Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-08-06
EVENING STAR,
MARRIAGE IN Rnss1A

1 sesSes ahother attfactlon, winch II shares witt
! 70 other that L am aware of, save with tn
garden of the Tuilleries at Paris. Like tn
chestnut shaded avenues of the Tuilleries, thi
! garden Is the afternoon resort Of crowds of tn
most charming children, who repair thither
! escorted by their mothers and nurses, TO peo
! pie the solitary walks, and make the shrubbe
rles resound with their innocent mirth.
Fifteen or sixteen years later, these chill
| dren re-appear upon the same scene. but thi
time with less artless attentions, and to play
more perilous game. Oni Whitsuntids after
noon are there to be seen, ranged in long rows
dressed In their best, and often bedecked will
costly jewels, the daughters of the middl,
class OF Petersburgers. Matrimony is the OBJ
ject of this display. 1t is show of brides
Young bachelors disposed to marry, nov
walk up and down the line of damsels. crit
| cally inspecting them as they pass. Should
| their eyes indicate that they have made q
choice, a matchmaking friend of the young
lady steps out of the rear rank, joins the
wOuld-be wooer and takes a stroll with him
through the garden, informing him of the
gIrl's circumstances, Of her family, dowry.
housewiteTy qualities, ETC., and obtaining from
him similar Information concerning himself
Should they so far come to an understanding
that the consent Of the lady and her parents
alone remain to be obtained, the matchmaker
conducts her candidate to the mother, who in
her house, and wedding is the most usual
result of the acquaintance thus singularly
commenced. Odd as it may seem, experience
daily proves that these maria yes, originating
entirely in the pleasing impressions and sym
pathy awakened by a first glance, are, for the
most part, productive of much happiness
This is certainly attributable, in a great mea-
sure, to the idct that Russian of the middle
class expects very little from his wife and
the richer he is, The less he expects.
About the qualities and accom- plishments
which German of tie same class takes int
consideration when selecting a wife, such
as education, economy and the like, the
Russian troubles not mis- head. A rich Rus
sian of the middle class, requires nothing
from his wife but that she should be handsome,
dressed with taste, appear elegantly dttired
the first thing in the morning, and sit all
day long upon the sofa doing nothing, or, at
most, reading a novel or knitting purse. He
detests TO see his wife busted with domestic
matters. Inese are occupations for servants,
ard should the mistress of the house make
them hers, she would lower herself Lot
only in her husbands eyes, but in those of
all around her. To sit in state and receive
company is the Russian lady's sole business
Under this state Of things, the education OF
children Is Of course much less attended t.
tIan were desirable. The boys, however, reg
ularly attend the schools, or are sent to board
at educational institU tons; and Us to tn girls
that which Is required from thcm women,
Is, as W. have already seeh, soxery little, that
how small suever the care bestswG upon their
bringing up, it nevertheless is found suffi-
cient But certainly DO not advise any Ger
man 20 seek q vile at St. Petersburg WhItSun-
tide festival
Wedding presents are not customary in Rus
sia. On the other hand, there is a lon; stand
ing patri trchal custom, which has been pre-
served with some variations to the present day
/ one morning met an acquaintance, who hur-
ried y me with unusual precipitation.
Whittier away in such haste !'' l asked.
I" have no time to spare" was the reply
" L have bread and salt to buy"
81 Bread and salt. Have you not both at
home? ?''
Il will tell you another time"
At our next meeting | received an explana-
ton. From timn inmemorial there has ex-
isted among the Russians a custom that a per-
son changing his house should receive from
each one Uf his acquaintances a loaf and some
salt. The meaning of the usage may possibly
be the kindly wish. May you never in your
new dwelling be in want 1T least of these two
things. As the people became more polished
and refined, they brought the salt in little
barrel, and the bread on a plate or in a bIs-
kct. Later still when civilization led to lux
ury, these unadorned receptacles were ex-
changed for costly ones. The simple gift of
bread and salt was presented in boxes and
baskets of silver and gold. And at the pre-
sent day the bread and salt are wholly omit
ted, and the basket stands for the contents
To avoid monotony, the salt box is replaced
by costly vase, the bread basket by ser
vice of plate or some other rich present. There
is no change, however, in the formula of pre-
sentation. As though to excuse, by verbal
humility, the e1aggeration and extravaganza
of the gift, the donor never fails to beg kindly
acceptance of i" b-ead and salt. ."-JermaRn