Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-08-28
The Wife Market in Russia.

Sitting up all night with couple of
Russian ladies might, or might not, sug-
gest the idea of telling you something of
the marriage customs of this strange
country. \ French writer, whose name
l forgot, has truly said, "The Russians
arc \ nation of polite savages," remark
that is not very apt, but it helps us
toward proper understanding of the
social condition of the people. The rich
are very rich the poor are very poor
The mobiles are courtly, polite, and as re-
fined in manners rs 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 q 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-
posses to be married. She must furnish
everything for an outfit in life, even to a
dozen new stirts for her coming hus-
band.
have heard of lady of rank wealth
who had prepared costly dowry Of
silks, linen, jewel, plate, ETC., for her be
loved daughter, who died rs she came to
be twenty years old. The mother re-
solved to endow six girls with these
riches, and actually advertised for them.
A host of applicants came, and she
selected six None of them had lovers.
But now they had respectable dowry
secured, each girl was speedily engaged,
and, with the husband, took the dowry
and paid the rich lady by promising to
pray for the repose of her daugbter's
soul.
In no country is this arrangement o.
terms carried on with more caution and
completeness that in Russia. The young
man goes 10 the house of his proposed
bride, and counts over the dresses, anC
examines the furniture, and sees to tn,
whole with his own eyes, before he com
mits himself to the irrevocable bargain
In high life such things are conducted
with more apparent delicacy, but tn,
facts are ascertaned with accuracy, tn,
business being in the hands OF broker
or notary. The trousseau is exposed il
public before the wedding day. r..
Al Whitsunday there is curious Gus
tom, which is gradually giving way witt
the advance of civilization. The young
people of a neighborhood come together
and the girls stand in row ike s,
many statutes, draped, indeed, and no
only draped, but dressed in their best
and painted, too; for the young ladies
and the older ones also, of this country
use cosmetics freely, aud a box of lady''
paint is common present for young
man to make to the girl he likes. BE
hind the row of girls are their mothers
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 anxiou:
to marry, because they have no liberty
before marriage. They are kept con
stantly under the maternal eye unit
they are given up to the husband, ant
then they take their own course, whicl
is round of gaiety and dissipation
only regulated by their means of indul
gence. The Greek church, like Roman
permits no divorce; but the Emperor
like the Pope, can great special dispense
tions. The Greek priest must marry
once, and if hIs wife dies, he cannot mar
ny again. No one in Russia can be mar
ried more than three times: