e them to capture so many foreign husbands. Their pleasant
manners and winsome nature predispose a person in their favor, and with
their well-grounded education and ready fund of knowledge, they easily
win any gentleman with marital propensities. Had I been single when I
first visited America I too might have been a victim--no wonder then
that American men prefer American wives. Once I was an involuntary
match-maker. Some years ago, during my first mission in Washington, I
was invited to attend the wedding of the daughter of the Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court. When I entered the breakfast room, I saw the
bridesmaids and a number of young men. Going up to one of the
bridesmaids whom I had previously met, and who was the daughter of a
Senator, I asked her when it would be her turn to become a bride. She
modestly said that she did not know, as she had not yet had an offer.
Turning to the group of young men who were in the room, I jocularly
remarked to one of them, "This is a beautiful lady, would you not like
to marry her?" He replied, "I shall be most delighted to." Then I said
to the young lady, "Will you accept his offer?" She seemed slightly
embarrassed and said something to the effect that as she did not know
the gentleman she could not give a definite answer. After a few days I
met the young lady at an "At Home" party when she scolded me for being
so blunt with her before the young men. I told her I was actuated by
the best of motives, and a few months later I received an invitation
from the young lady's parents inviting me to be present at their
daughter's marriage. I thought I would go and find out whether the
bridegroom was the young man whom I had introduced to the young lady,
and as soon as I entered the house, the mother of the bride, to my
agreeable surprise, informed me that it was I who had first brought the
young couple together, and both the bride and bridegroom heartily
thanked me for my good offices.

One very conspicuous feature in the character of American women is
their self-control and independence. As soon as a girl grows up she is
allowed to do what she pleases, without the control of her parents. It
is a common occurrence to see a young lady travelling alone without
either a companion or a chaperon. Travelling on one occasion from San
Francisco to Washington I met a young lady on the train who was still
in her teens. She told me that she was going to New York to embark on
a stea