the lady's reply. " Lord warrant us ! what rQtjßure*!" Some of the correspondents are very t Sh of the Audery stamp ; but they are a little , aB e particular about features. The answers of are, therefore, highly colored, tnd, ■yJlpfl nr > great personal attractions are claimed, . f!Mappeal is earnest on other grounds. Hera, for • ■ Bknce, isone of the helpless bachelors whom the » H> rt hy editor " takes kindly by the hand : — 9 hBA Liverpool Printer entreats us to interceed atfaP our B ' r correspondents, as with all his anxiety jg^Mweure a wife for himself he is unable to do so JT^She present frivolous and artificial state of This young man is 21, and a virtuous fljt amiable wife might save him from ruin. We :>r<3flpgly recommend him to the notice of our QMBig ladies as a prize worth catching, although IC his income is no more than 30s. a _-_Bc. . . . He is a printer just out of his «, and only wants to find in a good, true, and 9VR ' a ' ieart ne pan call his own ' " Wjftse coolness with which the judicious friend of «sB young man speaks of rather rare virtues in If Hiankind, shows how superior are the ladies who er |Be themselves under his paternal care. Strange fcflB m * y Beem ' Jt " actual 'y the fect that, some of . Me " fair correspondents " are pereons of modeW1 W good station, often possessing independent Ins and not scrupling to give their real names AjM addresses. How far then- peculiar mode of [jaJting for a husband may be justified by the • aflssent frivolous state of society " we shall leave "J I Ray and others to determine. No doubt the 0* girls who are silly enough to write these letters often duped by the replies they receive, but is no concern of the editor's. He does not ble himself about the misery he may occasion IS 8 itrpducing persons toUHy unacquainted with •▼* other's past life and habits. Z» t e candiriates for matrimony are not always free jal -.blemish. One correspondent wants to know T^Rie" can make his eyebrows grow, another com of weakness in hie knees, and a third desm-s ra^Wtotfebv what means he can " remove dandriff." to ' jottn* xyaon requests " a cure for blushing ;" "P 9 ™ louldl* scely have thought that bashfulness tn le<i any* one capable of writing letters of the \ 7 we have described. A young woman limps 1 h . u rgait, and begs ; for advice which will enable raw pwalk straight; and another asks whether WJ : into hysterics would, be likely to move a the* ] over to a gpeedy declaration of his suit. One *»* tments that her lover has " bran highes and .P"S hishkers " — colours which she is of opinion *• ' Ot harmonise well together. Very many of refll 'fair" correspondents complain that "the 9 .*. j men of the present day aie dreadfully shy" tQ 8 imperfection which certainly cannot be * 8 ! ed against the clamorous and impatient t a , n themfelves. There is, in truth, no subject £ " ie ran K e °^ *^ e editor's knowledge. Some - f "°i An answer is made the vehicle of puffing off *P B : medicine, though it is fair to state that in I*"* oblication only have we detected instances of '•** Subscribers are there advised to take the I *** l versa) medicines," one of which, called the ied », ic Pill," cure* almost every. malady that • e» the human kind. The London Journal \* .i 'amity Herald are perfectly unobjectionable &* i respect* and tbe replies given, are obviously , n*» to be to the p«r»on» who seek for mtiotf4.»i«^««weli«v»j^tip«iiqaaitJ<rts t* t tfcirtMf* editor? are moit »ißusirig. "Ti 9

Family- HiraWbidi its* reader* to disbelieve ir| first love — " - ■ • - .

,• "Which is more frequently a delusion -of "the senses than an enduring- sentiments %i First love is generally attended with all the sy my toms of delirium, in which reason is prostrated, and all consideration of the future helplessly ignored. It is, in fact, an exaggeration, which time, accident, or alienation, in -the majority ef instances, mercifully dilutes with the -dictates- of common sense." .

Whether love, Srst or last, i» not mere or Jess a delusion of the ' senses, is a theme mpon which it would be interesting to hear this sage discourse. He is evidently. at home on the. subject, although his decrees are probably opposed to the morals ■* of the stirring romances which occupy,twq-thirdj» of his journal. Upon the ' whole, however, the teaching of this column is harmless enough in its tendency, and it is satifactory to find that the journals which have the largest circulation are the most discreet in the use of their influence. For it is impossible to doubt that the authority of these cheap publications is very great among the poorer classes, and no one can read the " Answers to Correspndents" without perceiving that they might be made the means of doing , ft vast amount . of evil. Thousands of persons are willing to regulate their conduct at the most critical periods of their life, by the advice of utter strangers, and they accept his judgment of what is right and what is wrong without hesitation or doubt. A man accustomed'to think for himself can scarcely conceive the value and importance which many persons attach to the opinion of an unknown editor. He is taken completely into the confidence of his readers ; they tell him of personal defects which they would conceal from all others ; they disclose to him. their secret troubles; they make- him ♦ at once their lawyer, their physician, and their closet fiiend. Papers which wield an influence like this ought not to be overlooked by the stude.nt of social phenomena. A few of them, as we have seen take their euscribers on very dangerous ground, and seem to be indifferent to" the misciet thev may cause; but the majority, and more particularly the really popular of the number, are not unmindful of the responsiqilities they have undertaken-" and use their influence on the right side. ■ - ■