The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-03
EXPENSIVE WORK.
Tho Financial Havoc Created by
Cupid's Little Dart
Enormous Sums Spent ON Marriages
and Honeymoons In tho United
Kingdom During One
Short Year.

Last year there were, according to
the returns Of the registrar general,
226, 1922 marriages in England and
Wales, says London Tid-Bits. The re-
turns from Scotland and Ireland bring
it up to total of more than 5000
for the United Kingdom. just con-
slider the amount Of money that must
be spent in connection with 275.o00
marriages, and the conclusions that
follow have suggested new train of
thought to a contributor. It means,
in the first place, as many courtships-
What is the usual length of court
ship? That depends-like many other
things. But, seeking happy medium.
we may fairly take eighteen months as
an average. Say one-half of our sweet
hearting couples are SO situated that
letter writing becomes a necessity.
Say they correspond with each other
only once fortnight, calculation
which must be far below the mark;
put them on the moderate allowance
of no more than two sheets of note
paper, and we shall see the dainty col
lection of sweet nothings amounting
in the mass to a postal revenue of
s295, 900, and a yearly stationer's bill
of 100000. But these are very small
items to think about. The jeweler
will come in for heavier share of the
profits. There will be 275 900 wedding
rings at guinea apiece, and engage
ment rings which we shall be well
within the line in assessing at the
same price. Then there are the pres
ents which the lover will naturally be-
stow upon the lady Of his choice, rang
ing from the 5000 bracelet of the
duke to the shilling brooch of the
coster. If we put them down with the
rings at a guinea in each case, and
credit them to the jeweler again, we
shall have an account Of nearly S.
600, 900.
Then come the railroad companies.
They must surely reap golden harvest
out of counting. With the inevitable
trips and the travelling of separated
sweethearts to see one another, we
may safely strike an average of SIS for
each courtship, which will give us a
round sum Of 3750,0OO. But all these
are only preliminaries. The greatest
expenditures will come with the we'd
ding day. There is the trousseau
more or less costly according to cir
cumstances) for the bride, and at least
a new suit for the bridegroom. 1t can
be done cheaply enough, goodness
knows, when bridal dresses are to be
bought secondhand and top hats are
obtainable ION the hire system" But
most folks like to do" a wedding to
the best of their ability, and in the up
per and middle classes, at any rate, the
tailor's share of the profit is large
one. Taking only the moderate sum
of S25 in each case will give us total
of nearly $1,000, 900. Then there are
wedding cakes and marriage break
fasts. Reckon these expenses of social
entertainment at only $40 a head, and
we get another half a million; 275, 900
wedding fees, licenses and clergyman's
charges will amount to above $500, 900,
and as many half crowns to pew own
ers will tot up to $50, 900 more, while
the livery stable mans bill, allowing
only one carriage to every wedding,
will make $500, 900 more. Finishing up
the honeymoon we shall find another
tolerable sum to be added to the costs
of matrimony. Here there will sure
ly be diversity enough; every stage be-
tween the favorites of fortune who
may fit luxuriantly through Europe
for a year and the daily laborer whose
idea Of bliss is limited to day off. If
we accept S25 as a reasonable average
of so many honeymoons we have a
final sum of million and quarter to
carry on our account. Thus, without
speaking of furnishing and other prep
arations for married life and combining
our calculations only to the expenses
of courtship and the honeymoon, we
shall be within the mark in saying
that the annual marriage census of the
United Kingdom represents total ex-
penditure of $50, 900, 900, a consideration
which would certainly indicate that
marriage is by no means bad thing
for trade.