Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-12-24
NUMBER 10

Next come the mercantile or trading
VI presents. A. gives B. y penwiper VT
Christmas and ant New Years B rfveg
a. pincushioa The gift may be dia-
mOnds. and tile response rubies, but the
X principle remains tine same; 10th parties
feel that "a. sgift demands y return. and
\ 3. would have N very uncomfortable
I consciousness If Indebtedness III the pin
cushion or the rubies were IVY forth
4 coming. How many times III have seen
some p. receive her gift, and heard her,
\ signing, say.
Now here's A portfolio from al, and
must 90 down town and find some
thing for her before New Years dav.r
know one lady who keeps presents of
this sort put away in their original wrap
pers to be sent next year tD other com
mercial present makers. There is some
thing To say fur tile custom and also for
this class of presents. They express re-
Inembrance ana friendly feeling. and
after all perhaps 10 might ba We'll for WY
al to accept such gifts and pass them
along until they were shabby ana VII
fashioned, when they could be given ta
q fair for the grab bag. They would
answer for the pretty pearl counters WV
fish people used in oh times for games
I Of chance. They were pretty, aud were
1 supposed to- represent "A TEAL yalue. but
they were always passing froIa hand to
hand and were not really worth nuch of
anything.
Next to these come Mrs Grundvs
presents gifts made because w ~ the
fashion To make them, anil nne would
seem ignorant and out of the world II
he did not make them. Under this bead
come the flowers men send totheir host
ess after an entertainment, IVY to tie
young lady with whom they hope to
dance at one; tile carriages, the gloves
due from philopena W valentine sur-
prise, the theater parties and s1ppers THE
poor victim cannot afford to give and
yet must, "because it is expected and
''all the other fellows do
Not once, but often, have heard W
some young man '-g0ne to the bad.n al
we say, because being ia society lie could
not, upon moderate salary, ofTer Mrs.
Grundy the presents she demanded. and
50 fell into debt ~ made free with the
moneys intrusted tn Linn; I'M fact, ruined
himself by fulfilling this absurd "social
obligation
suppose we aM agree to nence1or1n
skip Mrs. Grundy III making out our list
Of presents, or at amy rate put her 0lT
with much smaller and less expensive
schedule than she at present demands.
But Of All the various f0llies and ex-
travagances with which the pleasant
idea of making gifts to those We love
-has run ia these latter days. the widest
departure has been ~ wedding presents.
The origin Of the custom was in tile
"good old times" before this country
was discovered and even today in north
ern Europe and among certain of tile
primitive people of Pennsylvania, the
kindly feeling IN that when couple VI
the neighborhood Young folk marry
their friends ana acquaintance should
combine to START them in ffe- The
wealthy give inaEnincehIv- a COY Dr.
Y even two cr three, " horse. W little lock
Of sheep, some beds and coverings of
elder down or choice live goose feathers
1f the donors own plucbiny aHl curing.
Those lass afiuent content themselves
with q charn, table, some chairs, per-
haps n mirror uf very modest dimensions.
a piece of linen or honiespHn wooden. and
30 On, down t0 " cheese Or some bushels
Of apples or potatoes. s1 that when the
wedding is over and the guests gone the
newly married couple find themselves in
p house stocked t0overlawinE with valu-
able property: valuable in the sense "
being just what they needan what they
must have tought far themselves if it
had hot been given.
Now brides Of today, ut Least it'll tha
city, do not need cows or sheep OF
churns, VT even cheeses in any quantity,
but they do want, if they are going to
keep house, An sorts of pretty furniture.
little tables fancy chairs, draperies,
ornaments, pictures and bric-a-hrac
adapted to file position they hold in So
ciety and intend tomaintain. Ofcourse
plate IS always useful and acceptable.
but why cana0t iii Ivy given with " view
to the recipients probable need rather
than to the glory of the donor?
Few young couples. cor instance. ARE
in daily need of a solid silver epergne on
soup tureen or set of dish covers. or Of
vases more suited to "A church altar than
a dinner table, nor do two people. even
counting FLY the possible contingent re-
quire twelve dozen forks, Es many
7 spoons multiplied by four varieties ana
a dozen 0r so 0f s0up ladies.
How much more rational if tho friends
able ana willing to expeul sach sums
had combined them I'D a solid invest
ment. and presented the certificates to
the brlleils ner private properly Every
body knows that siuce this fashion Of
ostentatious display of equally osteata-
tious gifts has come "a vogue tha brides
family find Ut necessary to employ po-
hcemen in plain clothes I'D guard the
treasures from Thy thieves. wac, also in
plain clothes, sneak in among tha we'd
ding guests and watch their opportunity
% secure the tempting booty
The reception over the plate and
jewels are at once packed and sent domn
to the safety vaults, there t0 ra.4sia fJr
the most part siae dia, for in is far too
rich lure to burglars ta bs kept I'D the
house. and nobody could ever want to
use the hale Of It,
Then I'D the matters Of no real value,
and yet made expensive by fashion and
a snowy exterior. what fabnlous sums
are wasted by WHY of wedding presents
Of no earthly use To tha recipients, bat
yet half running ths donor Tausl
positively know a bride who received
twenty-seven, and many Of them almost
facsimilies of each other. and none of
them matched to any particular toilet,
50 that before half of them coald Be
used the whole would have become oll
fashioned and only valuable as mernAn-
toes.
One might simplify the list oE useless
and expensive presents almost lndef-
nitely. but nearly every one can com
plete it for himself.
And what 10 you say IS the true in
warlness of this discussions IT'D do
away with making presentss
NO, indeedg Iove to make presents
and love to receive them, but ~ ba-
gan By saying each present given or re-
ceived onght To De able to answer it,
own why. There shonld be luve ar af-
fection Of real Friendship and 4 desire to
show it and A desire to give pleasure be-
hind each present to make itareal thing.