Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-10-06
Oriental marriages.

In America, love precedes and prepares
the way for marriage-at least this is our
theory of courtship. In the East, marriage
precedes aud prepares for love-at least this
is the Oriental theory of the welded state.
II quite accords therefore, with the Eastern
ideas of the marriage relation that women
should enter into 1t at an age which to us
seems very unfit and this practice of early
marriages is.also favored by the fact that
women reach their maturity at much ear
lier age than with us. They are at the
height of their bloom and beauty at fifteen
or sixteen. They are often married at thir-
teen or fourteen, and sometimes as early as
eight or nine and DR.. Van Lennep men
tions one instance of wedding which he
attended in which the bride was so young
that she was carried about in the arms 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 looking up for the young man a
suitable wife, which even In our own So
ciety the mother, aunts or sisters often as
sumo, is in the East, by universal consent,
devolved upon them.
Womanly nature is essentially the same
the world over, and 1--WE may safely assume
that they are nothing loath to perform the
duty which social custom intrusts to them.
For this purpose they sally forth in body
ON their tour OF inspection, call at any
house which affords reasonable hopeof con-
tanning a suitable inmate, are invariably
greeted with the utmost courtesy, and
ushered at once into the reception room;
the young lady is summoned, and presently
| enters, bearing sweetmeats and water; she
is arrayed in all the fnery and jewels which
belong to her dowry; nor is it considered a
breach of social propriety to inquire with
| particularly respecting her marriage por-
| ton. This frankness prevents some OF the
| awkward discoveries which sometimes oc.
| cur with us after marriage to mar the
happiness of the honeymoon. II the pre-
| liminary negotiations are satisfactory a
| bargain is made between the parents, in
which the amount paid by the husband ol
on his behalf, either to the bride or to hel
parents, Is definitely agreed upon. This
which under the Mosaic law was fixed at 9
uniform rate-at fifty shekels, or twenty five
dollars-varies among the modern j Jews witt
the condition of the BRIDES family, while
among some of the Clrcassian tribes anG
the Tartars, as among the African saYages
the daughter, when she reaches a marriage
able age, is sold to the highest bidder. The
parties are considered as afianced as sooI
as the marriage contract has been agreed
to, but the nuptial ceremony is sometimes
deferred for considerable period, during
which time the bride and groom are no
permitted to see each other their sole in
tercourse with each other is through th'
intervention of friend OF the bride
groom" The wedding dress is even morl
a matter of importance with the Eastern
bride than with us. The preparation O
her toilet, in the presence Of female
friends, often occupies a large part of twt
days. The wedding veil, the bridal crown
the dodos, or cap, are some OF the emblem
donned for the bridal ceremony. The cos
tunes are often rich and gorgeous beyond
expression. Fashion, as interpreted by al
Oriental milliner, quoted by DR.. Van Len
nep, prescribes the characteristics of al
ideal wedding dress. It should measure
six yards from the shoulders to thu
end Of the train the long sleeves
should sweep the floor; the material is silk
it is elaborately embroidered by party o
professional embroiderers under the direc
ton Of chief. The sum paid for superin
tending the needlework on a single robe re
ferred to by DR.. Van Lennep was five hun
dred dollars, while the charge for the worl
done by the subordinates was two thousanI
five hundred dollars, and the entire cost o
the dress was ten thousand; nor must it b
forgotten that labor in that country is YER
much less expensive than in this.
The marriage festivities last Often ~
. week, and in many sections OF the East th
old practices are still maintained. Th
.. bridegroom, with procession, starts wit
music and torches, by night, for the hous
of the bride, where, after show of resis
tance, and sometimes quite struggle, sh
is taken possession of and born away to he
future home. The resistance by the co
maiden to the approach Of her husband
curiously illustrative of the marriage cuf
:. toms of many countries, and in variou
= forms-from that of African society, i
!, which the bridegroom chases the fleein
bride, capturesland carries her away bodily
to that of the HISTORIANS, where the brid
remains in the corner of the church unit
: the time comes for the joining of hand
~ when she is dragged half across the buildin
. by main strength toward her intended hul
? band, who is allowed to seize her hand onl
II after vehement struggle, during whic
! the officiating Clergyman stands passivel
a by.-Hd,pers Magazine for Oct.