The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1874-08-07


fragments Of a broken brotherhood,
we may cross each others paths, and
from time to time, as the swift days
are numbered, tell the story Of those
of us who shall have fallen; but until
the Great Judge shall summon all to
the last account of their stewardship,
this, Senators, is a final farewell.
MARRIAGE AMONG THE ANCIENT
GREEKS.
This admirable description of the
marriage ceremony in ancient Greece
is extracted from Small's translation
of "Ihe Ancient City," q study of
the religion, laws, and institutions OF
Greece and Rome:
Among the Greeks the marriage
ceremony consisted, so to speak, of
three acts. The first took place be-
fore the hearth of the father; the
third before the hearth Of the hus-
band; the second was the passage
from the one to the other.
|. In the paternal dwelling, in the
presence of the future bridegroom,
the father, surrounded ordinarily by
his family, offers a sacrifice. The
sacrifice concluded, he declares-pro-
nouncing sacramemtal formula
that he gives his daughter to the
young man. This declaration is
absolutely indispensable to the mar
riage; for the young girl would not
be able to go at once to worship at
the hearth of her husband, if her
father had not already separated her
from the paternal hearth. To enable
her to adopt her new religion, she
must be freed from every bond that
attaches her to her first religion.
2. The young girl is carried to the
house of the husband. Sometimes
the husband himself conducts her.
In certain cities the duty OF bringing
her belongs to one of those men who,
among the Greeks, we're clothed with
II sacreaotal character, and who were
called heralds. The bride was usu-
ally placed ON car; her face was
covered with veil, and on her head
was crown. The crown, as we
shall often have occasion to see,
was used in all the ceremonies Of
this worship. She was dressed in
white, White was the color Of the
vestments in all the religious acts
She was proceeded by torch-the
nuptial torch. For the whole dis
tance they sang around her religious
HYMNS. This hymn was called the
hymeneal, and its Importance was SO
great that they gave its name to the
whole ceremony.
The bride dare not go Of her own
accord into her new dwelling. Her
husband must take her, and stimu-
late seizure by force. She must
cry out, and the woman that accom-
pany her must pretend to defend her.
Why this rite? Ii it symbol of the
modesty of the bride? This is hard
" probable-the moment for shame
has not yet come-for what is now
to take place is n religious ceremony.
Was it not to mark more strongly
that the wife, who was now to sacrifice
to this fire, had herself no right
there, that she did not approach it OF
her own free will, and that the
master of the place and Of the god
introduced her by an act Of his pow
or? However this may be, after q
feigned struggle, the husband raises
her in his arms, and carries hel
through the doorway, taking great
care, however, that her feet do moi
touch the sill. ....
What precedes is only prepara-
ton, prelude to the ceermony
The sacred act now commences il
the house.
3. They approach the hearth; the
wife is brought into the presence Of
the domestic divinity. She is sprink-
led with the lustral water She
| touches the sacred IRE. EEaJpIs hIe
repeated. Finally, the husband and
wife share between themselves q cake
or q loaf.
This sort of light meal, which com,
mences and ends with libation ano
prayer, this sharing of nourishment
in presence Of the fire, puts the hus.
band and wife in religious commun
ion with each other, and in commun
ion with the domestic gods.
We can understand, too, that aucE
q marriage was indissoluble, anc
that divorce was almost impossible
The Roman law did, indeed permi
the dissolution Of the marriage BY
coB1ptio, or by uS,s. But the dis
solution of the religious marriage
was very difficult. For that a new
and sacred ceremony was necessary
as religion alone could separate wha
religion had United. Ibe effect o
the o0ntaryeatto could DO destroyeC
only by ddaretjo.