The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-25

the side of the kaiserin and the groom's
mother with Prince Henry Of Prussia.
Princess Marguerite walks IN the process
sion behind the landgravine, between
Princess Sibylle. her future husbands young
sister. aud Princess Fedora of Schleswig-
Holsteiu, sister of the empress, who is but
few years older and as pretty and fresh
young girl as one wants TO see.
THE ROYAL WEDDING DRESS.
The bridal dress is Of silver cloth, with a
train twelve yards long, of white watered
silk, embroidered in silver ferns. with
punches of iamond-frosted orange blos-
SONS here and there. The VEIL which COM
pletely envelops her highness' figure and
falls In graceful folds upon the train, is of
pointed aiguilles, done with thread costing
$3.50 per pound. 1t consists OF 1000 pieces,
IN the manufacture of which as many
Silesian needle women were engaged for
ten days each. The design alternates in
myrtle and orange blossoms. With this the
princess wears part of the crown Jewels,
consisting OF diamonds and pearls.
BEFORE THE ALTAR.
At the entrance of the chapel the bride is
met by the groom. attended by courtiers
and bis male relatives. The couple greet
each other with low bow before proceed
Ing to the altar. where purple hassocks
have been placed for them. When the
bride kneels down the emperor takes the
/ crown from the altar and hands over the
precious garland of honor to the two en-
presses, who, advancing from the right and
! left fasten it on the brides fair brow.
Meanwhile the First Regiment of Guards,
to which Prince Frederick Charles belongs,
has drawn up in front OF the castle, to-
gether with battery. and at the m ment
the rings are exchanged royal salute of
thiJ ty-six guns is fred. The wedding din
ner of 600 covers takes place an hour later
in the famous White Hail. and at o'clock
the great Fackeltanz is held.
The dance is opened by the bridal couple,
who, preceded by the grand marshals of the
court, the ministry and state councillors,
all of whom carry lig ted wax tapers of the
size used in church in the night, and trip
along in pairs, passing the throne and
through the length and breadth of the hall
to the time of the music. After this the
bride engages the kaiser and SUCCESSFULLY
every royal prince for similar perform
auce. The same is done later on by her
husband with the kaiserin and prncesses.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE GARTER.
Then follows performance that reminds
one strangely or the coarse practices Of Oh
scure Prussian peasants. The bridal couple
withdraw to an adjoining apartment, but
after awhile the groom reappears, carrying
in bis hand something which be hands to
takes tiny pair Of scissors and begins
operations on the article, while the groom
withdra VS., this time to enter upon the
journey to Potsdam.
The object about to be mutilated Is the
brides garter, band of silver thread and
watered silk, from which the diamoud
buckle has been previously distracted in
order to return it with the other crown
jewels. The ribbon is cut into tiny pieces
n m a ut a nd oro
distributed by her among the relatives and
high diguitaries of the court. The custom,
equivocal as it is, is but slight reflection
OF the riginal one. 1t is stated that at the
nuptials of Elector Johannis George, at the
end of the sixteenth century. ''the young
men present strove Immediately after the
exchange of the rings who could first pluck
the garter Off the brides elizabeth of
Anhalp right Leg"
This was in front of the altar, and the
Markgrave's body guards had powerful
time" to prevent the bride, "who cried
Justify" from being thrown down.
According to the same authority It " as
the custom of the period to loosen, imme-
diately before the ceremony. every knot aud
buckle about the garments of the bridal
couple, who, after being united, had to re-
tire each to a different part Of the church
with their maids and grooms respectively
to rearrange their toilet.
Frederick |. of Prussia, the same gentle
man who expressed, after the death Of his
hrst wife, "his supreme satisfaction at being
able at last TO arrange a funeral as il BELTS
royalty" ordained in the house laws still
recognized by the HohenZollern family,
that when bedtime comes II. r. H., the
bride, must loosen the right garter 80
its ribbons are hanging down to prevent the
knights and noblemen from coming too
near her royal knee" Frederick further
decreed that after the Fackeltanz the
bridesmaids were to carry the bride into
the chamber set apart for that purpose.
where they must undress her and lay her
into bed, placing at the same time the crown
upon her brow. That done the groom is to
be conducted into the room with great
pomp and crcumsta rce, and he has got to
go through the same process.
THE ROYAL BRIDAL CHAMBER.
At present the entire ceremony is dis
pensed with as already intimated. The
young couple. attended only by their cham
berlains, travel to the other wise unoccupied
Stadt schloss in a special train, where the
royal bridal chamber with its ancient stately
furniture and draperies, has remained intact.
This they must occupy be it agreeable or
not.
Another vulgar custom prescribed by the
royal master OF ceremonies referred to pre-
vailed until the first quarter of this century,
when it was last carried out at the nuptials
of the grandparents of the present bride, the
late Emperor William l. and Empress Au-
gusta, which latter. in a communication to
her mother, described 1t as follows:
"After my husband had been Invested Of
his outer garments he had to sit at the foot
of the bed in which l was already lying,
endeavoring to hide my face behind the
curtains from the curious stare Of the So
called friends assembled. The mistress of
the robes took one Of my stockings and the
grand chamberlain one belonging to his
royal highness, and turned them over to the
unmarried relatives. each of whom In turn
commenced TO lombard us with them. The
prevailing superstition is that tho maiden
who succeeds IN throwing the groom's stock
ing into the face of the bride so that the
foot hangs over the back of her bead will
be the first to marry. The same prophecy
attaches TO the expert male bowler who
fixed his aim at my husbands head. After
an hour or so Of indulgence In this sport
they left me. only to reassemble in the COR
rider, where they entertained us until 2 in
the morning by singing naughty and vicious
ballads. What a harbarous country this
Prussia is, to be sure"
Such scenes must have been indeed dis
gushing to the high-bred and intellectual
Augusta Of Weimar, who had been taught
by Goethe and reared in an atmosphere of
refinement and simplicity
he lar tics, If he ,trrr