The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-08

in wedlock, they ordained "No presents
the abominable blackmail levied by
betrothed people on thar acquaintance
would cease to be fashionable and would
soon become parcel and portion OF the
dreadful past If, when princes and
princesses paid the debt of ma
ture, the court officials sent
OUT the decree, mo flowers all
other classes would take example, and the
b rrlble, senseless barbarism of piling a
mass OF decaying wreaths and floral crosses
upon collin and grave would pass to
to the limbo Of all other extinct barbario
and grotesque customs. But they are care
full TO d. nothing Of the kind. The bridal
gifts are too welcome TO them; and the
funeral TAXED meats are too savory; aud all
the royal people all over Europe unite in
keeping alp these tributes levied from a
grooming world. Modern generations have
made both marriage and death more alb
surd, more banal, and more vulgar than
any other period ever contrived to do; aud
II is not modern princes who will endeavor
to render either Of them simple, natural,
and dignitied for the essence ami object of
all royal life IN modern times is vulgarlty,
/. e., publicity.
OF all spectacles which society flocks to
see, it may certainly be said that the
funeral and the wedding are the most intol-
erably coarse and clumsy. There is indeed
a curious and comical likeness between these
two. Both take place in a crowd; both are
the cause for extortion and expenditure;
both are attended unwillingly and saluted
with false formula of compliment; both are
''seen OUT and "got through" with sighs OF
relief from the spectators, and both are cele-
brated with the sacrifice OF many myriads
of flowers crucited in artificial shapes in
their honor.
The toughest and rudest marriage forms
of savage nations are less offensive than
NhOga Vphinb "a rACai Na6 Nd aAY ad
custom Of the civilized world. There can
not be more Phllistian jumbo OF greed
| show, lndecency and extravaganza than are
| compressed into the marriage festivities of
the cities of Europe and America. Year
after year the same trivial and tiresome
| usage. the same vulgar and extravaganza
! customs, the same bRrbRrous and unoouth
ceremonies prevail, and are accepted as
| sacred and unalterable law. The most init
| mate, the most delicate, the most personal
actions and emotions of life are set out in
the full glare Of light in the most un-
screened and most uusparing publicity and
no one sees the odious and disgusting coarse
! ness of it all. The more sensitive and re-
! fined temperaments submit meekly to the
| torture Of It's commands
In all the annals of the social life of tho
| world there has not been anything 80 afro
cious in vUlgarity as fashionable wedding,
whether viewed in its greedy plllaginR of
| friends and acquaintance or IN its theatri-
| cal pomp of costume, of procession and Of
banquet. 1t is the very apogee OF had
taste, incongruity and indecency, from the
| coarse words of its rites to its sputtering
| champagne, its UNMARRIED oratious, and its
| idotic expenditure. Every ceremony duly
repeats and carefully initiates those
which have preceded it. There is
no originality. there is no modesty,
| there ia no dignity or reserve. The
plumber which is called "presentsn is laid
out on exhibition, and the feverish anxiety
! OF every de-eect is to get more presents
than any of her contemporaries. Even the
indoor and outdoor servants Of each of the
two households have this shameless black
| mail levied on them and gillies subscribe
for q hunting watch aud kitc6enmaids con-
tribute to the purchase of a sllver-framed
mirror. Imagine the slaves Of Augustus
presenting him with gold whistle, or the
comedians of Louis Quatorze Offering him a
silver cigar boxl
The diffusion Of German influence, which
has been general over Europe thro3gh the
! fatality which has seated Germans on all
the thrones of Europe, has had more than
any other thing TO do with the vulgariza-
ton of European society. The German eats
in public, dregs all his emotions out into
the public garden or coffee house, max es
public his curious aud nauseous mixture Of
sugar and salt, OF jam and pickles, alike in
| MS sentiments anu III DIS COOheIy,
praises providence and kisses his betrothed
with equal JUNCTION under the trees Of the
public square. The influence Of courts be-
ing immense, socially ana personally, 80
ciety throughout Europe has been German
ICED.
1t is to German and royal influence that
| English society owes the introduction of
what are called silver and golden weddings
| Of which the tinsel sentiment and the
| oil mi lr
The grotesqueness of these cele nrstions does
not seem to strike any one. This century
has but little humor. In witty age these
elderly welded pairs would be seen to be so
comical that laughter would blow out their
| long-lit hymeneal torch, and forbade the
middle aged or aged lovers 60 undraw the
curtains OF their nuptial couches. Love
may wither in the flesh, yet keep his heart
alive. may be-yes, truly-but If Love be
wise he will say nothing about bis heart
| when bis lips are faded.
Dignity is the quality in which the pres~
emit period is most conspicuously deficient.
Those who possess it in public life are I'M
popular with the public; those who possess
! 1t in private life are thought pretentious,
or Old fashioned and stIff-necked The
| French expression for beng fashionable,
| dams te train, exactly expresses what
fashion no " Is. 1t lis TO be remsr able in q
| crowd indeed, but still alw avs Ia a crowd,
| rushing rapidly with that crowd, and no
longer attempting to lead. much less to
| stem it. Life lived at O gallop may be,
while we are in the first flight, great fun.
but it is wholly impossible that it should be
very dignified.
! 1t is reported that Ravschol, who was
| not especially sound at the core himself,
stated it as his opinion that society was 80
rotten that nothing could be done with it
except to destroy it. Most sober thinkers,
who have not Ravachol's relish for the
| pastimes Of crime, must yet be tempted to
agree With him. Who that knows anything
at all OF the inner working of administra-
| tive life can respect any extant form Of
! government Who that has studied the
practical working Of elective modes of
choice can fail to see that there IS
no true choice 10 their issues at all,
only endless wirepulingf Who can deny
that all the legislation in the
world must forever be po~erless To limit the
| sub rosa influence Of the INSCRIPTIONS mans
Who can deny thrt in the struggle for sue
cess, honesty and independence and cendor
are dead weights, suppleness and felsehood
and the sly tact which bends the knee and
! oils the tongue are the surest qualities in
any competitorl Who can frame any social
system In which the enormous, intangible
| and most unjust preponderance OF interest
and influence can 10 naturalized, or the still
more unjust preponderance of mere NUM-
bers be oounteracted3