Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-09-25
Lapland Love-Making. L


When young gentleman in Lapland desires
TO assume new responsibilities, he lays in
large stock Of brandy, and his parents, rela-
tives and friends meet in as great numbers as
possible, to treat the friends of the bride de
sired. Neither bride nor bridegroom is eyrcct-
ed to betrav anxiety or interest in the pro-
ceedings the Arctic Mrs Grundy, wuo Is ec-
| ry strict In such matters, would be very much
scendalized if they should. Beside the srea:
mass Of relatives and friends, of aunts aud
fourth cousins, who must attend. there is still
a greater number Of outsiders who are attract
ee by their Curiosity to see whether anybody
gets the mitten. The intensity of their curl.
osity is to some extent determined by the amount
of brandy circulating. On the side of the
gallant there is spokesman called Sognonairv
Brandy flask in hand he goes over to the other
party and offers liquid hospitality to the father
and mother Of the young lady This is a sig
nal for an indiscrinnate attack of similar
nature Of the entire invading party upon tho
ady's friends Everybody drinks to her ia
ther, everybody drinks to her mother, and she
herself is borne in grateful memory When all
are sufficiently elated, the proposal is embod.
led in long speech, vibrating between poetry
aud prose Her parents ask to see the kiieA,
the woong presents. If they are accepted the
matter is settled, and there is nothing more
but to go next day to the parson to ge. them
published Most matches are made at tho
fairs and great festivals, but they are never
made without brandy Indeed courtng with
brandy is proYerb among the Laplanders,
which is equivalent to the French cona7ye u fax:
When the lady is rich aud the suitor is not, he
very often throws his brandy away. The in
iuence cf riches in matrimonial matters is no
where felt more strongly than here dress
counts for nothing one sheepskin is as good
az another. Rank is determined only By the
number Of reindeerS man owns.
Practically, marriage here is mere matter
Of bargain and sale. Still the Laplander re-
cognize the sacredness of the relation in their
way. The silver which they pay for their
brides must not be in the shape of rix-dolIars,
it must be made up into ornaments. This is
better than nothing. If a marriage is broken
off, the party who takes a divorce generally
returns the bridal presents, and the more con-
scientious add gift for the wasted brandy
So, too, when the parents say mo" many Of
them are so generous as to pay fo: she brandy
As all the relatives have word TO sav, there
is generally good deal of quar:elling before
the answer is agreed upon, and some manage
mentis required, ,oftentimes, to make it favorable
Pastor Fjellstrom tells Of wedding Jock
mock in which he was interested for the WOO
er. Several attempts had been made in vain
before he was engaged as spokesman. An
old woman overwhelmed everything and dea-
fened everybody with her opposition to the
match. When he came in she yelled ont =
Il" No, no, it shan't be not even if the flesh
eaters son comes. he shan't have her :" FELL
strom, then q student, saw that nothing could
be done SO long as this old harpy was around.
and whispered to a magistrate, who was also
enlisted on the same side, to get the old woman
out of the way somehow or other Soon she
found herself in the stree. she growled about
the door like gGlhy in Empty barrel rat
tied and slammed, shriekod and swore, but
could not get in, as the magistrate held tho
door. Meantime the matter was successfully
concluded FjellStrom had brought better
brandy his father vas the parson, he spoke
better and offered few more presents When
they were ready to 60 to the parsons the door
was opened and the old hag rushed in but
she was too late.
The Importance Of having an influential
spokesman can hardly he over estimated They
are often paid for their services. An odd af-
fair came off at -trier'cng at the las. fair
An old widower, bearing the euphonious name
of Styx, was struck with the crdzy idea-so
all his country people thought it-oE making
advances to the widow Of foreigner. who
held her head above everybody else in the vii
lagc as her husband had been district mag--
trate. Styx, who saw that the matter would
be one Of goat difficulty, as we'll as decacy,
went to the -ichest man in the village and be-
ged him 10 be his spokesman. He thought
that his age and standing would have their in
fuehec and offered him, in case Of success, u
brass kettle, which, like HotnCrs heroes, he
described They could not agree, however,
the desired spokesman wanted the kettle al
any rate, while Styx would only give it to him
if he succeeded. The whole party was re
markable Styx was seventy years old-his
Dulciua sixty, and the spokesman over eighty
Although StyE could not make the brass ket-
tie bargain, he kept his courage up, and re-
solved to Dc as well as he could in person
He went to her and said -" You have cows
have rcindeer-lCok at me am Just Ike
your husband and more of the sort. The
whoic thing seemed so comic TO the proud
SigrId Stozapa, that far from getting angry at
the poor fellows advances, she began 10 talk
with him, and kept him as long a. possible in
suspense as 70 his fate His efforts and his
anxiety continually rose in righteousness, ur-
til at last dinner time came. and he got
shameful uitteu.
TEREiRLg RIoT-Bditirore. Friidag. Sgt
l2 ls56-A terrible riot occurred This after
noon between Fillmore fishing club and
party Of men at tire Seventeenth Ward Demo