Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-08-07
A Poor English Wedding.


] was once present at the wedding of
some poor English people, and was
d. eply impressed by the spectacle,
though by no means with such proud
and delightful emotions as seem to have
effected all England on the recent occa.
sion of the marriage of its Prince. Ii
was in the Cathedral at Manchester, a
particularly black and grim old struc-
ture, into which had stepped TO exam
inc some ancient and curious woodcar-
wings within the choir. The woman in
attendance greeted me with a smile,
(Which always glimmers forth on the
feminine visage, know not why, when
a wedding is in question: and asked me
TO take a seat in the nave till some poor
parties were married, il being the Easter
holidays, and good time for them to
marry because no fees would be deman-
ded by the clergyman. l sat down ac-
cordingly, and soon the parson and his
clerk appeared at the altar, and con-
siderable crowd of people made their en-
trance a. the side door, and ranged them
selves in long, huddle line along the
cbancel. They were my acquaintance
of the poor streets, or persons in pre-
ciseiy similar condition Of life. and were
now come to their marriage ceremony in
just such CARDS as | had always seen
them wear; the men in the loafers coats,
out at the elbows, or their laborer's jack
cts, deiaced with grimy toll !: the women
drawing their shabby S h a wis tighter
about their shoulders, to hide the ragged
ness beneath; all of IN unbrushed,
unshaven, unwashed, uncombed, and
wrinkled with penury and care; nothing
virgln-like in the brides, nor hopeful or
energetic in The Tablespoons they
were, in short, the mere rags and tatters
OF the human race whom some east-wind
or evil omen, bowling along the streets,
had CHANGED to sweep together into AN
unfragrant heap. Each and all of them,
conscious of his or her individual misery,
had Numbered into the strange miscaIcu-
lation OF surprising that they could lessen
the sum of it by multiplying it Into the
isery of another person. All the
couples (and ii was difficult, in such a
confused crowd, to compute exactly their
number) stood up at once, and had exc
cution done upon them in the lump, the
clergyman addressing only small parts
oil the service to each individual pair,
but so managing the large portion as to
include the whole company without the
trouble Of repetition. BY this compen-
dlous contrivance, one would apprehend,
be came dangerously near making every
man and woman the husband or wife OF
every other; nor, prehaps, woald he
have perpetrated much additional mis-
take; but, after receiving benediction
in common, they assorted themselves in
their own fashion, as they only knew
how, and departed to the garrets, or the
cellars, or the unsheltered street corners,
where their honeymoon and subsequent
lives were to be spent. The parson
smiled decorously, the clerk and the SEX
ton grinned broadly, the female attendant
Uttered almost aloud, and even the mar
ried seemed to see something exceeding
ly funny in the affair; but for my part,
though generally apt enough to be tick
led at jose, laid it away in my men,
DRY as one of the saddest sights / ever
looked upon."-Haythorne.