Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-10-26
THE WEDDING CASKET.
MARRIAGES AND THE PRESENTS
 WHICH ACCOMPANIED HEM.

Origin of the Brides DOwry-Fay We'd dings Which Are Still in vogde In Some Parts of Germany-Neighborh ood
 Consultations to Prevent Dupllcations.
 When men stole their wives without the formality of considering in the least the feelings, wishes or preferences of the ladies concerned, there was no thought of presenting the bride with anything save the necessary utensils for house keeping and the promise of condign pun ishlnent in case they were not properly and efficiently used. When, however, marriage became a contract, and was recognized as such, the consent of the bride was an important preliminary. and was generally secured by gifts, some times of nominal, often of real value. At first these were made to her father, as she was regarded as his property, and so she was virtually purchased from him, the amount of the purchase money being sometimes fixed after no little dickering on both sides, the father ex- alting the value of the girl and declar- ing that there never was such daugh- ter in the market as his daughter, the would be husband calling attention to her defects and the high price demanded for her in comparison with other girls of her age.
 As civilization changed the conditions of life, the married state became much more expensive; the wife became drain on the resources of her husband, and then began to demand that, instead of paying for their wives, they should re- ceive some compensation for being will ing to marry. Thus originated the brides dowry, on the principle that as marriage is a contract and the expenses of mar ried man are far greater than those of a bachelor, the bride should contribute to the resources of the household. When neither the bride nor the brides father was able to provide her dowry, it was sometimes raised by contributions from friends, and the convenience of this method commended it to more than one nation at about the same time. In sev- eral country districts of Germany pay weddings are still in vogue, entertain ment for man and beast being provided, and the guests paying. as at a hotel. for wsaat they had received, the sums thus raised constituting fund for the young couple. In Iliyria, at the conclusion of the wedding feast, a row of tubs is placed before the door and into these the we'd ding guests cast their presents just pre- vious to departure. In Wales the same result was formerly reached in another way.
 In every Welsh neighborhood, until almost the middle of the present century, there was a functionary known as the bidder. The duty of this important off cial was to give notice of an approach ing marriage, which he did by peram- bulating the neighborhood and surround ing country announcing the festivities. inviting everybody 70 attend, and stating in pleasant doggerel rhymes the impor tant people who would be present, the merits of the groom, tho beauty and graces of the bride, and the abundance and delicacy of the viands that would be placed before the guests. He also served notice on all persons indebted in we'd ding gifts to the groom and bride or to their parents to pay up at once, the meaning of which peculiar dun will be apparent in the light of the fact that, on previous occasions. the parents of the pair have contributed to the household effects of half the neighborhood, and 1 naturally desire a return.
 | On the day of the wedding the presents ! are laid out in rows on tables, and an auctioneer, paid for the purpose, attends | and values at cash rate everything that has been presented. Receipts in due form are given, and in case the gift is not the payment of debt similarly in- cured, a return S similar value is ex- pected when a marriage takes place in the family of the donor. By this plan the drain on resources of families for wedding presents is, in some measure, made good by return, for among the Welsh the same kind of article is, if pos sible, returned when payment is request ed, so that he who gives a pickle dish receives a pickle dish, and to prevent a multiplicity of pickle dishes a cousulta- tion of neighbors is generally held, at which the gifts to be made are deter mined.
 Among the wedding presents, how, ever. there is often one which, from its peculiarity, is observable. It is gift from the groom to the bride, and is 1T the form of small box, to contain sucl little trinkets as she may have. Once il was an invariable accompaniment of 2 wedding, but, like the bidding and the bidder, it is now falling into disuse, and is more rarely seen than even in the middle of the present century. But three or four hundred years ago tht wedding casket was as important an ac cessory to the ceremony as the ring.
 During the middle ages there wer, among the kings and noblemen of Eu rope two kinds of marriages s-the one il which the wife shared the honor of he husband and her children inherited hi! rank and fortune, if he had any, tho other in which he gave his left hand
 during the ceremony: his wife wa
 merely his legalized companion, hel children could not inherit his property
 and she herself did not take his name
 nor share his rank. The latter marriag
 was confirmed the morning after it's eel
 ebration by a gift-the morgengabe-
 generally of deeds to property, the doc
 uments being inclosed in a small bu ,. valuable box.
 In these days the wedding casket wa
 for the bridegroom a solemn reality, fo
 he was expected not only to provide tn W casket, but also to fill it withthe fines
 jewels his means could procure, Whel
 this species of gift was fouhdto be to
 much of tax the jewels were omitte
 from the programme, but the bx wa
 retained and presented, usuallywith
 single piece of money inside, as syhboli
 of ''all the worldly goods with Nhic