The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-11
TIE WEDDING OF THE PERIOD.
Marriage Ia Mode Amcricuine.
from the Saturday Revlew.l

out-PicartS Religious Ceremonies, luciuuinS
Marriage Ceremonies OF all Nallons. ~ -
some years since We saw it, but our rccollcc
tions, hazy perhaps, suggest that certain OF
these marriage rites, especially some african
nuntial ceremonics-wc think they were A1rl-
can-were particularly odd. 1t is not very
likely that new edition of this huge engraved
folio should be forthcoming Dut IN SUCH an
eventuality-this is one OF the last noole Moius
of the newspapers-wc Suggest lnaI IeCcnI ,l
scene which took place at New York should De
inserted. 1t is quite worthy OF Illustration,
botb literary and pictorial. For ourselves, NOT
having gifts of the right sort, We can onlS ues-
cribe it in very jog-trot, hacknlSa hlshUn; ,,i;
The exciting incidents, as they ca,l l.u,, anu
the highly-spiced paragraphs of the AMERICAN @
rnnorters. will make up for our artistic dell,
ciences. Miss Braddon might make good
thinG of II, and we dare say that she congratu-
lates herself that the Richardson ana McFar-
land marriage amply vindicatcs her many con-
tributions to moral literature from the llnputo-
ton that has been cast upon them as 10 Iheir
untruthtulness, OF rather Their untrutn:ilhGl s
ness. Indeed, as we come to thlnk OF II, inc
consultations of the murder and adultery scnool
of fictiopists. may take another form. Iney
have in this pleasant liie-hstOry the gratlhca-
tion of knowing that they have not preached
altogether in vain. TIE seed has fallen on
ground which, il not absolutely GOOD IN ltscll,
is eminently suited for the growth OF plants OF
the nightslade and stapella sort-!he stapelial
group. Us the botany. books say, being remar-
kable for the carrion odol Of its flowers.
The actors in this pleasant and edilying drama
belong. it must be confessed. to Bohemia. But
| then Bohemia is O recognized lille ana region.
| 1t has not only it's place in the social cosmos,
but a high one, and in New York very hlsh
one. Bohemia, to take Bohemias word iof II,
is not only, OF not so much, artlstc ana lleia-
ry as art and literature itself. In the tongue,
and we dare say in the estimation, OF Bohe-
mia, art means comic Inning, and literature
means journalism and the stage. Anyhow the
heroes and the heroine of the New YORK IRA,
gcdy which has engrossed much attention
are in all respects BOhemians. In Bohemian
tongue the drama proceeds in this wisc:-En-
ter n. e. for whatever the technical slang for
one side of the stage is) "Mr. Albert Richard
SON, New York journalist, an army cores
pondent, an author, and in variety OF ways
contributor to newspaper and periodical lltelii-
| ture.n Enter S. w. (as bcfOrc) Mrs. McFar-
land, an actress, the mother Of two children.
of whom Richardson became enainorcu.
Brevity is The soul Of Wit, and, we suppose, oi
adultery too ''She quarrelled with her lls-
band, sand returned Richardson's passion;
| here we suspect what the grammar people
used to call rhetorical mctathesis, and that
| 1t ought to read, "Shc returned Richardson's
passion and quarrcllcd with her hnsband,'
but Miss Braddon probably knows which comes
u
uous" French novels as have come in our way,
we should perhaps be disposed to say that the
uuarrelng does not prccedc the adultery. be-
cause it is usual 10 represent an adulteTcss as
particularly civil to her husband. But Amcri
can wives may manage IL differently. Ours do
| certainly, anG therefore we leave 1t as moot
| point. J,td,ccnt peritioreS. There arc, We
thorities on either side. Be this as it may, the
doctrine Of athnitics, not chemical but artistic,
| is illustrated. Given journalist and gcner-
| al contributor to the press Of BohciGta, ana
| married actress, aud OF course "DccomlnS en-
amorel" on one side, and returning his pas
sionn on the other, which Is the high-polite ior
adultery, follows as matter OF course. But
what about Mrs. McFarlands huspana Inc
authorities In such cases have choice OF ar
raprements; had it 30 happened that the jour-
nalst Richardson had a wife, sensational ilc-
| tion would have made the arrangement OF oil
parties very easy Simple barter would have
met the case, or, rs the poet describes 1t In the
leading case Of Mrs. Hallcr:
| Her martial gallant swore that truth was libel,
That marriage was thraldom, eolement no
ouoth she, I'll remember the words OF my Bible,
| NV spouse Is stranger, and III take him In.
with my sentimen talibus lachrymG roar'em,
| And pathos and oathos dellShtioi 10 see;
| And clIop and change ribs u mode Germano-
And high dlddle, no dddc, pop tweedle d'ddle
| dee.
But as there was no Mrs. Richardson for Mr.
Mcfarland, though there was MRS. hctar-
land for Mr.. Richardson, Mcfarland had to
| take his own line, as there was no neighbor's
wife for him to take; and he took his line, and
his line was peach brandy and delirium tre-
mons and revenge The three famous courses
were omen to him. lie might, which is the
French solution, grin and abide it. He might
abide it, and not grin, which sometimes IS the
English practice. AS it was, he seems to have
| did not abide it. "Some months ago he shot
at and slightly injured Richardson. The latter
then publicly announced his intention Of mar
ryinr McFarland's wife as soon as she could
procure divorce" divorce was accord
| ingly ''procured in the State courts OF lndi-
ana"-a fact worth rendering, because it sllG-
gests curious 'spc'llations as 10 the views OF
the marriage-tic nald by the Lord Penzance of
those parts, as we'll as to the disturbances,
which OF late we have often discussed, OF as
similating our divorce laws, like other things,
to the American model. AS the case stands,
it seems that in Indiana adultery is not so
good a reason for divorce as the injured nus
bands taking bad shot at the ;ldulterer.
Pcrhaps it was that the Indiana Judge con-
sidered McFarland's shot contempt OF court;
an adultery case might always 30 on II no
shooting is introduced into the matter, and the
court Would get its fees. But if the practice
of shooting, or even shooting at, adulterers is
introduced, Judge has reason to complain
that his Jurisdiction and per1uisites are inter
| tered with.
Be this as it may, McFarland's bad practice
with the revolver only made him drink harder,
| or. as it is more prettily said, "thc devoted
| husband, maddencd by his woes, plunged
still deeper in dissipation" and at last shot
| him (Richardson) across the counter OF the
New York Tribune;;" and avery poetical justice
| it was, to pistol Journalist" on the scene Of
his successes, journal office. Though the
wound was mortal, the adulterer lived some
days, and his last hours were soOthcd by the
endowment of what we believe is called 4
perfect ovation. Fe became, what indeed he
always was, q hero: he was frtcd, and gave
fetcs. at the As,or Iouse; he was ''inter-
viewed" and 'Sheld lcrce;" while the cnlagcd
husband was cruelty dragged to iclon's
CELL, the delightful adultercr was builctlncd
and tclegraphed and caresscd and waited upon
by Mrs. Mcfarland, TO whose devotion Queen
Elcanor's was nothing Universal sympathy
was with this interesting pair; universal exc
Grafton was poured on the husband But ms
was not all. Religion came in at the last
hour, anu he was sent u heaven q married
man, and fortified by the bcnediclions OF ".ne
church," and il Is satisfactory 10 learn on his
own testimony that he had made it all right in
both worlds-his last words addressed to This
wife" being: ''My darling, AM going to take
you into infinite space and glory"
Now let us put case somewhat parallel to
this amazing history. Mr.. Richardson, the
journalist of course thought that to all intcnts
and purposes Mrs. Mcfarland was free to mar