April 8, 1863, Montgomery Weekly Advertiser
When we see a man advertising for a wife or a woman advertising for a husband, we conclude that it was either intended for a joke or that it is bona fide. If it is intended for wit, where is the wit? If there is anything peculiarly funny in reviving a practice which had its origin in the brothels of New York, we cannot see it. If the advertiser be acting in good faith, we take it that he or she is a person of dubious character, and that there is some “take in” or Yankee speculation contemplated. We would not trust the morals of such a person out of sight, and should avoid their society as we would a moral pestilence. Generally, such persons will be found to be either Yankee denizens or hopeless idiots. One is an object of loathing, the other an object of pity.–Columbus Sun.