Barre evening enterprise. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-1898, 1898-05-11
FRENCH MARRIAGES.
MATRIMONY THE GREAT OBJECT TO
ALL GIRLS OF FRANCE.

Customs In This Particular Have Change
80 Radically-At the Present Time the PEI
sonaI Inclinations of Young Women Ar
"a Considered.
= Miss Anna L. EicknelAi is an Englisl
II lady who has had most unusual oppor
. tunities for studying French life. For
y number of years she was governess il
. the household Of Napoleon III and re
sided i'll the Tuileries. For The Century
Miss Eicknell has written an article on
French Wives and Mothers. " Miss
; Bicknell says:
The old marriage de CONVEYANCE, which
caused so much sorrow and CONSEQUENT
evil in former days, when girl was
taken out of a convent to be shown the
man to whom she was about to be mar
RED, Is now a thing of the past. 1t must
be acknowledged, however, that mar
rlaSes are still made up, often too has
my and specifically, by nicely balanced
FAMILY arrangements and by the inter
ventlon Of friends. Nevertheless, attrac
ton and repulsion are now taken into
consideration and girl is no longer
forced to marry man whom she posi-
tlVely dlslikes. l could quote instances
III the very highest (historicaD aristoc-
racy where, at the last moment. after
the trousseau had been sent in (marked.
according to CUSTOM with the united
initial letters OF the two names elabo.
rately embroidered) and all the social
preparations made, the marriage was
broken off because the bride had de-
clared that she could not "get accus.
toned to the bridegroom nor endure
the idea OF seeing his face in her homo
during her natural life In one of these
instances the family lamentations over
the initials of the trousseau were really
amusing. Fortunately substitute was
soon found whose name like that of the
rejected sutton, began with an X, and
the complications were thus happily
settled
The great object of the French GIRLS
lie Is marriage. From the time of her
birth her parents have prepared for this
event and III many cases they have con.
slderably straiteDed their income and
curtalled their enjoyments to make IN
her oot Every girl i'll every class is ex-
pected to have something. Those who
nave nothing are exceptions and consti. :
tute minority of old maids. The girls
VINO from choice done marry generally q
become nuns, usually much against the : =
wishes OF their parents. The old tales
il young women being forced into con. A
vents to improve the position of their
'rothers are forgotten in these DAYS T
When, while no child can on any nre.
ehse be deprived of a share in the fla.
her inheritance, monastic vows ara h
lot recognized by law. Nuns and spin N
ters are exceptions; marriage is the 81
ule 81
When girl is of age to be introduced v,
ato society, her friends and relatives
look out for suitable hus.
ana, whom 1T Is considered highly de.
raple to obtain before she has reached
4e age OF n, that she may not be pro
aimed nile maJeure when the banns an
re published The principal considera. m,
ons are equality of BIRTH of position.
fortune, and in the last particular alb
e scale is usually expected to weigh
ther more Oh the side of the Young VIC
dy, especially if the young man, in yo,
oltlon to sufficient present advantages. raj
II bring forward anumber of relatives
1t likely to live long. This is called DIN,
wing hopes (des csperances-beaucoup
asperances). If the young lady with sta
ostantlal dot can also show satisfac. we,
y background of invalid uncles and I.
nus then everything is as it should ges
and the young people are brought goi
'ether with every prospect of a favor don
10 conclusion. 1t happens, however star
often that they do not know each Jan
cr sufficiently, and that they are per- YOU
'ded to believe that the mutual liking all
greater than it really is. Sometimes F."
sort OF underlined attraction rinens "W
a deep and devoted love. When Won
occurs, there are no more affection. lin
wives or more faithful widows than "A
nchwomen. bol,
lore frequently, especially in the lepe
'er classes, a sort of cool friendliness fami
hss up, where they see but little Of thar
other, and freedom is enjoyed on ca,
SIDES. The authority of the bus. If
IS less felt than in an English Su
'ehold. There is sort of under. fate
ding that in her home the wife is Lew,
n and settles matters as she pleases
ut their best aud warmest feelings
awakened by all that concerns their H.
lreh. French parents are perbans small
most aftectlonate in the world. Tho strr,,
osts and welfare of their children mn ~,
their first consideration, and won l,rd
IL sacrifices of their own pleasure on;os
enjoyment are made in favor of E,c
SONS and daughters by the most was n
lily men and women. These ara trada
g of 1oin'. st, '" oot'fse no one banjo
oorit j., s,s',, ti WISH vi VI seeing cry III
q ,,o+ha q mea
Nothlng will stand in tho way of a a;snns
hwoman where her children's in ,vo r' ;,
S are concerned. This love is 50 6vo =,
sslng that it swallows up every nle ii.
They are more mothers than tofona
) and if called upon to choose be- snadaa
allowing husband to 90 alone middII
foreign mission or leaving their Tha -
en- they would not hesitate. Mes " tr,,
-oeo. ally pc
WIN u and gil