The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-02-26

invoked. Perhaps q priest will be
induced to mediate but more
frequently still IT is some middle,
other except In the most casual way. the
couple are engaged. In fact. 1t not infre-
quently happens that they find themselves
betrothed before they have even met. in
some cases before they have seen each
other.
This is not q caricature; it lie only fair
representation of how. in the upper and
middle classes an enpaRement Is shected.
What occurs afterwards may easily be In
ferred from what we have previously said
on the subject of counting. We can only
reiterate that there IS no counting either
before the engagement or after 1t. The in
terchanges between the couple are purely
formal and always IN the presence of third
parties. After q certain probation they
may embrace at their meetings and part
inRs. but that is ali; and so matters 60 Oh.
till the wedding day.
STILL, THERE ARE LOVE MATCHES.
Are there then no love matches in Francef
Undoubtedly there are. because if love
laughs at locksmiths. what is to hinder him
from being equally defiant towards ridicu-
Ions social customsl 1t may even happen
occasionally that the restraints thrown
about young hearts over here are a help to
the tender passion rather than O hindrance;
lending charm. and another one about
familiarity breeding contempt AS to
money being hindrance to affection.
few will suppose that charming
glri could be any less lovable simply be-
cause she was rich, or that in game of
hearts a good sized bank account would be
any disadvantage to y decent man. Yes.
undoubtedly there are love matches In
France, and it Is equally beyond question
that many marriages here turl out happily
enough. It can hardly be said. however.
that the customs In vogue are favorable 10
such results. and one would have to be
very blind or else very kind If he failed to
conclude otherwise, after studying the mat
ter than that such results are exceptional.
The only wedding ceremony recognized
by French law Is that performed by the
civil authorities In Paris the knot Is tied
at the mayOral office of one of the twenty ar.
endorsements. Due notice must be given.
and no end of legal formalities must be
complied with. Bnt the marriage itself Is
soon over; thati Is. the legal part of it, for
the Mayor. or his assistant, after satisfy
ing himself that all parties are
agreed. simply reads to them, from a
government book, definition of their
mutual rights and duties, and then tells
them that they twain one. In fact.
this part of the business is done up in much
the same style in which our American
Justices of the peace dispose of such cases.
But usually. of course. there is q religious
ceremony, and that takes longer. Those
church directly from the Mayors office.
but in other circles the fashion Is to climb
the ladder of domestic bliss by easy stages
the legal wedding one day and the reilg-
ious ceremony day or two afterwards
A distinct popularity of the invitations
sent out to those whose presence is desired
at French weddings is that they are issued
In the names of the parents on both sides.
instead of by those of the bride only; and
still another popularity is that the
wedding ceremony is always signaliZed by
q collection for the poor. The basket is
invariably passed. even at the may oral
office, and at church the function is quite
an elaborate one. Usually, it is
the bridesmaids who attend to
1t. In anticipation of this service
they provide themselves with dainty
silk bags. perfect match for the
dresses they wear. and. of course their
passage through the aIsles affords O rare
chance-such as no French girl could re-
gard with Indifference-to exhibit for 8
time In the best possible light their
charming toilets. After all. though, the
most wonderful things about French
marriages are the laws which govern them
and which seem really, in their complI-
Gated and oppressive requirements to be
framed less with the object of bringing
weddings to pass in legal manner than
for the purpose of preventing them. But
these have been described elsewhere.
HENRY TUCKLEY.