Morning journal and courier., 1893-02-27
No. 4S

In fact, IL not tnfreQusntly happens that
| they End themselves betroihed before sher
1 have even met; In some cases before .hsT
have seen each other.
This is not q oAricsture; IL is only a fair
representation Of how, in The upper and
middle classes, an engagement" is effect
ed. Whist occurs afterwards msy easily
be inferred from what We have previously
ssid on the subject of courttpg We can
only re!terate that there is no courtapr
either before the engagement OF after IL.
The tnterchsnges between the couple are
purely formal, and always in the presence
OF third parties. After a certain profas-
uon they may embrace at their meetings
and partings, but that Is all: and 90 nat
tsrs go on till the wedding day.
Are there then no love matches In
Erancet Undoubtedly there are, because
II love laughs ct locksmiths, what Is 10
hinder him from being equally defiant
towards ridiculous social custo-nsl II
ay even happen oocasionally that the re-
stfAinns thrown about young hearts over
here are help TO The tender passion
rather than hindrAnce; for Is there not
q proverb about distance lending a charm.
and another one about familiarity breed
ing oonfempti As to money being a hin
drsnce TO affection, few Will suppose
that charming girl could be any less
loEable simply because she wEs rich, or
thstsn a game of hsArts 8 good sized
bank account wonld be any disadvantage
to decent man. Yes. undoubtedly
there are love matches in France, and 1t Is
equally beyond question that ussny mar
riages here turn out happily enough. 1t
can hardly be said, however, that the
customs In vogue are favorable TO such
results, snd one would have TO be very
blind or else very kind If he failed to
conclude otherwise, after studying the
matter, than that such results are excep-
tonsl.
The only wedding ceremony recognized
by French law is that performed by the
civil authorities. In Paris the knot is tied
at the msyorsl Office OF one of the twenty
embellishments. Due notice must be
given, and no end Of legal fo-mglities must
be complied with. But the merrisgs itself
is soon over; that is, the legal part of 1t,
for the mayor, or his assistant, after salts
flying himself that all parties are agreed,
simply reads to them, from a government
book, a definition Of their mutual rights
and duties, and then tells them that the
twain are 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 usu-
ally, of course, there is a religious oeremo-
Ass 44NSc WHO
have not much time TO spare go to church
directly from the mayors office, but In
other circles the fashion is TO climb the
ladder of domestic blirs by easy stages
the legal wedding one day and the religious
ceremony a day or two afterwards.
A distinct peculisrlty of she invitations
sent ont to those whose presence Is de-
sired 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 peculiariiy is that
the wedding ceremony is always signslized
by collection for the poor. The basket
Is invariably passed even az the msyoral
Office, and at church the function Ia quite
an elaborate one. Ususlly it is the brides.
maids who attend TO ii. In anticipation
of this service they provide themselves
with dainty silk bags, q perfect match for
the dresses they wear, and, of course, their
passage through the sisles sifords rare
as no French girl could re-
gard with indifference-to exhibit for a
time, In the best possible light, their
charming toilets. After all, though, the
most wonderful things about French mar
risges sre the laws which govern them,
and which seem really. in their complicA-
ted and oppressive requirements, to be
framed less wish the object Of bringing
weddings TO pass in q legal manner than
for the purpose Of preventing them. But
these have been described elsewhere.
H.T.