Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-06-25

MARRIAGE IN Low LIFE.-I was once
present ut the wedding of some poor English
people, and was deeply impressed by the spec
tacle, though by no means with such proud
and delightful emotions as seem to have affec-
ted all England on the recent occasion of the
marriage of the prince. 1t was in the cathe
dral at Manchester, a particularly black and
grim old structure, into which | had stepped
to examine some ancient and curious wood
carvings within the choir. The woman in at
tendance greeted me with smile (Which al
ways glimmerS forth on the feminine visage,
l know not why, when wedding is in ques.
tion,) and asked me to take seat IN the nave
till some poor parties were married, it being
Easter holidays, and good time for them to
marry because no fees would be demanded
by the clergyman. | sat down accordingly.
and soon the parson and his clerk appeared mt
the altar, and Il considerable crowd of people
made their entrance at a side door and
ranged themselves in a long, huddled line
across the chancel. They were my acouaint
anceS of the poor streets, or persons in a pre-
csely similar condition of life, and were now
come to their marriage ceremony in Just such
garhS rs | had always seen them wharf.-the
men in their loaters' coats out at elbows, or
their laborers' jackets, defaced with grimy
toll; the women drawing their shabby shawls
tlShtct douul lleif SHOuluefS, 10 llue the rag
gedness beneath; all Of them unbrushed, un-
shaver, unwashed, uncombed, and wrinkled
with penury and care nothing virgin-like in
the brides, nor hopeful or enegetic in the
bridegroomS; they were, in short, the mere
rags and tatters of the human race, whom
some east wind OF evil omen, bowling along
the streets, mad CHANGED to sweep together in
to an untragrant heap. Each and ali of Them
conscious of his or her individual misery
had hlundered into the strange Observation-Disclosures
of surprising that they could lessen fin. sum
of it by multiplying it into the misery of an
other person. All the couples (and if was
difficult, in such confused crowd. TO com.
pute exactly their number) stood up at once
and had execution done upon them in the
lump, the clergyman addressing only small
parts of the service to each individual pair
but SO managing the larger portion as to in
clude the whole company without the trouble
of repetition BY this compendious contriv-
ance, one would apprehend, he came danger
ously near making every man and woman the
husband or wife of every other; nor perhaps,
would he have perpetrated much additional
mischief by the mistake; but, after receiving
benedicuOn in common, they assorted them
selves in their own fashion, as they only knew
how, aud departed to the cellars, or garrets
or the unsheltered street corners, where their
honeymoon aud subsequent lives were to be
spent. The parSOn smiled decorously, the
clerk and the sexton grinned broadly, the fe-
male attendant Uttered almost aloud, and
even the married parties seemed to see some
thing exceedingly funny in the affair; but, for
my part, though generally apt enough to be
tickled by joke, l laid 1t away in my memo
ry as one Of the saddest sights | ever looked
upon-Frons Mr.. Hawthoyne'S articles in
the July atlantic.