New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1888-07-25
The Wedding Present Nuisance.

i Ifle most expensive evil which So
called society has latterIy inflicted
upon us is that of giving wedding
presents. Like death, it has all sea-
sons for it's own, and, bowling to the
dread monarch, we are compelled to
give up and weep =
As with every other useful and pref
ty custom, ashoddy'' has laid its
yandal touch upon it, and the hard
earned dollar Of many bread win
ner, instead of purchasing presents
Tor proper persons and at the proper
time, or flowing into the legitimate
channel OF household needs is extray-
agantly expended upon trashy brio
a-bracs or useless ornaments.
1t is universally acknowledged ais a
great and crying evil and yet no one
has the courage to put his foot down
and refuse tribute to this social high
Wayman.
Our rabbits, says the Hebrew
Standard, have kindly given US signs
whereby to recognize approaching,
Messianic times, but with all due def.
erence to their prophetic discern
ment we can only consistently hail
the advent Of the millennium, when in
vitations to weddings will bear upon
their face, in large, cold type, the
welcome legand, No presents re-
ceived.''
Then we can have the inward as
surance that we are invited for our
own personal worth, and not for the
value of our gifts; then the ghosts of
departed checks will not appear at
the wedding feast and taun5 us with
our servility to fashion; then, when
the bride sWeetly thanks us for our
lemonade set, conscience will not ask
US whether she is guying us or not;
then, when at the request of Mrs.
katzenstein, we look at Rachel,s
presents on the second floor, no far
away look will haunt ours eyes, no
weary smile freeze upon our lips, as
our better half silently nudges us or
presses her No. 5 CATERS on our
favorite corn, while we count seven
other lemonade sets of exactly the
same pattern, evidently purchased
from the same store, minus only the
$498 tax.
Hail the happy day of deliverance
from this Egyptian social bondage!
Hail the noble, patriotic deliverer,
whether his name be Obermeyer or
Gansemeyer, Cohen or Isaacs, who
will set the noble example; families
by the wholesale shall sing thy
praises; heavy-hearted, light-pursed
husbands shall call thee blessed, and
thy name shall be known at the
gates through Israel's countless GEN
erations! Selah!
lnformer days, when diamonds were
worn by those only who could afford
to indulge in expensiYeluX when
our daughters were easily initiated
into the useful mysteries Of ssThe An
Gent and Honorable Order of the
Darning Needle and Scrubbing
Brush, : when our wives bent their en-
ergies toward making our homes
pleasant, domestic and Jewish, in
stead ofcentres ofscandal and gossip,
when our mothers (God bless themD1
used to say their prayers and go to
school instead Of attending kaffee-
klatches and betting on ssbobtail
| fushes then wedding, presents were
timely, and the gifts were confined to
such articles only as were useful, SER
viceable and necessary. Spoons from
one, tables, bureaus, pots and pans
from another, were the ''costly, mag
nificent and expensive presents
which the happy pair received. They
were aids to housekeeping, and only
intended as such; they were presented
in a spirit of affection; they were re-
ceived with grateful thanks. Nova
days society clutches everybody by
| the throat, and regardless of their
inclination Wrings their hard-earned
drachmas from their pockets by an
imposition diaphanous yet vile.
/ There is one thing certain that,
with the exception of near and dear
relatives, everybody in giving a we'd
ding present wants to make the big
gest possible show for the smallest
OF money, and the rabbinical maxim,
Examine not the pitcher, but it's
contents, = is often reversed, for the
satin-lined, plush-covered box some
times costs more than it's plated con
tents.
"What shall we send" asks Mrs.
Silberberg of her husband, and how
much shall we spend?" Mr.. Silber-
berg knows by former experiences
that any suggestion he might give
would only be poohpoohed, that any
offer he might make to "buy some
thing down town would be speedily
ruled out, for Mrs. S. does not be
lieve in the metzeeas you get in the
wholesale houses down town, SO he
meekly signs and says: Anything
you please, my dear, only don't spend
too much money, for cannot afford
it. Mrs. S. looks over her unused
presents to see if she can spare any
thing, but finding them all too good
goes from shop to shop trying to
collect something. and after a DAVIS