Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-01
FOR THE FAIR SEX.
Partisan Marie ges.

The Parisidn, an American paper
published in Paris, says: Our lady
readers will perhaps be interested to
know how n grand marriage is arranged
at Paris. The preliminaries are gener-
ally arranged between the two families
with the help of the notaries; less often
the marriage is more romantic and
springs purely from love, in which case
the traditional steps OF courtship and
marriage are much modified. Suppos-
ing, however, that a marriage has been
recognized as advisable between the two
families the first thing to do is to ar
range an interview between the young
olks. For this purpose some neutral
ground is generally chosen-a reception
at friends house, n concert, n ball and
the theaters. The opera is preferred by
the world of fashion; the opera comique
is popular with the bourgeoise and the
provincials. The young man sits in the
orchestra and the young girl dressed IN
her best, is placed in front of box.
Between the acts the young man pays a
visit to the box and is presented. The
next day he pays visit TO the father
and makes a formal demand of the
Young lady's hand. Ifit is accepted, he
begins to pay court to the young girl.
Every day, az this stage of proceedings,
the Young man is admitted to the house
of his future wife rs il he were one of
the family.
He is called by his Christian name.
The day after the accordailles," or his
acceptation by the family, he presents
his future wife with ring, always the
same one pearl or two pearls mounted
with two diamonds. You may see
these rings by the score in the jewelers.
low Ia n hon.
quet of flowers. Nowadays these
bouquets are splendid and cost q small
fortune. for it is the custom to envelop
them with lace, which is sometimes re-
placed by watered ribbon, on which the
name OF the young girl is embroidered.
In ariatocratic families the first person
to whom the marriage is announced is
the pope, who sends his benediction by
telegraph, on the day of the ceremony
at the church. The mother, accom-
panied by her daughter, visits her
friends in order to inform them of the
happy news. In Madam de Sevigne's
days young girls wedding trousseau
contained only three dresses. In the
year of grace, 1880, n wedding trousseau
in high life is very grand affair, and
comprises twelve dresses, all made up
with stockings, shoes, sun shades and
hats to match. The trousseau, together
with the linen, is worth from 10000 to
$4,000 francs. In the trousseau of the
Princess Isabella de Groy, the wife of
the Archduke Frederick of Austria, all
the linen is counted by the gross. There
ire twelve dozens of everything.
he Head Dress That Fashion PrescrIbes.
Hats for the seaside and country gen.
,-allxy uaua NaW York popar haun
vide dropping brims which may be
arranged to suit the taste of the wearer,
either dropping all around, turned up
at one side or the other, or at the back
only. Ribbon, flowers, silk, gauZe and
foliage are the principal garuitures, for
feathers do not retain their graceful
from and flexibility long if exposed to
the sea air. A beautiful Dunstable
white straw hat for young lady has a
wide rolled brim in front, but dropping
at the back the crown is encircled with
a silk gauze scarf, dotted with gold, and
three handsome white ostrich feathers
are arranged in q graceful group be-
tween the crown and the brim in front.
The1nside of the brim is faced with a
white silk filet, and the hat is to be
worn off the brow. A riding hat for n
young lady just in her teens is an inn
ported black Derby, with dark green
cocque plume at the left side. The rid
ing habit is of black cloth, with black
buttons closing the basque to the throat.
white linen collar just peeping above
the straight cloth band and dark green
gauntlets matching the plume. Ladies'
riding hats are of the glossy dark silk
seen in gentlemen's, and only vary from
these latter in being shade lower in
the crown and having quilted silk
lining with pad over the brow. Rid
ing habits arc made with a very short
basque, the fronts coming only three
inches below the waist, the coat back
clearing the saddle; skirts fall about
three or four inches below the stirrup
foot and are very narrow, owing to the
fact that trousers, matching the mate
rial of the habit and strapped under the
boot, are now considered an essential OF
all ladies' equestrian outfits.