Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1843-03-04


| took place After the parties had been thus
asked in church, neither Of them ventured ont
oitener than necessity required, because Of the
bundnugc to which they were sure TO be sub
iected by all the unmarried portion oflhe COM
munity In the part of Scotland where penny
weddings were wont to be more frequent, there
used to be superstition belief that, Il an I'M
married person only rubbed shoulder with ci-
thcr bride or bridcgroom--which the parties
are considered 10 BIZ from the time of their be-
ing asked or "cried' in church-ihe individu-
al fortunate enough to get sufficiently near for
the gentle collision, was sure to be married soon
afterwards. Hence all the yunng women in
the place literally prosecuted the bride, in their
anxiety to rub shoulders with her. This was
a source OF annoyance, and still is, in some ca
ses, TO "publshed" bride. Then there is that
feeling of modcs,y which prevals,o so great an
! extent among young women in the rural dis
! tricts of Scotland, when allusion is made to
their approaching nuptials-a feeling which al
most makes them blush TO he seen by their for
mer acquaintanccs. The extent 20 which this
feeling is carried in the north of Scotland,
would appear incredible to the Euglish reader
| Thus, between one circumstance or other, the
period which intervenes between the first an
nouncemcnt in the church of an intended mar
riagc, and the period at which it takes place,
is, to the bride, one ofa trying nature, apart
from all private considerations connected with
the new relationship into which she is about to
, enter.
Earnestly does she pant for the arrival other
wedding-day, in order that her embarrassing sit
nation may approach lis end. 1t comes in due
course, though she deems ,hc interval from the
| first publication of the banns until the wedding
is over, little age. To both bride and bride
one, nm important day. Most arduous are the
duties of be,h but those of the bride are peculi.
| arlv so. She is expected to talk perpetualy Y to
| all around her, during the eating and drinking
part of the business Great things are expec.
ted from her in the way of pressing her friends
to partake ofthe good cheer provided for the
occasion. And then, when the dencinr bcgins
which it does about seven or eight in the e.
dy who chooses TO ask her. On tho floor she
must toll away, though scarcely able perhaps
to move a limb. But by far the most singu-
lar duty of the bride at penny wedding Is,
that OF advancing 10 all the male persons pre-
sent, and kissing them in succession. Where
this has 10 be done IN 80 or 100 cases, without
so much as a moments breathing time between
the saintes, il will readily be believed that the
bride has rather a arduous task to perform.
The accuracy of this statement may be Ques-
toned by those unacQuainted with the usuages
which prevail in some more remote parts OF
Scotland 1t is nevertheless, strictly true
For its truth the writer, indeed, pledges him
self; as he speaks on the point from what he
has witnessed with his OWN eyes.
As no oordinary-szed house would contain tho
half of the guests who are present at penny
wedding, they usually sit down to dinner in the
; largest barn, OF other clubhouse, in the neigh
: borhood Tables or chairs in sufficient number;
. are out of the question but an apology for Ia
bles it made by means of a certain number o
deals OF timber, adjusted as they best may anC
forms are found 10 answer for chairs With re
gard again, 10 knives and forks, as these arr
articles rarely used IN those localities where
penny weddings are most frequent, every gues
= is expected to take his own knife and fork will
him; if not, there is no alternative for him bu
to use his fingers. And when guest, unpro
> vidcd with knife and fork, is reduced To necessi
ty, you generally see him trying to keep hIm
: self in countenance, and 10 silence those who
being themselves better provided, may betra
a disposition 10 be witty at his expense, by say
= ing-"Ah never mind Fingers were mad
before knives and forks" The position is on
of undoubted orthodoxy no one ventures {
: dispute it, because nobody can.
. Candlestcks and snufers urc equally scare
r. commodities at these penny weddings. Fo
\ the former, as we had once occasion TO remar
~ ina previous work, large turnips, with hol
m cut out by knife, are found to be very passt
% bic substitutes; while the fingers of the nea
g est guest are expected to be available for III
;; work which, in our more refined regions, is
~ sually assigned to pair of snuffers
cd Dinner over dancing begins and at penn
Id weddings people do dance You see none
of those insipld, formal, sleepy movements whi'
are called dancing at bathrooms IN this countr