The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-01-15
MARRIAGE BY CAPTURE.
Places Where Force Is Necessary
to Gain Wives.

:
Trials of Ancient Lovers N Tho Ardent
In Danger of Having His Head
Brokcn by the Object OF His Ancc-
tions-Illustratlonsf from History.
To all classes al marriage is a topic OF
absorbing interest Politicians, for
merly the best OF friends, but since
estranged owing to their political pro
clivities, and who, save to glare at one
another from opposite benches, seldom
meet under the same social roof, are
-. drawn together once more when q
mutual friend takes it upon him or her
self to enter into the bond Of matri-
-mony, and for time sink their diff
ferences in honor of the occasion. Per-
haps the spirit OF good fellowship which
seems to permeate everybody on tho
happy day may even induce the Bit
terest OF foes to forget their wrongs and
shake hands in a manner which shows
they are both delighted to make IL up
and little likely TO repent of SO doing.
The business man forsakes his daily
task, and nearly everybody in the Of
fec gets holiday; the lawyer returns
his briefs, or has them devilledn by
some lucky junior who has long wanted
70 find his legal legs; the village turns
out in Sunday best to gaze at the array
of bunting and triumphal arches; and
even the hermit throws off some of his
impcnetrability at the sound of the
marriage bells.
The winning of the bride may have
caused many sleepless nights; at one
time tho fates are propitious. at anoth-
~eF fFewHing;r but at Last the difficulties
and doubts have been overcome, and all
troubles left behind, forgotten, when
the day comes to crown the lovers
patience with what he has SO long do
sired. But all the trials of satisfying
the stern demand for a handsome set
Element, overcoming family prejudices,
and winning the affections of the lady,
are little in comparison with those we
read of as having tortured the lover
long ago, and even now in distant lands.
Hundreds of years before Britain had
begun to attract the attention of the
bold Roman adventurous, intent on gain
and conquests new, we find that men
had to, take wives unto themselves by
force of arms, or by some base subter-
fuge which went not altogether unpun-
ished in those troubled times. Every
schoolboy has felt the irksome task of
translation relieved. by the story of
Romulus and his city full OF men pin
ing for the company of women, and
driven at last by their desperation to
their cowardly deception. Who has not
heard of the proclamation of games to
be celebrated III honor of the god Census,
the invitation of the Latins and Sabines
to the festival, during which Romulus
and his fiery youths rushed upon them
and carried off their virgins, leaving
the matrons to escape. as best they
could?
Tie Romans were; not the only peo-
pie of the classic age who had such diff
culties to overcome, for the Spartan
damsels also had to be compelled by
violence to submit to matrimony. But
although in very early times husband
had to resort to violence to obtain a,
wife, we find that when these nations
had settled down into comparative civ
ilization, it became part of tho cere-
mony of marriage that there should be
a show of capture on the husbands part.
In Rome and Sparta, among the lower
classes, when marriage was arranged,
the bride sat confdingly on her moth
.er's lap. and was not at all surprised
when her husband came accompanied
by his friends to complete his part of
the contract by tearing her away from
her mothers fond embraces.
Pannrdo ohnm that violanpa ~.
ture was necessary feature Of mar
riage in nearly every land at one time
or another, and even at the present day
among many races the custom is pre-
served in modified form. An inter
esting instance of recent times is given
of the Khonds. All the preliminaries be-
ing satisfactorily arranged, each family
contributes something toward adjoining
tho feast which is prepared at the
brides dwelling. The feast is succeed
ed by dancing and singing we'll into the
night, until it is time for the real busi-
ness to commence. An uncle of the
bride takes her on his shoulders, and
an uncle of the bridegroom does the
same for him, while the dance is at its.
height
Suddenly thew exchange their bur-
dens; and the uncle OF tho bridegroom
disappears with the bride. holly pur-
sued by her female. friends, who are
kept at bay by the comrades of the
bridegroom striving their utmost to
keep them off and cover her flight. She
Is wrapped in scarlet cloak; while the
young women even go SO far as to hnrl
stones and bamboos at the devoted
bridegroom until he has escaped with
his bride TO the verge of the village.
Ihenthe ceremony scomplete, and he is
allowed to conduct his hard-won spouse
TO his abode without further molesta-
tion.
1T has been suggested that In the
hurting OF the stones we can trace the
origin Of the throwing OF old slippers
alter the welded couples Of our own
4andi bdt- it seems long way togo to
hhondistan to derive the origin OF the
amusing custom over which SO much
skill is sometimes exercised to insure
tAe slipper keeping company with them
: on their honeymoon.
Among tho Kalmucks we have
slisht variation OF the programme 1t
seems that the man who wants to marry |
any particular girl has to win her by |
! sne iioetncss OF his horse, Sine Is
F mounted on horseback, and Eailops on |