Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-29
MILLIONS In MARRIAGE,
Cupid's Franks Considered From . Move
Financial Standpoint.

CuPid's Franks Considered From = Novel
Financial Standpoint.
From London lid Bits.
Last year there were. according to the re-
turns OF the registrar general. ~, S22 mar
riages in England and Wales. The returns
from Scotland and Ireland bring 1t I'D to q
total OK more than 275.OoO for the united
kingdom.
Just consider the amount Of money that
must be spent in connection with 275, 900
marriages and the conclusions that follow
have suggested new train Of thought to q
contributor. 1t means. In the first place, al
many courtships. What Is the usual length
OF courtship? That depends-like many
other things. But seeking a happy med
ium. We may fairly take eighteen months
as an average.
say one-haf OF our sweethearting couples
are so situated that letter writing becomes
necessity. Say they correspond with each
which must be far below the marx: put
them on the moderate allowance Of no
nhs t sss TIVE sSo sh sgay Of nSss and
nothings amounting in the mass to postal
revenue Of $1,000. and yearly stationer's
But these are very small items to think
aboutT The tewelry win come in for heavier
share Of the profits. There will be 27b 900
sagement rings which we shall b be we'll veil
within the line in assessing at the same
Price; Then there are the presents which
lady OF his choice, ranging from the S, 900
bracelet Of the duke to the shilling brooch
Of Of. the .,n coster. II we put them down with
credit them to the jeweler again we shall
have an account Of nearly 100000
must surely reap a golden harvest out Of
counting. With the inevitable trips and the
travelling Of separated sweethsarta to see
one another, We may safely strike an aver
age OF $l6 for each courtship, which will
give us round sum Of three-Quarters OF q
But all these are only preliminaries. The
greatest expenditure will come with the
wedding day. There is the trosseau (more
for the bride. and at least a new suit for
the BRIDEGROOM. It can be done cheapiy
IS t se ssn sca
asRd ssd tsg asss But Ss'an ne:s
their ability. and in the upper and middle
classes. at any rate, the tailors share Of
1hs is aIss Tasns only III:
us a total of nearly three millions.
Then there are wedding cakes and mar,
social entertainment at only 80 q head and
we get another half million: .275 900 wedding
fees. licenses and clergyman's charges will
to % viii tot up to e
more. while the livery stableman's bill, al
lowing only one carriage to every wedding.
Finishing up the honeymoon we shall md
another tolerable sum to be added to the
costs Of matrimony. Here there will surely
the favorites of fortune who may fit lux
uriantly through Europe for q year and the
daily laborer whose idea Of bliss II limited
to a day of. II we accept SIS as a reason
able average Of 80 many homogeneous we
have q final sum Of million and q quarter
to carry on our account.
Thus, without speaking Of furnishing and
other preparations for married life and con-
filming our calculations only to the expenses
be within the mark in saying that the an.
nual marriage census OF the united king
dom represents a total expenditure of 81,
indicate that marriage Is by no means Q
bad thing for trade.