The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-14

with the negotiation, he must make a formal
demand by his father, mother or other relative
or friend, to be admitted into the family under
the title of pretendU.
"If the request is accepted, NJ. Delaunay ought
Immediately to write a note to the parents to
ask when 1t will be agreeable for them to receive
his visit OF acknowledgment aud thanks; and
when the visit takes place, Mademoisele Dubois,
hitg hhaylng % been zen duly informed Of the present
compliments have pas ed on both sides, be sent
for, and the young man is presented to her as
her future husband.
"From this time NJ Del4unay is received in
the house oil the fam ly on intimate, but not on
familiar terms, with respect to which
there is a wide distinction. NJ. Delaunay
is required for example. always to come with
toilette suitable for visit of ceremony, and the
young lady, on her side, too, must observe a
similar carefulness. NJ. Delaunay is expected,
OF course, to pay frequent visits to the house,
but always IN ceremonious form; aud he should
announce his intention OF coming by sending
IN the morning q bouquet to his betrOthed,
whom, indeed, he will never see alone until the
marriage is finally celebrated before the maro
in the church; for marriage contracts are such
slippery affairs, that NJ. Delaunay aud Made.
moiselle Dubois may have gone through all
these forms to no purpose.
"If M. Delaunay shonld wish to retire at any
moment, he can do so by writing the little
billet, and announcing id petite Uoydge; and the
family of the young lady could cover her re
treat by any equally simple device; aud to
prevent all unpleasant circumstances, and
all chance of maleyoent tittle-tattle, the
whole affair should be kepta strict secret on
both sides till the marriage contract is finally
signed. And, moreover the young people will
never speak to or of each other by their una
dorned Christian names; they must address
| each other always as Monsieur Horace and
| Mademoisele Rosalie
"But when the contract is signed, and the
| marriage formally announced, the rigors of
| etiquette may relax in some measure to wards
the young couple, but as respects the family, it
| increases, for the father and mother of the
| fancee are now requested to shut up their
| house-that is to say, not to receive at home
| any but the members of the family; and Mad'lle
| Rosalie will carefully avoid, and would not
| indeed be permitted to make, appearance dams
la monde, that is, either III society or any public
| place of amusement.
| "Supposing that all things have gone on with
| out difficulty up to this point, the next step Is
the signing OF the marriage contract, or settle
| ment, as we should term it, The contract must
necessarily have been duly arranged and its
| provisions all settled and the deed drawn up
| when the parties betake themselves to the
| notary who has prepared the document. In the
| case of very wealthy families, and in the pro-
| vinces, the notary comes to the house Of the
| 6ancee, in which case etiquette requires that
| he should be invited to dine. All expenses of
| the proceedings are to be paid by the future
| husband. The notary reads the document. NJ.
| Delaunay rises, makes bow to his iapCee as
| though to ask her consent, takes the pen, signs
4 the deed, and then passes the pen to Mademoi-
l selle Rosae. The young lady then signs in
turn, and then passes the pen to the mother of
| her intended, who passes ii on TO the mother OF
the bride, and so on through the members Of
| the family present. who sign for the most part
| in the order of their age.
at is on this day NJ. Delaunay is expected to
| send the presents known as the cOrbeHe de
4 marriage.
The vslue of the presents should amount to
| about ten per cent. OF the dot of the lady. They
| consist generally OF shawls jewels, lace, furs,
| gloves, fans, books and purse containing
certain number OF gold pieces of money which
| should be new. These presents should be put
either in an elegant box or in workable des-
tined 10 form part of the furniture of the young
couple. The. corbeille should arrive on the
| morning of the signing OF the coatract, accom-
| panied with handsome bouquet of flowers;
and the corbeille, together with the trousse of
| the hancee, which by this time should be pre-
| pared, is exhibited in her room, tastetully
arranged with flowers, fol her friends to admire.
| Ii there is ball that evening, as is customary,
| at the house of the fancee, the young lady
| should be in white. She opens the ball with
| her intended, and in the second quadrille she
| belongs de drOu to the notary, who in olden
| times had the right of kissing her on the cheek.
| Everybody who signs the marriage deed is eX-
| pected to make a present to the young lady.
| "Attcr the wedding, which demands two Cere-
monies, the civil and the religious, comes the
honeymoon. 1t is not generally the custom no "
in France to take journey after marriage; on
the contrary, the wedding party often spend the
| day together, go for Il drive In the Bots de
| Boulogne, and have a dinner and ball in the
evening. At the dinner the BRIDE and bride
| groom should be placed opposite to each other
the bride having on her right the father of her
husband, her own mother sitting to the right ot
the bridegroom, and the bride is to be the first
| served at the table.
SAT the conclusion of the dinner, toast is
| proposed for the young married couple. One o!
the te7noinS of the bride proposes the health OF
the bride, and one OF the tenoins of the bride
| groom proposes the health OF the bridegroom.
| Oratory is required to be brief, and the fathers
| of the parties return thanks for their respective
children; but above all, no singing is expected
| among decent people; therefore, it any English
man finds himself present at such festival, he
must not propose TO sing the Roger Bonhomme
| OF Beranger.
'Ihe guests who have been invited to dine
are expected before leaving to give an invitation
| to the young couple for a dinner or soiree;
| aud such q return is called re7,du de YOce, and
| they are allowed whole month for the giving
| of the rendu de noce, at which, naturally, the
best places and all the honor are given to the
| new couple. No one, OF course, must appear at
| the marriage in mourning; even widow must
appear at the marriage OF her daughter in white
and grey.
'In the best society," however, the festivlty OF
dinner and ball takes place on the day OF the
signing OF the marriage contract; and 1t Is to
be observed that Protesa ant minister may be
invited to the wedding, but priest never. AT
the ball the bride opens the dance with the guest
to whom she wishes to pay the greatest atten
| tion, and the bridegroom does the same thing.
The newly married pair dance in front Of each
| other in the first quadrilie, but in the second
they dance together. After this the bride mas
the privilege OF inviting whom she peases for
| the rest OF the evening" The bride and bride
groom retire as quietly as possible, the latter
| some time after the former, and everybody
| does his hest not TO observe their departure
| The ledres de fare OF the marriage are to bC
sent within fifteen days, and the first persons
who receive them are expected TO pay mar
| rage visit within month.