Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-28
THE PLACE FOR BRIDES
The National Capital Very Popular
for Honeymoons.
MANY EASTER WEDDINGS.
Some Of the Peculisrities Of Bridal Couples-
They Always FAN to Conceal Their Iden-
tity-Their Ways ON the Street and ut the
Hotel-Quiee Honeymoons In the Country.
Written for The Evening Star.

| A BRIDE! THERE'S WORLD OF
n meaning compressed within this word. It
means the possession Of more clothes than she
ever had before. 1t means the elimination Of
an excitement and social distinction such az
she never had before. It means the absolute,
| exclusive possession ola man. Having got
him what will she do with him? The novelty
| OF possessing him is strange. She likes to walk
the street with him and to 60 shopping with
him. she likes to feel that she has-got him
As for the street walking, q newly married
| couple on their wedding tour usually walk
fourteen or fifteen miles day at least Even
II 1t rains they hoist an umbrella and 20 out 10
walk They like to see the other people, they
like to think how much happier they are than
any other two people in all the world.
A STRANGE DELUsIoN.
1t is such a pleasure to them, too, to know
that not single person that is met suspects
that they are newly married. Now, what a
| strange delusion this is, vet nearly all brides
and grooms have it. Each bridal couple when
1t arrives in Washington is thoroughly con-
vlnced that 1t keeps its precious secret so close
that the most discerning eyes cannot discover
IT. As they step out of the depot the very boot
s JaGss grim grin at one another The hack men
you mp in a nice coupe!' and know they are
bidding for a bridal fare and can charge what
ever they like The hotel clerk pretends to
look unconcerned as the groom signs the reg
lister and then calls the waiter and orders him
TO show the bridal chambers The walters
rush to serve them at their meals, knowing the
value OF grooms extravagant tips. The
chambermaids in the hotel halls stop in their
| sweeping and giggle as they pass. 1t takes the
cleverest 1mpostors to conceal their identity as
bride and groom from stupid, careless men,
but from the sharp eyes of women concealment
Is impossible.
THEY COULDN'T CONCEAL 1T.
1t happened last week that the writer was
waiting for his train in the depot and near him
there was young man and fresh-looking,
pretty girl They sat a little apart and they
| seldom spoke or looked at each other They
were clothed In the quietest of garments. There
was nothing spick-and-span in their appear
ance. To an ordinary male observer they were
like distant cousins thoroughly used to each
others society and rather bored. Yet every
woman In the depot looked at them curiously
| and smiled. and several who passed near were
heard to say: Look at that bride and groom"
How on earth did they know? But they were
right, for presently, as the couple passed
through the gates, the girl touched the mans
| arm lightly and he turned and looked down
| at her with such a look Of tenderness as was
| an unmistakable confession even to the stupid
est man observer.
WASHINGTON THE SCENE OF MANY HONEYMoONS.
Of all places on earth Washington is the IA
vorite resort fox brides and grooms When
two Washingtonians get married they go away
| of course. to pass the honeymoon, and some 90
to one place and others to another. But large
percentage Of the people who get married in
other cities make the capital the scene of their
honeymoon, and as the whole country is bigger
than Washington it stands to reason that our
city receives more bridal couples than it sen DIS
away and receives more than any othe- city Of
equal size.
IN THE WINTER,
when Congress is in session, they come in flocks
You may see them exploring the Capitol and
entering the galleries Of Congress. What do
they care about protection and free trade, or
force bills, free silver coinage? They pre-
tend to listen, but they are thinking of nothing
but of themselves and of each other. They are
plentiful in the fall of the year, too, and they
are even numerous in summer, but in the
spring Is when they are as thick the buds
upon the trees. Look out for them, for in the
next fortnight they will swoop down upon the
city from every section of the broad United
States.
MARRIAGE NOT FAILURE.
Who ever asked il marriage was failure?
Two years ago the assemblage that failed to
| discuss this question was unique. Then it was
the standing topic Of conversation. Nobody
| seemed able to come to a conclusion. Some
cynics pretended to follow Schoppenhauer and
| thought marriage should cease and the human
race be permitted to die out Others landed
Plato and believed only in friendship. Others
| distorted the doctrine that man should be an
end unto himself into advice that men should
| live selfshly by themselves. We don't hear
much OF these cynics and philosophers now.
Some Of them are married and some are
ashamed to speak. for if ever any institution hal
| n boom the institution of MARRIAGE has bnd IN
| during the past twelve months. Spinsters and
bachelors seem to have agreed to stop theoriz-
| ing and begin experimenting. The world pelts
them with rice, throws old slippers after them
| and wishes them good luck, for, after all, they
are only doing what their fathers and mothers
| did before them.
EASTER WEDDINGS
Tomorrow is Easter-or, as the purists would
| have it, tomorrow will be Easter-and we'd
dings will follow one another in rapid success
| sion. Grand weddings seldom occur in Lent
| but it Is a busy time Tor courtships There is
no canon of the church against making love at
any season and there is no time Of the year
| when it can be 80 conveniently done as during
| the pious forty days that end today. Sack
cloth and ashes are all very WE'LL but the
raiment need not apply to ones mental habili-
ments.
There will be some weddings in this town
next week and Washington in its turn will send
some blushing brides and joyous grooms to
| roam about in other cities but there are going
| to be lot OF engagements announced, too, as a
| contamination of the Lenten devotions of our
younger generation.
IN THE HOTEL DINING ROOM
If you want to have some fun 20 into the
dining room of some hotel next week and
watch the brides and grooms They can hold
their own pretty well on the streets, but when
they enter tho crowded dining room they look
hopelessly self-conscious. The lady walks
ahead of the man. She glances fearlessly
around at first and tries to look as though she
was a thousand years old and had been married
half q century. She has not walked six yards
before every eye is riveted upon her. Under
such broadside the poor beleaguered garrison
gives way and the rest of her march is made
with down-ca eyes and tell-tale bushes. The
groom surrendcrs without a struggle and fol-
lows in the track Of his better half a sef-con-
fessed culprit. They inger over their meal until
the dining room is nearly empty, and then out
into the streets once more, where they are lost
i'll the crowd.
ONE OF THEIR PEcULIARITIEs
is the way they avoid other newly married peo-
pie A bride and groom will be standing in
front of some painting in the Corcoran Art
Gallery. Presently another bride and groom
approach. The two couples catch sight OF one
another, and then both fly in opposite direc-
In the andaayor IN 70