Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-08-06
Vienna.

Keeps, and the magulhceEce OF iEeir
equipage, diamonds, and dresses. There
is no city in the world. not even Paris.
that can rival Vienna. the metropolis Of
Austria in sens suality and immortality.
and in these respects there is univer-
salty that is quite remarkable. There
are no Haunting courtezans in Vienna. as
are to be seen in the streets of Paris, or
even in New York or Baltimore Where
virtue is sutch rarity there is no op-
pertunity for making specially of vice.
and it has no special locality. In this
respect Vienna would appear to the cas-
ual visitor more free from this species of
social evil than any large city. in the
world; but visit to the Founding Hos
pital, where there is an average of about
fourty infants received daily, or the gen
eral hospital, where its illisitmate births
average thirty a day. shows the PIE M
inence of Vienna over all other cities in
the world. There are 20,0oO soldiers
always in the city. mostly young men
from the provinces, who could not mar
ry if they would, and would not if they
could. They have 10 means to support
wife, and seldom have money sufficient
to pay the church charges for the per-
formance .of the marriage ceremony
They can be seen in crowds with tho
y ouhg girls On the Ripgstrasse, and the
Prate-. They form attachments, but are
never expected to marry. Their exam
pie is followed by the young men in
ether walks of life. and | am assured
there are fewer marriages in Vienna than
almost any other city of one third the
population. There seems to be no at
tempt made by the authorities or by the
Church to remedy this evil, which has
become so universal that-amons the
laboring classes especially-there arc
few mothers who have husbands.
I have made special effort to obtain
authentic information as to the causes
which are leading to this extensive de.
morilization. That there are many
good and virtuous people here there is
no manner of doubt; but that the next
generation will greatly deteIiorate is
equally certain. Ten years ago it was
regarded as somewhat degrading to the
female to live without marriage. Now no
woman is considered as having lowered
herself much in the esteem of her neigh
bors unless she becomes brszeu courte-
san. Of this class it is but proper to
say that Vienna, with its million popu-
lation, has fewer than the smallest of the
principal cities of the United States.
There are, however, rore people live
ing together without marriage. than with
marriage, and Of this kind of life, with
the privilege of separating at pleasure.
which often takes place at the birth of
the first child, it is sad to say becoming
daily more popular.
The laws regulating marriage are, I
have ascertained. different from those of
any other country, or nation The Church
is forbidden to marry any man or wo'
man without the consent of their parents.
The persons proposing marriage must
also have the written consent of the
Burgomaster and authorities of the place
of their nativity, which will not be gwen
unless they can prove tlfls they hav,
means sufficient to snTp port family, and
will not become a charge upon the com
munity. During the three years which
every able bodied man is reorired 10y
serve in the army, be is not permitted 10
marry without he has also the consent of
the Secretary of War. or the General
under whose command he is serving.
Some Of these laws can be evaded by
going to some other section of the count
ry, but the bars to marriage are so great
and difficult to be overcome that they
generally prefer to do without the cere-
mony, aud start off i'm life inst as sy
many Of their neighbors and friends dill
before them There is a recent srw which
is intended to protect the female in these
et,handed marriages. IF she ascertains
that her" man. by whom she has chill
dren, is about to contract marriage, che
can enter protest and put a stop to tbs =
ceremony. 1t does hot. however, pre-
vent hin, from abandoning the mother of
bis children and fseaiiiarly taking up
with new love, just as he in days long
past took up with her. The novels dai-
ly recognize this new phrase of life. and
the most popular are those which repre-
sent their heroes and heroines as falling
in love with and clipping with husbanas
and wives. Matrinony is entirely igno-
red in most Of them. The marriage cey-
emony is daily growing more unpopufor
and bids fair coon to become. in Vienna
at least to be regarded as one of ths
follies of past generation.
TIE Shah bought $500 worth Of
paintings when in London, but he could
nnt understand whv n nirtnre OF threa