The Press.
London, England, 1854-07-29 00:00:00

MARRIAGE CEREMONY.

In the middle of the room stood an altar decorated with
flowers, and before it two little stools, covered with the
hostess's finest damask napkins, whose dazzling whiteness
was heightened by the garlands of myrtle with which they
were encircled.
After the usual ceremony of greeting and introduction ,
the vicar signified by a short cough that the time for begin-
ning the ceremony had arrived. The company arranged
themselves in two half circles, the ladies the one side of
the altar, and the gentlemen on the other; the doors of the
two little side rooms were held by serving-people set apart
for that purpose, in order that at the first sign they might
be thrown open—the vicar had already gone to fetch his
daughter ; a general silence reigned. Suddenly the ex-
pected signal was given, the doors were flung open, and
through the one the bridegroom. Mr. Commissioner Lynnel,
accompanied by his honourable father and four young
friends, called bachelors or groomsmen, entered ; and
through the other walked the bride, leaning in modest
bashfulness upon herfather's arm, "with the wreath in her
dark hair." She was followed by four bridemaids.
The vicar took the prayer-book and moved to one side
of the altar ; the young people placed themselves on the
other side and at the appointed time kneeled down, when
the four bridernairls and the four groomsmen spread
out the large red bridal shawl of th e vicar's wife, like a
canopy, over the heads of the weeping pair. All the ladies,
as in duty bound, held their handkerchiefs and the gentle-
men their hats before their eyes. In a word, everything
seemed to be going on as might be expected at a well-
arranged wedding. •
As in most of this lady's stories, the senti-
ment is pure and healthful, while all the
little incidents of domestic life are so artis-
tically arranged as to please us by their
dramatic effect while conveying au impression
of their perfect truth.

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

Tux Westminster Review for July is a good number
of the new series, and, although we are often at issue
with its conclusions in religion and politics, we admit
the high intellectuality which pervades most of its
articles. It opens with an essay on Cardinal Wolsey,
in which a very favourable view is taken of that
proud prelate's character, the reviewer impeaching
the traditional estimate formed of Wolsey. Upon all
great historical characters there is often a reac
tionary judgment, and it is possible that Wolsey has
been too severely judged by posterity the
reviewer before us goes too far in his clever attempt
to give a flattering picture of Wolsey. The next
article treats of the much-vexed question of how
" the beard " should be worn, and we think it rather
ridiculous to moot such a question in a " philo
sophical" journal. It may as well next give us
treatises on toothbrushes and investigate
the
the
rationale of corn-cutting. The queston of
" Civil Service Reform " is then discussed with great
ability, although the article is rather late in its
appearance. Yet we are glad to find that the organ
of philosophical Radicalism is decidedly hostile to
the bureaucratic and Germanised legislation advo-
cated by a portion of the Coalition. It fears that
such a scheme would prove " an engine of tyranny "
(p. 88). It thus records its emphatic disapproval of
such centralisation :
" When the civil service becomes the sole acting power
in the state, ramifying itself through every quarter, and
rendering torpid, because useless. all personal and real
action on the part of the governed, the day has begun when
convenience, ill understood, prepares the wsy for in emedi-
able evils, when the true processes of government are
superseded by acceptable counterfeits, and when the true
ends of government are sacrificed circuitously, but not less
really, to seductive means."
And it counsels us to attend to the distinction
" between true freedom and banded, ticketed, con-
" venient servility." The next article, on " Parody,"
is too heavy for such an amusing theme, and it is
deficient in subtlety of criticism. Its illustrations
are not well selected. "The Russo-European Em •
broilment" is the subject of the following article,
which is vigorously written, and deserves the atten •
Live consideration of all who study the Russian