Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1882 — Selling Girls in Sheets. [ARTICLE]

Selling Girls in Sheets.

A correspondent at Des Moines writes: Up at Clear Lake, that centre off summer pleasure parties and Sabbath school associations in lowa, the churches became tired o! the old stereotyped plaus of raising money, and a new scheme was evolved from the inner consciousness of some bright genius. The treasury' of the Congregationalist church became rather bare, and so the young folks got together and determined to fill it even to overflow. After a long discussion it was ■ decided to bring about the desired end by putting all the girls of the church ' tip at auction ,to be disposed of to the highest bidder. The time came around, and every young man in that part of lowa in or near Clear Lake who had any money or oould possibly borrow any was promptly on hand, eager to bid to the fullest extent. But there were some of the girls on whom it would have been impossible to obtain the bid of an old fashioned copper cent, while there were others for whom the love sick swains would willingly have bid their' last dollar, ■jmri. in the spirit of Artemus Ward the last dollar of any of their relatives. Bo to give all the boys an equal chance, the girls were wrapped up in

sheets so as to be completely unrecognizable. Each young man was positive that beneath the sno.wy folds of the sheet he could discern the outline of tbe girl on whom he doted, and when from 15 to 20 of the young fellows singled out one particular sheeted object on which to stake their fortunes excitement ran high, and money ran out of pocketbooks like water down a slanting roof. After all the fftir ones were disposed of, tbe order was given to “haul up tbe sheets”; and then ensued an indescribable scene of mingled happiness and disappointment. Maidens who had been purchased for a mere song, owing to a lack, of bidders, turned out to be the best looking girls i in the town, while beings whose sylph like appearance under a sheet excited i the' greatest admiration, and drew ; hard earned money from unwilling pocketbooks, were found to be most commonplace creatures indeed. But all made tbe best of it, and the disapi pointed ones bore themselves bravely. Altogether the plan was a great suc- : cess, a-ud, as long as churches will i raise money by lottery schemes, why not adopt this method ? It is harm i less, and yet productive of as much i good to the participants as any game i of chance we know of. It gives the homely girls and bashful boys an equal chance with their respective opposite, besides resulting in a grand financial success, and we look for its general adoption. To be sure, it is asking a good deal of modest, wornan- ; ly, refined girls. But then church so- , ciables are always doing that.