Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-12-24


an Amse~nmptiaz Mepmss AT watch
8ssa xnvnxfHhIy 0vereass Herself.
Says Henri Greyille (Mne. Durand) In
0aa Of her recent pleasant talks az Boston
.sOa Trinity day The Russian mothers dress
their msrrineeable daughters very hand
Aozaafg, and taire them to q city garden
seinsthing like Boston Common. The
ailk Dresses OF the girls ARE unlike any
thing You ever saw. They are pink, vel.
low OF sky blue, with huge flowers of
contrasting ooloss. The girls are as stif
As sugar loayes In them. On their heads
they wear a little kerehief, which Is fas-
tened pnder the chin with gold pin.
The mothers aud daughters seat them
selves on benches IN the garden, and all
the young men who want wives parade
before them. The girls never look ct the
men. girl never does look at young
man when he is looking
:. There they sit until g o'clock with
ont saying word. Then they go home
and wait. In twu or three days, or per-
haps week. nu Old woman appears. She
always wears u big handkerchief knotted
tight about her head, hs though she had a
headache Her shawl hngs about her as
if on peg; in her arms she carries a big
bag. She asks for the mother, and begins
I 70 talk to her about everything in the
@9vorld except the manageable daughter.
8he Is tho matchmaker. 1t would be
highly improper for the young man or
iis family to appear in the matter. Al
iength she says: You have turtle dove,
and | have also turtle dove After 0
little parrying she comes TO the point.
Why should not my pigeon marry your
pigeon.
The mother demurs, and says her
daughter is too young. why did you
take her TO market then2" It is soon
arranged after this. The matchmaker
sets forth the present and prospective ad-
vantages of the match. The girl is sum.
moned and informed that in two or three
weeks she will marry the young man. She
must not look very much pleased if she
likes the match, and she must look de.
lighted if she does not like it. She can
not refuse.
The young man comes to family tea
party, perhaps to two. Then his friends
return the civility. They see nothing Of
each other beyond this. 1t is unneces.
sary. They will have plenty of timeaftei
marriage. On the eve of the wedding the
brides young friends come for her in
handsome carriages and carry her of to
the bath. This has been hired for the
occasion, and no one else can enter.
There they scour her well and take her
home to collation., consisting of cakes,
tea, fruit and the like.
Son these occasions the bride in
variably overeats herself. Perhaps it is
because she will have nothing to eat all
the next day. At length she is conducted
TO the church, where she meets the bride
groom. His friends have been bathing
him and attending on him as the brides
friends have on her.
ssAfter marriage they settle down and
grow very fat. They have nothing to do.
Reading is tiresome. Needlework is for
paid dependents and the lower classes,
They detest driving in their carriages.
They have magnificent clothes and dia-
monds. They never wear the diamonds.
As every woman knows, it is such o
pleasure to own these jewels at home that
1t Is not necessary TO wear them in order
to enjoy them. Their life, in short, is
just like life in the harem, only in the
harem one can quarrel, which is diver
sion and an advantage. The higher class
in Russia spoil their wives and sister
with kindness. They treat them as toys
not as equals"