Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-10-12
NO CARDS.
THE world moves.

THE world moves
4 few years ago, it cost abOu. as mucl
to be married as to keep house for {
year, even with an addition to the fam
! ily.'
Hundreds of Iovings couple had to post
pOne the union indefinitely, for want o.
means for the requisite fuss and feathers.
To be married quietly, without fus'
and feathers, was out of the question.
Marriage, instead of being a private
affair, participated only by relatives anC
friends, had become a kind of public
show for the entertainment, chiefly, Of
strangers and interlOpeTs.
Cards had to be sent in every direc.
ton, for fear of giving Offense that
might last for life, and he passed down
from generation to generation.
Nearly everybody considered the cards
a bore, but nearly everybody used them.
It was enough to know that they were
fashionable.
Whatever fashion Ordains is accepted
by the great majority OF people as law.
Fashion requires woman to have holes
punched in their ears, and rings put in
to them-and they do it.
They would do just the same if it
were their noses that had to be punch
ed, instead of their ears.
And men are just as bad.
Fashion requires them to wear trOws-
ers that they can't sit down inland they
do it; to wear clawhammer coats and
stOve-pipe hats, and they do that.
Fashion and custom rule the world.
But, as we said, the world moves.
Fashion and customs are changing
and the change in most things, is for
the better
Women's ears, for instance, are rarely
bored now except by social bOres, and
they are content with wearing rings on
their fingers.
Men to be sure, still ring themselves
up abSurdly on all dress occasions, but
they are getting to be ashamed of it,
aud, excepting that they will have their
hair dressed so as to make them look
like monkeys mo offence to the mon
key are becoming quite reasonable in
such matters.
Few of us, men or women, are quite
brave enough yet, to openly defy the
fashions; but we are fast coming to that,
and the sooner the better.
The slave of all slaves.
Fashion will never be respectable un-
til it becomes the fashion to ignore fash
ion.
Meanwhile, there are some persons
who have the pluck and the good taste
to ignore it, whether or no, even at the
expense being considered eccentric.
1t is such persons as these who were
courageous enough, year or TO ago,
to accompany the announcement of
their marriage with the startling words,
NO Cards.
No Cards y exclaimed Mrs. GrUndy;
what are we all coming to? The next
thing we shall hear, will be, NO Cake,
No company, NO presents No we'd
ding-trip,' No nothing. Why, people
might as well not get married at all.
Poor Mrs. Grundy she was about half
right; for as soon as the young folks
found that they could do without Cards,
they began to think whether they could
net do without flummery of any kind.
In fact, the plan of No Cards meant
about that.
Some people, indeed, have gone so
far as to print, right out, on their marri-
commandments. No nonsense
and one particularly sensible couple ac-
tually went so far, the other day, as to
use the words, fNObody's business
And that is the whole, story in a nut
she'll NObOdy's business
What concern is it to the babbling
neighbOThOOd, much less to the world at
large, that any two people are going to
get married?
And when the event takes place; why
should there be such a stupid and in
.decOrOUs fuss made about it.
People who have been married half a
dozen times may like it, as a matter of
sensation,
Atany rate, they haven't much deli
cacy left to be wounded by it.
Marriage has got to be an old story
will. them, and they require Il little fuss
"a good deal, in fact-tO prevent the
ceremony from being mOnotonOus.
So, with them, cards, and cake, and
presents, and wedding-trips, etc, are
well enough,
The more the merrier.
But with your people, marrying for
the first time-and sincerely hoping 1t
may be for the last-the case is very diff
ferent.
They are about entering upon the most
sacred relation of life-a relation entire
~ new to them, and one involving all
that is most dear to them, and this is no
time for fiummery of any kind.
Anything like parade on the occasion
is not only ip0ppOrtune, but indelicate.
Grossly indelicate.
III ldCJs Tile COuuUCJ Ol tie OillSltleTS
present at weddings-nOt to mention the
insiders-is often not only indelicate but
indecent. .lt. E-Err
They seem to look upon their cards.
as giving them n license to do, and
say. and hint, what they please. ..
And when the inevitable supper or
breakfast comes along, they indulge in
the license to its full extent
All the bride can do under the circum-
stances, is to blush aud bear it.
About their greatest enjoyment on the
occasion is seeing the company break
up and clear out.
That they should wanta wedding trip,
then, is not strange.
They might well be glad to get any
where, out of the world
But the foundations of a new home
ought not to be laid roaming about
among lakes and mountains, or david
ling about at fashionable water-places;
and were it not for this ridiculous Gus
tom of cards, etc., they never would
be.
The young couple would naturally
prefer to commence their married life
either alone or within the sacred pre-
cincts of the family.
These hOneymOOns are expensive.
lu6N nave Deeu wen uSSCTlDeu, as all
ingenious method of beginning life
wrong end first
The best thing about them is getting
back from them.
That is real enjoyment, almost worth
going for.
All the rest is frivoIity, flummery, and
fatigue.
If the first weeks of married life could
MT be enjoyed much more by remaining
quietly at home, than by travelling
about the country and showing OneIs
new clothes, it would be far better to
remain single.
So, in addition to the movement in
favor of No Cards, the sooner we have
one favor of No wedding trips'-nO mat
ter what Mrs. Grundy may think-the
better.
Indeed this and many other much
needed reforms as we have intimated, is
the legitimate result of NO Cards.
FirCSide Companion.
vTFrrorarv ENushon1g