Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-14
WEDDING PROCESSION.
ONE OF THE MOST CURIOUS FEA-
TURES OF FRENCH LIFE.

Taking the Matrimonial Plunge in the
Most Ostentatious Fashion-Coming of
the Bride and Groom-A Disregard Of
Good Manners-
To those who are not accustomed to such
sights in their own country, perhaps the most
curious feature of French life is the wedding
procession III the open air. When the French
plunge into matrimOny, they show no shy
hess over it; ON the contrary, they take the
plunge i'll the most Ostentatious fashion.
They wish ali the world To stand by and ad
mire their herosm, and, lest the world shoulGi
not take any trouble in the matter, they sally
forth from the church or marie dressed i'll
hynreneal garb, and spend the best part Of
tw.' da;-s promensding 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 see one OF these Curteges
des noces will have no difficulty i'll doing 50 if
they are in Paris at this season, which, above
all Others is the one in which mankind is
prone to marry They have only 10 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 a dozen. A sudden clatter Of
tongues tells me that one is coming. pro
ceSSion of twenty, thirty or fifty people, walk
ing two and two is passing near, headed by a
Young woman dressed in white, with a wreath
Of orange flowers ON her head, ami young
man in a CLAW hammer coat, with a great
deal Of shirt showing, white necktie, tall
hat, and with his hands encaSed in white
gloves A bouquet in the buttOnhOle com
plet.s the invariable costume of the bride
groom Those who follow are relatives and
intimate friends Among them may often lie
seen all old couple-the man i'll Il hat of the
bygune chimney pot pattern, and the woman
in "A great white cap, an elaborate work OF
art in the way of starching and ironing. They
are the parents of the bride or bridegroom,
and sometimes there are two such couples. II
there is one serious face i'll the whole party 1t
is that of the bride She feels that the eyes
of the world are quizzically fixed upon her,
and that everybody is saying 40 la belle
mariee!" or something less pleasant.
Radiant WITH SATISFACTION.
As a rule however, her face, like the bride
grooms, is radiant with satisfaction, and her
shrill laughter pierCes the air when her ears
catch the latest joke from the low comedian
of the party-and it is sure to include one
When wit is wanting, butfoonery supplies its
place. While the noce is prOmenading-fol-
lowing the bride and bridegroom As sheep fol
low their leader, feast is being prepared at
a neighboring restaurant, which displays
along its front the words, Salons pour nOces
et festinsn At about O'Clock the procession
enters the restaurant, and the res: Of the
evening is spent in feaSting dancing and up
roarious merriment This programme, with
out the marriage ceremony, Is repeated the
next day a. some other place. But it is the
rule there for the bride not to promenade i'll
white. but in black silk.
These wedding procs~SSiOns are not without
a certain quaint pictureSqueneSs, and iii some
out-of the way districts they are associated
with much that is pastoral and beautiful i'll
its simplicity; but there is nothing to be said
in favor of the custom as 1t Is practiced in the
neighborhooi of Paris and other large CEN
ters To really modest girl the ordeal of be-
ing thus paraded before the public gaze can
not be otherwise than painful, for It is quite
opposed to delicacy. Moreover, every person
invited to a noce of the kind i have been
describing considers that he Is in duty bound
to air his wit. When the well-bred French
man airs his wit he can with difficulty restrain
his Rabelaisan spirit, which Is 80 character
istic of the Gaul even in the presence of ladies.
When the ill-brei Frenchmsn tries to be
amusing it is generally at the expense of
deency. That respect for women which SO
frequently nips the coarse joke in the bud
among Anglo-Saxolls who have any claim TO
respectability, is hardly Terceptible in French
men who have never felt the restraining in
huence of polite society. 1t may very well he
shat the women are mudh to blame as the
men for this state Of things; nevertheless, no
Frenchman, think, would deny that young
woman who has just become wife, If she has
any modesty. had better be deaf during the
two days of feasting and prOmenading which
are 50 often the beginning of matrimonial ex-
perience in this country.-Paris Cor. Boston
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