The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-02-07
RICn MOND, CO., FER. . 1se7.T


lsaF nar Ahest Presents. "a
aa Giving presents has become . matte
!. of no email Importance in our day, whe,
Christmas, New Years. birthdays, mar
riages. wooden, tin and silver wedding
follow each other 50 rapidly. and it i
expected that each shoold be marked b,
suitable offerings But in order that
gift have any real value for the receives
It must be spontaneous. ana the offsprinl
of affection and sentiment. Withou
this il may be . charity. or the paymen
J. OF debt or an ostentatious display o
wealth, but not true gift in the bes
! sense of the word. But how is it actin
aliyS Are the majority of gifts spon
taneous, or given because they are ex
i pected, and we shall be considered NEAR
If we do not make them? Let the reader
| answer
Twenty years ago presents were rarely
made in New England on the occasioua
j spoken OF, bnt the custom having beer
tntroduced, ve have gone into it - int<
| every thing else. W3ekAso6h, and Oo1stsl
| st TO . riliculons excess, till it has raaliy
become burden and annoyance to al
] concerned. Especially is this true oi
, wedding presents. How people OF small
| means tremhle In their shoes when they
hear of a friends engagement. and how
I often We hear them say, $50 and so lis
4 going to be married. must give heI
omething-something handsome, too,
or they'll think Tn mean and sttngy;'
or, w hen sLottie was married she gave
her a set of elegant silver forks, and
mustn' give any thing less costly, though
really, don't know how to make the
outlay iust now And there is q great
racking of brains, and great racing to
and fro to find something suitable, and
very often more money is expended
than the donor ought to part with; and
whv2 because he loves the bride so
flearly2 All, no! but because he hasn't
Independence enough to brave public
opinion, for he knows his gift will go to
make up the grand display, and be COM
mented on by the dear five hundred
friends to whom they will he shown.
On the other side, delicate minded
bride is often troubled by the amount
AMI nature of the gifts she receives.
She has nm uncomfortable consciousness
that some of them are just of this char
acter, and she would gladly send them
back il she could. The giver would not
nave sent, if he had dared not to, and
the bride would return it, if she dared
to. A pretty state of things, truly!
We all feel these evils; but how are
they to be remedied9 By doing away
with the custom2 Certainly not; because
there is SO much that is graceful and
good in it when not perverted to base
uses When truly love-tokens, wedding
presents are delightful on both sides
Her marriage is an era in the bride life,
and the bearts of her friends go out to
her there with new sympathy and fervor,
and they wish to mark the day by some
days ana thesa3 ssrenart- from COMMON
made from the heart. are, most precious
to the young bride, and will be tenderly
cherished through all the changes of her
future life, as reminders of that hallowed
period. afyav a. - 5esf avaB sash5eas
The remedy, we think, can be found
in the following two rules: One is, never
to make wedding present because it is
expected, and Mrs. Grnndy will think it
is odd and mean il You do not. Be in
dependent in this, if in nothing else;
follow the promptings of your own
heart; il that dictates gift, make it
simply and quietly, and let it be such
one as, shall be a true index of both
your feeling and taste; q gift that your
fair friend can take gratefully, without
soiling the delicacy of her nature, or,
lowering her standard of morality. Let
your whole influence and example be
thrown against all pretense or humbug
In this matter, and you will have done
your duty The second is, never expose
wedding gifts to the public gaze There
is shocking indelicacy in putting them
on exhibition. and it must be revolving
to every sensitive bride to do it, to boast,
as it we're, of the number and generosity
of her friends, and minister to the pry-.
ing curiosity of people who have no
right to look into her affairs That it is
common does not make il right; dare to
follow your better instincts, and quietly
lay aside your precious souvenirs to be
used when taste and convenience dictate
and you. too. fair brides. will have done
your part toward the much needed re-
form. .sa.as z.s ,.s.s
We have heard disgusting stories of
persons sending presents in order to get
invited to the wedding; of presents being
hired for the occasion. and the like; but
we are sure none ~Th0 read this paper
could he guilty of such things; and we
beg of them to ALWAYS frown upon what
ever verges on insincerity. or looks in
the least like bargain and sale, and to
keep their ~ arriage day, as every pure
secratei to what Is seGsst t.glna to, con
In her nature, without a stain or draw
back. Follow the same rules with re gard
touw OGDEN, tin and silver weddings. IL
your heart prompts TO gilt, make It
There can be no harm in having good
time on these occasions; but do not bur
den yourselves or the recipients by cans
ing the latter to feel q heavy sense of
obligation. Some pretty, Inexpensive
trife is far better than costlier gift; it
shows kind feeling. and imposes no res
ponsibilisy, and II your friend be in
circumstances to require more substan-.
tiai aid. render that at some other time
and way, ..letting not your left hand
know Whist your right hand doeth-
Ber. James Freeman Clarke, In re-
cent lecture, said he wondered Why
young ladies fndu ged in Italian screams.
and German moans under the pretense