The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-09-18
The wife Market in Russia.

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Sitting up all night with eouppl 9 o.
Russian ladies' might, or might not
suggest the idea of telling you some
thing of the marriage customs of this
strange country. A French writer,
whose pane I forgot, has truly said,
"the RUSSIANS are major of polite
sayages," a remark that is not very
apt but it helps us toward a proper
understanding of the social condition OF
the people. The rich are very rich
the poor are very poor. The mobiles
are very courtlv, polite, and refined in
manners as those Of the same class in
Germany but the serfs, or those who
belonged to the mobiles with the soil,
before the emancipation, are rude, and
not half civilized.
Almost as soon as a girl is born, in
the better ranks of society, her parents
begin to prepare the dowry she must
have when she goes to her husband.
For this is indispensable in the eyes of
any Russian young gentleman who pro-
poses to be married. She must furnish
every: hing for for an outfit in life, eve-
to dozen new shirts for her coming hus
band.
have heard of lady Of rank and
wealth, who prepared costly dowry of
silks, linen, jewels, plate, ETC., for her
beloved daughter, who died as she came
to be twenty years old. The mother
resolved to endow six girls with these
riches, and actually advertised for them.
A host of applicants came, and she Sc
lcted six, None of them had lovers
But now that they had respectable
dowry secured, each girl was speedily
engay ed, and, with the husband took
the dowry, and paid the rich lady
BY promising to pray for the repose of
her daughters g soul.
In no country is this arrangement of
terms carried on with more caution ald
completeness than in Russia. The young
man goes to the house of his proposed
bride, and counts over the dresses, and
examines the furniture, and sees to the
whole with his own eyes, before he
commits himself to the irrevocable bar
gain. In high life such things are con-
Quoted with more apparent delicacy, but
tie facts are ascertaiued with accuracy
the business being in the hands of a
broker or notary. The trousseaH is
exposed in public before the wedding
day.
At Whitsunday there is curious Gus
tom, which is gradually giving way with
the advance Of civilization. The young
people of neighborhood come together
aud the girls stand in row, like 90
many statues, draped, indeed. and NOT
only draped, but dressed in their best, and
painted, too; for the young ladies, and
the old ones also, of this country, use
cosmetics freely, and a box of lady's
paint ia a very common present for q
young man to give to the girl he likes
Behind the row ofgirls are their moth
ers the young men having made known
their choice, the terms are settled be
tween the parents of the parties.
The ladies in Russia are very anxious
to marry, because they know no liberty
before marriage. They are kept con
stantly under the maternal eye unit
they are given up to their husband, ane
then they take their own course, which
10 round Of gayety and dissipation. on
ly regulated by their means Of indul
gence. The Greek Church, like th'
Roman, permits no divorce but the En-
peror, like the Pope, can grant specia
dispensations. The Greek priest mus
marry once, and if his wife dies b
can not marry agian. No one in Rus
sia can be married more than thre,
times.