The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1891-06-27
The Wedding Casket.
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat

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 pre-
senting the bride with anything save the
necessary utensils for housekeeping and the
promise of condign punishment in case
they were not properly and efficiently
used. When, however, marriage became
contract, and was recognized as such, the
consent of the bride was an important pre-
liminary, and was generally secured by
gifts. sometimes of nominal, often Of real
value. At first these were made to her
father, as she was regarded as his property,
and she was virtually purchased from him,
the amount of the purchase money being
sometimes fixed after no little dickering
on both sides, the father exalting the value
of the girl and declaring that there never
was such daughter in the market as his
daughter, the would-be husband calling at
tention to her defects and the high price
demanded for her in comparison with other
girls of her age.
As cultivation 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 receive some
compensation for being willing TO marry.
Thus originated the brides dowry, on the
principle that as the marriage is contract,
and the expenses of married man are far
greater than those of 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 contrl-
buttons from friends, and the convenience
of this method commended it TO more than
one nation at about the same time. In
several country districts of Germany pay
weddings are still in vogue, entertainment
for man and beast being provided, and the
guests paying, as at hotel, for what they
had received, the sums thus raised consti-
tuting fund for the young couple. In
Illyria, at the conclusion of the wedding
feast, row of tubes is placed before the
door, and into these the wedding guests
cast their presents just previous to depar-
ture In Wales the same result was for
merly reached in another way
In every Welsh neighborhood, until al
most the middle of the present century
there was functionary known as the bid
der. The duty of this important oticia
was to give notice of an approaching mar
riage, which he did by perambulating the
neighborhood and surrounding country an
nouncing the festivities, inviting everybody
to attend, and stating in pleasant doggere
rhymes the important people who woulC
be present, the merits of the groom, thu
beauty and graces of the bride, and tn,
abundance and delicacy of the viands tina
would be placed before the guests. HI
also served notice on all persons indebted
in wedding gifts to the groom and bride o
to their parents to pay up at once, tn
meaning of which peculiar dun will be ap
parent in light of the fact that, on previou
occasions, the parents of the pair have con
tribnled to the household effects of half o
the neighborhOOd, and naturally desir
some return.
On the day of the wedding the present
are laid out in rows on tables and an auC
tioneer, paid for the purpose, attends an
values at cash rate everything that ha
been presented. Receipts in due form ar
given, and in case the gift is not the pay
ment of debt similarly incurred, retur
of similar value is expected when mal
riage takes place in the family of the donor
By this plan the drain on the resources O
families for wedding presents is, in som
measure, made good by return, for amonl
the Welsh the same kind of article, if pos
sible, is returned when payment is re
quested, so that he who gives pickle dis
receives a pickle dish, and to prevent
multiplicity of pickle dishes a consultation
of neighbors is generally held, at which tn
gifts to be made are determined.
Among the wedding presents, however
there is often one which, from its peculiar
ity, is observable 1t is a gift from tn
groom to the bride, and is in the form o
a small box, to contain such little trinket
as she may have. Once it was an invari
able accompaniment of wedding, but
like the bidding and the bidder, it is nov
falling into disuse, and is more rarely seel
than even in the middle Of the present cen
tury. But three or four hundred year
ago the wedding casket was as importan
an accessory to the ceremony as the ring.
During the middle ages there wer
among the kings and noblemen of Europ
two kinds of marriage-the one in whicl
the wife shared the honor of her husban,
and her children inherited his rank an
fortune, if he had any; the other in whicI
he gave his left hand during the ceremony
his wife was merely his legalized com
panion, her children could not inherit hi
property and she herself did not take hi
name nor share his rank The latter mar
riage was confirmed the morning after it
celebration by a gift-the morgengabe-
generally of deeds to property, the docu
ments being ihclosed in a small but valuabl
4 box
In those days the wedding casket wa
for the bridegroom solemn reality, fo
he was expected not only to provide tn
casket, but also to ill it with the fines
Jewels his means could procure. Whe
this species OF gift was found to be to
much of tax the jewels were omittet
from the program, but the box was re
tanned and presented, usually with singl
, piece of money inside, as symbolic of ga
the worldly goods with which the groom
even to the present day, is supposed to en-
dow his bride.
NRottlad S,1nshineo