Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-06-03
COURTSHIP IN PARIS.
Few Opportunities For the Lovers to Be
come Acquainted Before Marriage.

Few Opportunities For the Lovers to Be
come Acquainted Before Marriage.
As French families are unprotected
by the state in respect to keeping men
at distance, they themselves have
taken the matter in hand in allowing
no privacy before marriage Under no
circumstances is an engaged person al
lowed to remain alone; the mother or
elder sister is ever present at the inter-
views. But, Notwithstanding the pres
ence of the third person, the young en-
gagged couple talk freely of their future
prospects, and frequently indulge in
lovers guurrels. The fiance is daily in
vited to dine with his future wife's fam
lily. Sitting side by side, many a word
of fondness and love is whispered in the
Young laay's ear out of the hearing of
the lenient papa and mamma. Going
in and out of the dining-room, thew
slyly manage to be the last couple, and
! have been told that it is wonderful
how much can be whispered in the short
walking space lying between the parlor
and the diningroom. Parents SIM
ilarly ignore these innocent pri-
vacies; they remember when, in years
SoIit uAs ftHtN llcS DdSStu III llle
same way. Mutual acquaintance is
matfe at the house ,of mutual friends.
The young people may dance with each
the mamma generally carries on an ami
mated conversation with friends of her
own age, and does not listenito the les
sons of love which herfuture son-in-law
sees fit to give her daughter while sit
ting as far as it is possible from the
maternal ears and authority. Taking
an impartia l view. of such eourtship.
it is not perhaps as fruitful in results of
acquaintaneeship as those. of longer du-
ration and extended permission of pri-
vate associations. But. however long
courtship may last, who is the man or
woman who does not persist in putting
on his Sunday manners as well as his
Sunday clothes as long as it lasts?
George Eliot ably puts the question in
..Middlemaehn when she says: -':Infer-
ences may seem large, but really life
could never hsNe gone on at any period
but for the liberal allowance of conclu-
S ons which have facilitated marriage
under the difficulties of fertilization. Has
anv one pinched into its pilulous small
mes, the cobweb of prematrimonial ac-
As a rule. during courtship the young
lady does not call nor visit at the house
OF her betrothed, 30 dinners or festivi- |
ties take place there until after the mar
rage. All the members of his family, |
however. are frequently inyited by the
parerKss of the young lady to meet all
of her relations and form a circle of
alliance. They are all expected to |
formally call on each other at least
once on twice a year. if closer ties
of sociasi!ity are not maintained. 1t
is not considered bon ton for the en-
gagged couple to call each other by their
{ Christian name without the prefix OF
miss or Mr. The French thee and thou
are reserved for after marriage, ana
now frequently are used as an endearlng
way for husband and wife to speak to
each other Only in the privacy OF a
tete-a -tete. Presents are exchanged
only the day bskore the marriage eere-
mony. It is the future husbands duty
70 furnish his Aouse. He OF course
the taste Of his bride, and es-
Decially that of her mother, who has
NOPE experience, and who thoroughly
Knows the wishes of her daughter.
Tie rousseau and all the house linen
Ire provided by the bride. The sum
appended on the trousseau is often
Mentioned in the contract Will