"An American desires to take French lessons of a French lady, young, well-bred, good-looking, and of a lively disposition."
A tempting offer for my countrywomen.
A journalist in the ranks of the unemployed naively addresses himself to the editors of American papers:
"A journalist without children, and total abstainer, wishes to obtain a situation as reporter. Writes leaders, general gossip, interviews, literary musical, and dramatic criticisms, and police-court reports. Fertile imagination: can make one or two interesting columns out of the smallest incident."
Fertile imagination! This is the most important testimonial for an American journalist.
An apothecary may puff a nerve-calming syrup by announcing that, to be happy in his domestic relations, "a husband should administer a table-spoonful of it to his wife every morning," without great loss of dignity: but it is not the shopkeeper alone who has recourse to such means for keeping himself before the public; much the same thing is done by certain doctors and lawyers. Of course these charlatans are not to be confounded with the numerous lawyers and doctors who are an honour to their professions; but, at any rate, they are men who have passed examinations to obtain licence, if not their degree.
There are travelling doctors in America who go from town to town to heal the sick at reduced prices.
Here is the advertisement of one of these gentlemen. It is headed with his portrait, and appears in the papers of the towns he operates upon:
"Dr. R. has already remained in M—— longer than he first intended, but at the request of numerous invalids and friends he will extend his stay one week longer. Patients in other towns have been disappointed by his long stay in M——; but they have his assurance that this visit WILL NOT BE EXTENDED BEYOND THE TIME STATED ABOVE."