The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-12-01
Tr0Hsseau in Germany .

The trousseau," furnished by the
brides parents, consists chiefly OF linen,
bath, household and body linen, general
ly sufficient to last lifetime, and
adapted to the rank and means of the
bride. Thus the rich mother buys what
is best and finest in the shops the less
rich one buys up gradually, years before
the occasion, good strong household
linen, carefully kept in lavender, and cut
up and sewed by the girl herself when
her marriage is settled. The poorer
classes do the same, beginning almost
at the birth of the girl; and the peasant
woman grows or buys her fax, spins it
herself, and lays by provision Of strong
linen, durable as sailcloth, for her
daughter, as her mother and grand
mother did before her. The pride of a
German woman, no matter of what
rank, is in her linen-press; and it is ex-
hibited to friends and discussed with
gossips as one of the chief objects of
female conversation. 1t happens rarely
that any well-fitted- woman has to
add any material store to her treasure
The jewolry is invariably the present of
the bridegroom. He presents to his be-
trothed the ornaments suited to the rank
and station be intends to place her in.
The rich man presents his pearls and
diamonds the less rich one, his pretty
gold ornaments; the simple artisan, his
plain gold brooch, with a lock of his hair
at the back, to he worn by his loving
wife solemnly on grand occasions to the
end of her days, and at the last be-
queathed aifectlonately to some loved
individual rs her best treasure. The
wedding dress is likewise graduated.
From the serviceable black silk of the
artisans wife, it ascends through all
shades of uscfulness-brown, dark blue,
gray, light gray, to the simple white
taffetas, and the costly white moire an
tique. This constitutes no class differ
ence; every woman chooses naturally
the sort of gown which her friends and
relations have chosen in their turn, and
the wedding gown, like the one chosen
by the Vicar of Wakefeld's wife, is as
useful as any other article OF the
" trousseau." Besides this, the prudent
middle class" mother carefully puts
into little purse the pieces of gold pro-
vided by the "govelnor" for another
pretty gown, and gives it to the bride
Tor by-and-by, when it is wanted, when
the wedding clothes are soiled, and the
young matron does not wish to wear the
old-fashioned things of her " trousseau."
The wedding gifts, we are assured, give
rise occasionally to some little grumb-
ling, but even these are managed III the
same methodical style. The first
principle is that the gifts are for the
young household" not for the young
lady. Accordingly they are invariably
adapted to the rank, station, and means
of the young couple, and arranged ON
preconcerted plan, SO that duplicates are
impossible; yet every giver's means and
individual tastes are duly regarded. The
result is that as all is well considered
and well fitted together, the young peo-
pie start in life with a well-htted house,
prettier and more valuable than would
be the case if provided by themselves
alone. From the richest to the poorest
household, the wedding gifts are always
preserved, valued, and exhibited from
pride or vanity or affection; and no
giver objects to see his gift treasured for
life as the wedding gift which is to last
life.