The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-11
coNNusiAL BLISS.

CoNNUBfAL BLISS.
From the Detroit Free Press
When . young man in Russia takes .
fancy to . maiden he sends his mother
or some other matrimonial medium to
the parents of the girl to negotiate for
her dowry.
As an incidental he has no objection
to any chance affection she may have
to bestow along with it.
The girl has no voice in the matter:
often has an offer of marriage accepted
or rejected by proxy without knowing
anything about it This custom has
one thing in its favor; it certainly saves
great deal of wear and tear to her
feelings.
The marriage settlement being satis-
factory the courtship begins Tho
youth must never go to the house Of
his betrothed without taking her a
gift A long courtship in this country
would be liable to bankrupt a man.
However, it is not the custom to hnger
long in this primrose border land. A
betrothal is almost as binding as mar.
rage itself There is never slip be-
tween the cup and the lip, save for very
grave and serious reasons.
At the betrothal feast the girl cuts
off lock of her hair in the presence
of witnesses, in order that it may be
authentic, and gives it to her be-
trothed, who in turn gives her silver
ring set with turquoise. These rings
are kept as heirlooms in the family.
but never must they do duty twice.
They never use secondhand engage.
ment ring in Russia. What becomes
of the lock of hair, history does not in.
form u.s. 1t is safe to suppose. how.
ever, that it depreciates in value as the
years roll on. A well-to-do bride brings
her husband dozen shirts, dressing
gown and a pair of slippers. She is
supposed to have spun the fax and
woven the cloth and made the gar
ments with her own hands. The fnct
is, she often buys them ready-made, as
we do in America in this ready-made
age.
Before the wedding the dowry is on
and is blessed by the priest
Thus we see that in Russia, as we'll as
other places nearer home, the most in
teresting part of the ordinance of holy
matrimony is the avalanche of good
clothes it brings with it.
In the upper and middle classes the
bridegroom gives bachelor din ner the
hight before the wedding. The bride.
elect at the same time goes with her
friends to the bath.
At the appointed time the bride.
groom comes to claim his bride. She
falls upon her knees before her parents
and Graves forgiveness for the follies
Of her youth They kiss her, giving
her bread and salt, IMPLYING the ne.
cessities of life. leaving the door open
behind her when she goes out, indi-
eating that she still has a home in her
fathers house.
We have now the happy pair at the
altar. with lighted tapsrs in their
hands to signify aspiration, the loud
voice of the priest uttering a short
prayer; the ring which they exchange
with each other in token of the trinity,
and the cup of wine from which they
rink, a symbol of eternal love.
Three times the bride parades around
The altar with crown of gilt held just
above her head, by an important
whom she chooses for the
,fice, but he must on no account tread
IN the hem of her garment or de-
'ange her headdress, as he will be
denounced by the lookers-on for
leretic.
This parsonage has also other con-
iubial porterage to look after. He
must attend to the lighted tapers and
AIRY the piece Of carpet upon which
he couple are to kneel for the priests
blessing. BY the way, the ono who is
irst to touch this bit of carpet with
he foot is supposed to rule the do
nestle kingdom. 1t is only fair TO say
hat the bride usually gets there on
line.
Thus ends the symbolic marriage.
Although the service of the Greek
hurch is more dramatic and fuller OF
ignifcant detail than the Roman
hurch, and that is elaborate compared
With the German or Protestant church,
'et in Russia they do not waste much
cal sentiment on marriage. There are
'arties who regularly contract for
unions, kind of real estate
gency in connubia felicity, upon
which they get percentage of the
polls
There were marriage fairs nelc for |
nerly in St. Petersburg and Moscow,
tut now only in provincial towns,
There men and maids resort The rich |
nan may take his pick.
Sometimes people travel long jour- |
eys to attend these fairs. Now, how |
ser, the better classes do not, so they |
re the popular resort OF servant girls, |
vho get a week leave OF absence for |
he marriage fair and often come back /
nwedded, but as much demoralized az
colored cook in the south of our own 4
and after camp meeting.
In this blessed land of Russia, where 1
more than half mankind are women"
Id maids are very scarce
When 4 woman is not married a: 1
she disappears from view, /
oes on a pilgrimage or round Of trav-
Is, and comes back posing in society /
s a widow.
Etiquette in Russia forbids any allu.
ion 20 lady's dead husband in her
reseuce-
You sce woman's life in that land
not complete without the adjunct OF
husband. or even the ghost of hus-
and, TO give il kind OF cold respect
bility.-