The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-09-26
THE WEDDING CASKET.
MARRIAGES AND THE PRESENTS
WHICH ACCOMPANIED THEM.

Some Parts of Germany-Neighborho God
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
ishment 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 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 sew
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 hotel. for
what they had received, the sums thus
raised constituting a fund for the young
couple In Illyria, at the conclusion of
the wedding feast, 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 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 to attend, and stating
in pleasant doggerel rhymes the impor-
tant people who would be present, the
merits of the groom, the 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
naturally desire 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, return of 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 a 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 consulta-
ton 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
popularity is observable. 1t is a gift
from the groom to the bride, and is in
the form of small box, to contain such
little trinkets as she may have. Once it
was an invariable accompaniment of
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 the
wedding casket was as important an &C
cessory to the ceremony as the ring.
During the middle ages there were
among the kings and noblemen of Eu-
rope two kinds of marriages the one in
which the wife shared the honor of her
husband and her children inherited his
rank and fortune, if he had any, the
other in which he gave his left hand
during the ceremony; his wife was
merely his legalized companion. her
children could not inherit his property
and she herself did not take his name
nor share his rank. The latter marriage
was confirmed the morning after its eel
ebration by a gift-the morgenoabe-