The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-12-16 00:00:00

A PHILANTHROPIC-. DESIRE.

If an eccentric individual indulges in a fancy for
sowing half-franc pieces on a public thoroughfare he
must be prepared to reap a large crop of curiosity, and
is scarcely justified in resenting an expression of that
sentiment on the part of the public under the form of
repeated. inquiries as to the supposed advantage of
1 this novel sort of asphalte, The Boulevard Arago, in
Paris, was the chosen field for the operations of the
gentleman in question, who was speedily surrounded
by a large concourse of spectators, many of whom as-
sailed him with questions concerning the motives of his
unusual conduct. To these he replied with the utmost
sang froid that since London streets were paved with
gold he saw no reason why Parisian Boulevards should
not be flagged with silver, adding "that he would
hank the public not to trouble him with their imper-
tinent curiosity." Having thus settled the question
to his own complete satisfaction, he continued his
work of measuring the ground with the precision
of a land snrvey or, end bringing out of his pockets
laai,s full of silver coin, carefully placed the money
on the soil, se aniping it in afterwards with the
heel of his boot. The crowd was by this time so
considerable that it attracted the attention of a
gendarme, who demanded the cause of the gather-
ing. Upon being informed by half a dozen voices that
"A gentleman was paving the streets with silver,"
that functionary, in his turn, asked the gentleman to
explain. The operator replied that "in order to rid
himself of all further importunity, he would state the
real mainspring of his conduct, which was a
philanthropic desire to aid those of a poorer class, who,
too Koud to ask alms, and too necessitous to live
without charity, would thus by physically stooping be
spared the humiliation of morally bending their spirits,
and at the same time find their wants supplied." The
police officer, with a lamentable want of aporeciation for
the philanthropist's noble sentiments, told him he must
find lome means of benefiting the needy without
obstructing public traffic, and brusquely "moved him
on." The philanthropist went his way, and the crowd
theirs, not forgetting,, however, before dispersing to
" phyiscally stoop" in order to gather up the silver
flag riones. Whether the benevolent gentleman was
a monomaniac, or acted the part of one for a wager,
has not transpired, but the latter surmise is the most
.generilly credited.—Evening Standard.
A COPTIC WEDDING.

Miss Jane Whately, the biographer of her father, Arch-
bishop Whately, being now on a visit to her sister at Ciro,
has sent to the Record the following description of a Coptic
wedding :
The bride was one of my sister's pld pepils, the
daughter of the matron who has charge of the
boarders. The wedding was held at the bridegroom's
house, as is usual here. When we came we were
shown into a small room, so full of the friends and
neighbours of the bride, _all itaumblerl in their smartest
attire, that we did not at first perceive where the
• "queen of the day was placed. She was seated on
the floor, her head covered with a red shawl, silent
and immewable ; and, as etiquette demands, took
no notice of the visitors. Two or three compainions
were busy adorning her; her drees was a gay
flowered brocaded silk, the neck and the whole
front of the corsage covered with gold coins and
necklaces of gold spangles, &c. One woman was settling
these gold ornament, while another was fastening a
splendid set of diamonds on a band of white cloth for
security, These diamonds, consisting of a kind of
diadem and several strings and chains, were very costly,
and had been lent by a Moslem friend for the purpose.
The ornaments of the wedding dress are generally
either borrowed or hired. Wnen all was ready, a
thick white scarf-handkerchief, with a broad fringe of
gold embroidery on it was bound over her head, one
end hanging down square over her face and entirely
i concealing t. Over this the diamonds were carefully
aoj listed, making a very rich and brilliant apoearance,
and over all a large white muslin veil was flung, and
adjusted over her arms. Thus blindfolded and bound,
she sat like an idol statue to be looked at, while ether-
bext was handed round and compliments exchanged.
We then passed into a larger room where the ceremony
was to be performed. The Coptic Patriarch' who knew
the bridegroom, had come to preside him self. He,
and two or three attendant priests in large black
turbans, were at one eed of the room' a table'
with lighted candles, in the middle; on the other
side, a row of chorister boys, in white robes
and brocaded scarfs, and the men who were friends or
relatives, assembled round. The women were all in
an inner room, but we were allowed to remain where
the priests were conducting the service. The bride-
groom, a dark-faced Abyssinian, sat opposite the
Patriarch, with a brocaded mantle- tied over his
shoulders. The service was very long: the greater
part consisted of prayers or psalms chanted in the
Coptic language by the choristers, and quite unintelli-
gible to any one preeent unless it were- the Patriareh
htingelf: . But I was glad to observe!, thaeethre was a
good deal of Scripture read, and tliat all. of it was in..
Arabic, and conscwiently could be followed by the
audience. . A portion Of the. first chapter of St. John's
Gospel was, read by A priest,, and part of the sth
chapter of Tphesians, at the Patriarch's request, '
Shakoor. After nearly an hour of reading
and awing, the bride was led
.in by her uncle
and .anittendant woman,. who was wrapped
.in the
.red' 4(4 shawl. She Was 13 the dlvast bench) the
and,;:t4tif ".e kire? 6,Fot,:iPr,tl/.ap
.erlibroiddred *Z."O 'mane over * the shou/ders
of the two, so as to shelter both together, and then
placed two pasteboard gilt crowns on their heads. Then
he held a book over them, and read an exhortation in