Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-10
Was This in Yours?

There was wedding in this city, the
other day. There have been lots of
weddings in this city before, SO it is not
strange that wedding should occur
here any day. Much has been said
from time to time about the custom Of
some people who attend the happy pair
to the train and throw rice. Therewas a
good lot of rice in this particular wedding.
There was rice enough thrown away at
the departure Of the train to have fed
hungry mouths for several meals. And
this leads us to enquire, what is there
about rice that adds to the comfort,
happiness and prosperity of the newly
welded pair? Rice has been associated
with the menu of the Monaghan table
for centuries and one authority says
tnat it was a chief article of food of the
Chippe'was and grown extensively in
Minnesota. Why don't the many
friends that throw rice throw flowers
''strew their path with roses" as it
were? If they desire to indulge in
pretty sentiment, why don't they fling
clusters of Musk roses at the feet of
the bride to indicate that the whole
affair is charming, or a crown of roses
to declare that ceremony is the reward
of virtue; the red and white rose to-
gether denote unity: the red rosebud
would say that the bride is pure ana
lovely; the damask rose would say she
had a brilliant complexion; the bridal
rose, the most appropriate, perhaps.
gives expression to happy love. If
roses are not easily at hand they might
resort to the pineapple which says
''You are perfect" the peach blossom
says that she is his captive and tina t
would be about right; amaranth speaks
OF undying love; the pyramidal bell
flower tells OF constancy: jamisonii
bru.yallia asks if he or She can bear
poverty; this and all the other tokens
of love- esteem, hope innocence. purity,
fidelity. faithfulness, happiness. mol
esty, amiability, joy, sweetness,
memory. sympathy perhaps, devotion,
consistency, elegance, dignity. friend
snisJ enchantment, gladness, cheerful
ness, streWn over the platform and
through the car would be an innovation
and perhaps establish a custom that
the railroad employees would better APP
preciate and gladden. the heart of the
florist.
The practice of going into the car and
pulling a fellows collar backward for
about two inches and letting go an
avalanche Of rice to trickle down his
spinal column, to remain there durin;,
a 100 mile ride is not what it is cracked
up to be. Then every other woman in
the car who under other circumstance,
can never ride on a train back to the
engine gets up. turns over the seat and
looks the bride over presumably to see
if she looks happy and composed. The
bride finds that her hair has taken on a
cargo Of rice that will drop. drop, drop,
as she goes into the hotel dining room,
thus giving her away to those who
knew nothing about the ceremony, and
who cannot tell bridal couple from an
old married pair, and then when the
happy pair" get up from the table.
their attention and that of everyone
else III the room is called to the fact
that a wedding has recently taken
place, by the crunching of the grains of
rice that have fallen to the floor All
in all, the many friends of the bride and
groom start them on life's journey by
making them feel as uncomfortable as
possible. l might drop a suggestion to
newly couples-to-be. You may have
noticed that the rice act is never
opened until the bridal couple start to
board the train. Just wait for the con-
ductor ito sing out "all aboard" then
as he raises his hand to give the signal
to the engineer, grab hold of each other