The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1876-10-18
MISCELLANY.



In America, love precedes and prepares the
way for marriage--at least this is our theory
Of courtship. In the East marriage prccedes
entail theory Of the welded state. 1t quite
accords, therefore, with the Eastern ideas of
tho marriage relation that women should Gu
ter into it at an age which to us seems very
unfit and this practice Of carly marriages is
also favored by the fact that women reach
their maturity at q much earlier age than
with MS. They arc at the height of their
bloom and beauty at fifteen or sixteen. They
are often married ut thirteen or fourteen, and
sometimes as early as eight or nine and DIR.
Van Lennep mentions one instance of we'd
ding which he attended in which the bride
was so young that she was carried about in
the arms of her relatives. Naturally court
ship is done b.; proxy and the young men are
cheated out Of what the American regards as
one Of the most sacred, inalicnablc rights
The duty of looking up for the young man
suitable wife, which even in our own society
the mother, aunts, or sisters, often assume, is
in the East, by universal consent, devolvcd
upon them.
Womanly nature is essentially the same the
world over, and VIC may safely assume that
they are nothing loath to perform the duty
which social custom intrnsted to them For
this purpose they sally forth in a body on
their tour Of inspection, call at any house
which affords reasonable hope of containing
suitable inmate, are invariably greeted with
the utmost courtesy, and ushcred at once into
the reception-room the young lady is sum-
moned, and presently enters, bearing sweet
meats and water !; she is arrayed in all the
flneIy and jewels which belong to her dowry
nor is 1t considered breach Of social propri-
ETY. to inquire with particularity respecting
her marriage portion. This frankness pre-
vents some of the awkward discoveries which
sometimes occur with us after marriage to
mar tho happiness of the honey moon. If the
preliminary negotiations are satisfactory, a
bargain is made between the parents, in which
the amount paid by the husband or on his be
half, either to the bride or to her perents is
definitely agssed upon. This, which under
the Mosaic law was fixed at uniform rate
Mt fifty sheckles, or twenty-five dolars-va-
lies among the modern Jews with the condi-
tions Of the brides family, while among
some of the Circassian tribes and the Tartars
as among the African savages, the daughter,
when she reaches manageable age, is sold
to the highest bidder The parties are con-
sdered as afianced as soon as tho marriage
contract has been agreed to, but the nuptial
ceremony is sometimes deferred for consid-
cradle period, during which time the bride
and groom arc not permitted to see each 9TH
er their sole intercourse with each other is
through the Intervention of a 4" friend Of the
bridegroom The wedding dress is even
more matter of importance with the East
ern bride than with us. The preparation of
her toilet, in the presence offemale friends
often occupies large portion of two days.
The wedding veil, the bridal crown, the dod-
dos, or cap, are some Of the emblems donned
for the bridal ceremony. The costumes are
often rich and gorgeous beyond eAplession.-
Fashion, as interpreted by an Oriental millin-
er quoted by DIR. VanLennep, prescrjbes the
characteristics of an ideal wedding dress. 1t
should measure six yards from the shoulders
to the end of the train the long sleeves
should sweep the floor the material is silk
1t is deliberately embroidered by party of
professional embroiderers under the direction
Of chief. The Sum paid for experimenting
the needlc-work on single robe referred to
by Dr. Van Lennep was five hundred dollars,
while the charge for the work done by the
subordinates was two thousand five hundred
dollars. aud the entire cost of the dress was
ten thousand nor mnst it be forgotten that
labor in that country is very much less expens-
i've than in this.
The marriage festivities last often for q
week, and in many sections OF the East the
old practices ATE still maintained. The BRIDE
groom, with procession, starts with music
and torches, by night, for the house of the
BRIDE, where, after show of resistance, and
sometimes quite struggle, she is taken pos
session of, and borne away to her future
home. This resistance by the coy maiden to
the approaches of her husband is curiously
illustrative of the marriage customs of many
countries, and in various forms--from that Of
African society, in which she bridegDomchas-
es the fleeing bride, captures, and carries her
away bodily, to that of the HISTORIANS, where
the bride remains in corner Of the church
until the time comes for the joining of hands,
when she is dragged half across the building
by main strength toward her intended hus-
band, who is allowed to seize her hand only
after vehement struggle, during which the
officiating clergyman stands passively by
Lyman Abbott.
A WARNINe.-From a speech by ]. j. Tai
bott, who recently died drunk in Elkhart
Ind, we take the following / had position
high and holy The demon tore from around
me the robes Of my sacred Office and sent me
forth churchless and Goddess, a very Kissing
and byword among men. Afterward my voice
was heard in the courts. But the dust gath
cred upon my open books, and no football
oracoad "a hold off ha o{3sr ~