St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-21

fair SN cues are not considered marriage
able until they have made with their own
hands quantities OF garments to be dlStrio-
uted among the wedding guests; and they
must also have served their mothers in all
of the departments of the household long
enough to become capable OF managing an
establishment of their own. But at this
season. when the church bells are full OF
" edding Chimes the bride-elect in our land
is more interested in the arrangement OF
the important event. and what ceremonies
should be employed to invest it with due
amount of style. and, at the same time,
have it different from the hackneyed pro-
gramme of the one hundred and one which
have preceded hers. Fortunately, from
the present standpoint of estheticism. old,
WORKOUT fashions are the newest. freshest.
and most to be detired. Realizing this, l
have excavated some long buried customs,
which were in vogue many years ago, when
our great-great- grandparents were young
and charming. for the benefit of those who
would have something new.
The duties of the bridemaid were in
Olden times more important than at the
present day. She attended the bride-elect
in her shopping expeditions and helped
direct the invitations, if these were used.
She also helped to dress the happy maiden,
and made herself particularly entertaining
to the guests in waiting upon them and put
ting them at ease. 1t is SAID that the BRIDE
maid was often the one who had the best
time at wedding. and it frequently hap
puned that she captured husband for her
self as the English termed it. and If she
did not do this much she was looked upon
as unattractive indeed. Hence the old say
lag, Three times brldemaid, never a
bride" An English superstition is that
the maid must throw away all the pins
used IN the brides toilet. or else evil for
tune would follow her, and she who kept
any of these need not hope to become a
BRIDE before the following Whitsuntde.
This is not so popularity believed, how
ever, as the power of the ''old shoe, -
which has been thrown for happiness"
from time immemorial. In Scotland.
as well as in England, the old shoe
is thrown over the heads of the happy
pair either when leaving church or the par
entail roof: and while it is now said to bring
good fortune. authorities differ as to its
original significance. whether it was to be
suggestive of the remuneration of authority
over her by the parents, or whether 1t was
hurled at the groom as sham assault upon
him for taking off the bride. and is a relic
of the ancient custom of marriage by cap
ture. The wedding of Princess Elizabeth at
Whitehall chapel was the first in England
where many bridesmaids were in attend
lnce. On this occasion there were sixteen
lovely young girls of the highest families
In the realm, their number representing the
years of the bride. This style will not
likely present itself to the madens of to-
day. as the age tor marrying is mole ad-
vanced than in those times Instead of
being led to the hymeneal altar by male
relative. AngIo-SaXon brides were escorted
by matrOn, and from the largely increas-
ing demand for chaperonS OH any and
every occasion we may look for their re-
turn as an important factor at weddings
The fashion of sending presents to a
bride is a relic of the earliest marriages.
when the contracting parties would send out
'biddingS" to friends and strangers, invlt-
ing them to the festivit es and soliciting a
contribution towards the expenses. At the
present day this taxation. with or without
representation. is becoming more and more
Of an institution, for while there is no men-
lion made on our cards of bidding" our
friends and acquaintance know by tact
consent what is its double meaning. and
the young married people who have Large
list of friends are prepared TO 90 to house
through these gifts iron the wedding
guests. While innovations have been made
in every particular OF the marriage cere-
mony, the ring has never lost its important
place, and so essential was it thought to be
that many of our ancestors would have con-
sidered their marriages null and void with
out it. Indeed, there are many cases on
record. where in the omission of a conven-
tional band Of gold the most homely sub
stitutes have been used; the rings of cur
tains, for example or circle cut IN leather.
just SO the symbol of unending love and
fidelity was employed they were content
In our own city, in comparatively recent
Years. a couple were united with thimble,
the groom having through mistake put the
wrong box in his pocket. As early as the
bronze age rings were exchanged by lovers
as pledges OF amending devotion, and were
on occasions employed not only to seal the
contract but 10 introduce the tender sub
iect In England the most popular love
ring was for a long time the Gimmel ring,
formed of two narrow gold bands, which
we're broken apart at the betrOthal. each OF
the contracting parties wearing one on the
engagement finger-the fourth on the left
hand-until the wedding day, when these
bands were again united and placed on the
brides finger. This was very suggestive,
for the ring was but the pledge which was
redeemed at the altar. There are several
theories in regard to the fashion of wearing
the engagement ring on the left hand. The
most poetic. however, is that nerve con-
meets this directly with the heart. To the
maiden of the nineteenth century the per
feet arrabo." or the assured pledge of per-
feet promise. is SOLITAIRE" sufficiently
large and brilliant to stir up feelings of envy
in the hearts of less fortunate fiancees,