Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-22

At this last ceremony there must be six wit
nesses, and one of these must be the priest who
performed the church ceremony. found a
number Of Americans who had married Next
can girls and an American has to go through
a third wedding in addition to the above two.
This is in connection with the American con-
sui. and at the close of it he is tied to his wife
as fast as two countries and a church can make
him. At some of the Mexican marriages sill
yer cord with two loops is fastened around the
neck of the bride and groom and the groom
gives the bride money as q sign that she is to
have her hand in the family pocket book.
As soon as the wedding is over the couple 60
to the best photograph gallery in the city and
have their pictures taken in their wedding
fnery. have taken q good many pictures in
Mexico and have to visit the gallery to have
my developing DONE / find the cases filled
with pictures Of girls in wedding wells with I'M
easy men standing beside them, and I was for
q long time at q loss to know the cause Of the
custom. After leaving the photographer the
bride and groom return home to the house of
the brides mother or to the establishment
Of the groom. There is no bridal tour and the
young people settle down at once to married
life 1t is not till now, however. that the man
has any sort OF an ownership to the girl. While
be was counting her she did just as she pleased.
During the interval between the civil ceremony
and the church ceremony, which lasted perhaps
a week. she remained at her home and he re-
manned at his, and though he was her legal
husband he did not even dare to visit her.
HOME LIFE IN MEXICO.
There is little home life in Mexico. There is no
word in the language which expresses our idea
of home. The Mexican house has no fireside
nor base-burner stove around which the family
gathers. and the people lack that home char
acteristic which is such an important
element among the Anglo-Saxons and the Ger
mans. They are more like the French and
the Italians than us. and Mexican morality
is said to be considerably looser than ours.
Among the lower classes it is notorious
that marriages are on and of at the will of the
contracting parties, and among the higher
classes while marriages stick, there is fair pro-
portion Of both sexes who have their sweethearts
outside Of their own families. One of our mis-
sionaries in Zacatecas told me that IS per cent
Of the children in his part of the country
were illegitimate and the percentage in Mexico
City were undoubtedly as large. Girls are so
secluded before marriage that they do not
learn how to take care of themselves and after
marriage they do as they please. OF course
the majority of women are good in Mexico, as
they are the world over; but their ideas of life
and virtue are more those Of French girl
than like ours. Americans who have Mexican
wives tell me that they make good helpmeets.
They are economical and very fond OF their
children. The most Of them smoke after mar
riage, though they have not been permitted to
do so in public before, and they take care OF
their houses in the true Mexican way.
QUEER NKxIcAN ETIQUETTE.
Mexican social customs are much different
from ours. At every railroad station have
stopped have seen grown men rush into each
others arms and press their cheeks together
while they hug most frantically and pat
each other on the shoulder. / see women
embracing and rubbing their cheeks one
against the other. They throw kisses at
one another as they part, and they have q
way of putting their forefngers and thumb
TO their lips and throwing a whole handful
Of kisses at once, which is very pretty when
the lips are like ripe cherries and the
girls are young. When you call upon
Mexican family the lady does
not rise to receive you. and the strangers here
make the first calls The people you call upon
drop their work the moment you come i'll, and
they are full of polite expressions. They always
refer to their house as yours and an invitation
got yesterday requested me to come TO see
Mexican at my house. at some street the name
OF which had never heard before. The Mex
leans give few dinner parties and teas and lunch
cons are usually confined to the family. Every
woman of the better classes. however, wants to
have her box at the opera and her Carriage and
you can see all Mexico City every afternoon driy-
ing on the Paseo. You know that half of the
carriages are not paid for, but you enjoy the