Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-04-25
From the Chicago Tribune
MARRIAGE BY PROXY.

| whose matrimonial alliances are con-
tracted for them by their elders and
superiors for prospective political ad
vantage, and not little cOngratula-
ton upon the part of people in hum
bier spheres that they have the priv
ilege of choosing their own partners,
conducting their own courtships, and
managing their own weddings. AT
the first blush, there is something
repulsive in the idea of having the
hymenial affair arranged by proxy,
especially when the principal parties
interested are presumed to take each
other for better or worse. An ex-
animation, however, of the treaty be-
tween the Queen of England and the
Emperor of Russia for the marriage
of the Duke of Edinburgh and the
Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna,
which has recently been printed
among the Parliamentary papers,
shows that the system is not with
out its compensations. These com
pensations are so attractive that we
doubt not there are plenty of Ameri-
cans who would agree to marry the
ugliest girl in all the Russias for the
same class of consultations, pecuniary
and otherwise, which the Duke of
Edinburgh and his royal spouse will
hereafter enjoy. One article of this
treaty stipulates that her Imperial
Highness shall not be hindered in the
full, free, and unrestrained exercise
of thereligious profession in which
she had been brought up, and for that
purpose she shall have chapels where
she resides and also in her own apart
ments; and she is not expected to at
tend the churches of her husbands
faith, except when it is necessary to
assist in ceremonies, and then only
of her own free will. By this ar,
rangement an effectual bar is raised
against one prolific source of disa.
greement among couples of differ
ent faiths who do not wear the i'm
perial purple. The Duke of Edin-
burgh is q member of. the English
Church, and yet every possibility of
collision has been carefully remov-
ed. What happy arrangement this
would be in many instances where
Protestant husbands have Catholic
wives, and Unitarian wives have
Presbyterian husbands.
' The finan cial arrangements for the
young couple, as fixed by treaty,
are very comfortable, and will enable
them toset up house keeping in very
handsome manner. The marriage
portion of the Princess, as fixed by
the fundamental laws of the Empire,
is a million of roubles, the interest
of which, ats per cent, is to be paid
to her half yearly during life, and
she is to have the separate and ex-
elusive use of it. In addition to this
the Emperor gives her, Gas mark of
particular affection, ran annauI rev.
enue of $4,000 roubles for her sep
arate and exclusive use. AS mark
of affection in general, he also
sets apart another million of roubles,
the interest of which at per cent.
it is to be for her exclusive use. She
also retains possession of her private
fortune, amounting to 100000 rou-
bies. In the event that she survives
the Duke, the Queen of England
agrees to gives her 10000 annually
during hfeLa sum which ought to
be sufficient indueement to her to
take good care of her health. Marie
AlexandroVna, therefore, has a snug
little fortune in cash for her own ex-
elusive use, amounting to 2,675,OOO
roubles, $2,l1S,l5O, and an annual
income of $4,000 from her marriage
portion alone. Adding to this
amount the fortune and income of
her husband, and their free house
rent, it will be seen at once that
there is no possible danger of their
going to the County Poor-House,
They can have beef steak and bot,
tied beer three times day, run up
millinery bills and grOcers' bills
Gd tibitlq1a, send their children to a
private school, have an opera box
and a carriage Of their own, get up
and go to bed when they please, and
still lay aside something for rainy
day. A state of life in which a man
does not have to get down to the Of
fee at 9 O'clock in the morning, does
not have to pay pew rents or house
rents, has no fear of the premises
being sold out for non-payment of
taxes, and can even butter his pound
cake if he wants to, must be one
of the beatitudes; and the woman
who has nothing to do but tolook in
to the shop windows all day, and
can have the whole store sent up to
her house if she desires, who has more
money than she can spend each year,
and nothing to tire her but the eff
fort of spending it, must pass an
archangelie existence. One can
fairly imagine the frenzled ec-
stacy of the average woman in hum
BILE spheres with half million dol
lars, in her pocket and the privilege
Of staying in a dry goOds-store all
day, week in and out, and giving
standing order to all the milliners in
town to send their best bonnets up
to the house as fast as they come in,
There is another provision to this
treaty which will be hailed with de-
light by the advocates Of woman's
rights, Marie, Alexandroyna hap:
Py woman, has chapel Of her
own, minister Of her own, an,
apartment of her own. All this
snug little fortune we have Specified
is her own, and the Duke can't tonch
a cent Of it. In addition to this Ar.
tlcle XIV. Of the treaty provides that
"Her Imperial Hlghness shall have
tpll right and upqhestionable liberty
10 keep aud possess, for her sspssuta