The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-01
WEDDING PROCESSION.
ONE OF THE MOST CURIOUS FEA-
ToREs OF FRENCH LIFE.
Taking the Matrimonial rlunee in tho
Most Ostentatious Fashion-Coming Of
the Bride and Groom-A Disregard Of
Good Manners.

Good Manners.
To those who are not accustomed to such
sights in their own country, perhaps tho most
curious feature of French life is the wedding
procession in the open dir. When the French
plunge into matrimony, they show no shy
ness over it; on the contrary, they take the
plunge in the most ostentatious. fashion.
They wish all the world to stand by and ad-
miro their heroisn, and, lest the world should
not take any trouble In the matter, they sally
forth from the church or marie dressed in
hymeneal garb, and spend the best part Of
t,v., days pro lenading in public and attract
ing all the attention they can to themselves
This custom is general among the masses OF
the people Among the higher classes it is
needless to say that there is no wedding pro-
cession outside of the church, unless it be the
procession Of carriages.
Those who wish to Gee one Of these corteges
des noces will have no difficulty in doing so If
they are in Paris at this season, which, above
all others, is the ono in which mankind is
prone to marry. They have only to spend an
afternoon at st. Cloud, Clamart, Meudon or
any Of the suburban rural retreats, and they
will be sure to see at least one noce, and they
may see half dozen. A sudden clatter OF
tongues tells mo that one is coming. A pro-
cession of twenty, thirty or fifty people, walk
ing two and two, is passing near, headed by
young woman dressed III white, with wreath
of orange flowers on her head, and young
man in "claw-hammcr" coat, with great
deal of shirt showing, white necktie, tall
hat, and with his hands encased in white
gloves. A bouquet in the buttonhole COM
pletes the invariable costume of the bride
groom. Those who follow are relatives and
intimate friends Among them may often be
seen an old couple-the man in hat of the
bygone chimncy-pot pattern, and the woman
in a great white cap, an elaborate work of
art in the way of starching and ironing. They
are tho parents of the bride or bridegroom,
and sometimes there are two such couples II
shere is ono serious face In the whole party it
is that Of the bride. She feels that the eyes
of the world are quizzically fixed upon her,
and that everybody is saying 20 Ia belle
mariec!" or something less pleasant
| RADIANT WITH SATISFACTION.
As rule, however, her face, like the bride
groon's, is radiant with satisfaction, and her
brill laughter pierces the air when her ears
catch the latest joke from the low comedian
of the party-and it is surc to include one.
When wit is wanting, buffoonery supplies its
place. While the noce is promcnading-fol-
lowing the bride and bridegroom as sheep fol-
low their leader, feast is being prepared at
ncighboring restaurant, which displays
along its front the words, "Salons pour noces
ct fcstins.n At about o'clock the procession
enters tho restaurant, and the rest of the
rO11f1
roarious merrilnent. This programme, with
out the marriage ceremony, is repeated the
next day ut some other place But it Is the
rule there for the bride not to promenade in
white, but in black silk.
These wedding professions are not without
certain quaint picturesqueness, and i'll some
out-of -the-way districts they are associated
with much that IS pastoral and beautiful in
its simplicity; but there is nothing to he said
in favor of the custom as it is practiccd i'll the
ncighborhood of Paris and other large cen-
ters. To really modest girl the ordeal of be-
ing thus paraded before the public gaze cam
not he otherwise than painful, for it is quite
opposed to dclicacy. Moreover, every person
invited to q noce of tho kind / lave been
describing considers that ho is in duty bound
| to mir his wit When the well-brcd French
man airs his wit he can with difficulty restrain
his Rabelaisan spirit, which is so character
istic of the Gau, even in the presence of ladies.
When the ill-bred Frenchman tries to be
amusing, it is generally at tho expense of
decency. That respect for women which SO
frequently nips tho coarse joke in tho bud
among Anglo-Saxons who have any claim to
rcspectability, is hardly perccptible in French
nlen who have never felt the restraining in
auencc of polite society. 1t may very well be
that the women ore as much to blame as the
men for this state Of things; nevertheless, 10
Frenclnlan, think, would deny that young
woman who has just become wife, if she has
any moslesty, had better bc deaf during the
two days of fcasting and promenading which
are so often the beginning Of matrimonial cx-
periencc in this country.-Paris Cor. Boston
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