The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1876-10-28
SELECTED MATTER.
Oriental Marriages.

| In America, love precedes and prepares the way
for marriage-at least this is our theory of court
ship. In the East marriage precedes and prepares
for love-at least this is the Oriental theory Of the
welded state. Itquite accOrds, therefore, with the
Eastern ideas of the marriage relation that women
should enter into it at an age which seems to us
very unfit; and this practice of early marriages
is also favored by the fact that women reach their
maturity at a much earlier age than with u.s.
They are at the height of their bloom and beauty
at fifteen and sixteen. They are often married at
thirteen or fourteen, and sometimes as early as
eight or nine; and DR.. Van Lennep mentions one
instance of q wedding which he attended in which
the bride was so young that she was carried about
in the of her relatives. Naturally courtship
is done by proxy and the young men are cheated
out of what the American regards as one of his
most sacred, inalienable rights The duty Of look
ing up for the young man a suitable wife, which
even in our own society the mother, aunts or sis
tiers often assume, is in the East by universal
sent, devOlved upon them.
WOmanly nature it essentially the same the
world over, and we may safely assume that they
nothing loath to perform the duty which social
custom ntrusts to them. For this purpose they
sally forth in a body their tour of inspection,
call at any house which affords reasonable hope of
containing suitable inmate, are invariably greet
ed with the utmost courtesy and ushered at once
into the reception room the young lady is sum-
moned, and presently enters, bearing sweetmeats
and water; She is arrayed in all the fnery and
jewels which belong to her dowry; nor is it con-
sdered breach of social propriety to inquire with
particularly respecting her marriage portion
This frankness prevents some of the awkward dis
coveries which sometimes occur with us after mar
riage to mar the happiness of the honeymoon. II
| the preliminary negotiations are satisfactory, a
bargain is made between the parents, in which the
| amount paid by the husband on his behalf
either to the bride or to her parents, is definitely
| agreed upon. This, which under the Mosaic law
was fixed at uniform rate-at fifty shekels, OF
| $25-varies among the modern Jews with the con-
dition of the brides family, while among some Of
the Circassian tribes and the Tarars, among the
African savages, the daughter, when she reaches
a marriageable age, is sold to the highest bidder
The parties considered as afhanced as soon as
the marriage contract has been agreed to, but tht
| nuptal ceremony is sometimes deferred for a con-
| siderable period during which time the bride and
| groom not permitted to see each other theil
sole intercourse with each other is through the in
| terventiOn of 'friend of the bridegroom" The
wedding dress is even more matter of import
ance with the Eastern bride than with us. The
preparation of her toilet in the presence of female
| friends, often occupies large part of two days
The wedding veil, the bridal crown, the dOdOs, Ol
cap are some of the emblems dOnned for the brida
ceremony. The costumes are often rich and gor-
geOuS DeyOnu expression. faSnlOn, us
ted by an Oriental mlliner quoted by DIR. Van
Lennep, prescrbes the characteristics of an idea
wedding dress. 1t should measure six yards from
the shoulder to the end of the train; the long
sleeves should sweep the floor the materials is silk
it is elaborately embroidered by party of prOfes
sonal embroiderers under the direction of a chief
The sum paid for experimenting the needle work
| on single robe referred to by Dr. Van Lennep
was $500, while the charge for the work done by
subordnates was 900, and the entire cost of the
dress was $4,000; nor must il be forgotten that
labor in that country is very much less expensive
than in this
The marriage festivities last often for a week,
and in many sections of the East the old practices
are still maintained. The bridegroom, with pro-
cession starts with music and torches, by night,
for the house of the BRIDE where, after short re-
sistance, and sometimes quite struggle, she is
taken possession of and borne away to her future
home. This resistance by the coy maiden to the
approaches of her husband is curi0usly illustrative
of the marriage customs of many countries and in
various forms-from that of African society, in
which the bridegroom chases the fleeing bride,
captures and carries her away bodily, to that OF
the HISTORIANS, where the bride remains in the
corner of the church until the time comes for the
Joining of hands, when she is dragged half across
the building by main strength towards her intend
ed husband who is allowed to seize her hand only
after vehement struggle, during which the offic-
ating clergyman stands passivcly by.-Lym"" 40
boH, IL Hdper's Mogozi"e.