The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-01-02
ABSURD SOCIAL SHAMS.
The Giving of Wedding Presents tho Pri-
mary One.
From tic Philadelphia Times.

|
There is nothing commoncr in every
ones experience than to hear refer.
ence made to the good old times when
life was more genuine, men more hon
est, women sweeter and trucr to hel
domestic ideals, in short, existence
generally, running along lines cf a
superlative excellence rarely attained
in the degenerate days We call oul
Gown times Most frequently these
walls come from those who, from the
vantage ground Of the years, claim
largeness Of vision that admits of nc
possible squint in favor Of to-day.
These backward glancers are prone
to attribute all of the shoddy, sham
and sleazincss that undeniably enter
largely into woof and warp Of the
social fabric Of the present to the
rapid pace at which the world is
driven. The electric current on which
we are being whizzcd through the loom
of time consumes material so rapidly
that when the genuine gives out, the
inexorablc weaver must perforcc re.
plenish his shuttle with shoddy and
send it glittering in and out the woven
texture to make gaudy showing for a
brief while, but not warranted to bear
the strain Of necessity OR hard usage.
Perhaps, after all, if the backward
glanccrs would do their work with the
| thoroughness whose absence they
| deplore in the methods of to-day,
they would find that the past had its
shams, its social masks, its tricks that
| were dark, and its ways that were
vain, no less patent to the pessimist
| of their day than are ours to the croak-
ers of to-day.
Starting out with the proposition
that all of goodness and gcnuineness
were not consumed by our great-grand-
fathers and our great-grandmothers,
we can afford to give the go-by to the
shams of century ago while We con-
Germ ourselves with those which seri-
ously mar the fair face of to-day.
If that trite old couplet, GA sin
confessed is half redressed,' have the
germ of truth in it let US make quick
shift before the altar of public opin-
ion, acknowledging some Of the many
existing shams which assume the pro-
portions of sins against good taste.
That they are growing in number
and in conspicuity no observer of the
social current can fail to note.
Perhaps the most conspicuous
among long list Of patent cncroach-
ments upon the boundary line between
good will and good form is the univer-
sal practice of giving wedding pres
ents.
That it has its advantages no one
will deny, especially those VINO have
entered into the holy bonds Of wedlock
since the era Of compulsory wedding
gifts has dawned.
That it has it's seamy side no one
will deny, either, especially those
who, by reason of large social circle
Of friends and relatives, are called
upon frequently to exercise a gener-
osity that springs more often from the
iron dictates of custom that from any
heartfelt desire to experience the
blessedness of giving over receiving.
The heart and the hand doesn't
always act in accord on these occa-
sions, and when the head would act as
umpire, it is speedily made to under
stand that reason has nothing to do
with the giving of wedding presents.
You are expected to do it. That is
all there is to it.
That man or woman would be hard
to fnd-I prefer believing-who can
see two ardent young souls agreeing
to take up the burden of a joint exist
encc, it's pains and it's pleasures all
to be taken upon trust, but must find
their own hearts swelling with sympa-
thetic interest and feel impellcd to
wish them most cordially happy and
prosperous voyage upon the untried
waters Of the sea matrimonial.
But such mammoth Importance is
laid of late upon the giving of we'd
ding presents that the friend who
brings nothing in his hand sinks
timid,y in and offers his empty con,
gratulations oppressed with such a
sense of omission as never in his
honest and upright life has he cxpe'
rienced before.
We do not offer our good wishes in
words nowadays. We do not dare.
We offer them in gold and silver, in
precious stones, in rare bits Of porce-
lain, even in cumbersome furniture.
In effect We say to the intending
couple: "My friends, you are about
to prccipitate yourselves into a mud,
die that will require all uringenuity
to pull through. You are utterly in,
capable of making home for your
selves, but We will give you a start
and hope you can scramble to your
feet eventually
What else are many of US hidden
for =? Are you quite sure, you, Mrs.
X, that you would have been invited
to Miss Us wedding if your we'll
established reputation as frce-giycl
had not gone before you
You did not know Miss T. at all.