Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-26

Paris streets-an effect of jerking the good
people up suddenly to contemplate another
| world from everyday affairs-is due to the
French ideal of marriage. which. in turn,
| is inextricably involved with the French
ideal of female education.
You will never abolish that immemorial
prejudice which wishes that the mother
should take her daughter by the hand and
| lead her, without quitting her for a single
| step, until the threshold Of marriage is
crossed" These are the words of NJ. Adolph
| Rrisson. son-in-law of the good old Fran
cisque Sarcey, who is the spiritual papa of
| half the charming actresses of Paris, the
! veteran critic of the Temps. NJ. Brisson
| was attacking, In the consecrated style of
| his father-in-law, the new ideal of the
| French girl, the "Loulou'' Of Gyp, knowing
| sophisticated and not little emancipated
His indignation was apropos of a book of
Varigny's, Woman in the United States"
Many Americans, living too long abroad
have, like NJ. Brisson and the rest, been
| stricken with the same sweet fancy. That
its practical operation Is not far removed
| from burning down the house to roast the
pig is hidden from them. For every girl
who goes weeping TO her husband there is
generally one other girl TO weep without a
marriage ring: and the "solicitude of
French mothers often approaches inhu-
F, manity to a third person, as when she en-
| courages her sons Irritation with a poor
| little nursery governess, to keep him from
| the dangers Of the streets
Young Girls Protected.
Thus young girls of good family are so
cooped up that they are scarcely ever seen
| in public and often enough are restricted
| ir dance partners, even at the white
| balls given not too frequently for their
| benefit, and young girls of less social con-
| sideration pine over pure-toned novels
written especially for their species, novels
4 so overwhelmingly moral that the word
| love" may not be found from cover to
cover.
Naturally. the prayer of each is for
husband. 1t is honorable to pray for
| husband. as has been laid down in many
pious expositions and meditations; but the
poor girl without dot, the nursery gov
| erres or he shop girl, is lucky If she does
not nave to take her romance without
procession of vanished cabs sparkling in
| the sunshine of tn, Champs Elysees and
| orange flowers and all the men in evening
| clothes at MONDAY. For the dream of the
| French youth in his earlier years is not at
| all of wife, but of wealth, position, hon.
| orS and ia gicire.'
| The pressure of Frerch marriage customs
| makes it easy for him to take his early ro-
| nance without the sanctions Of the mar
| riage ring; that Is for some other time
Sn all wonder NJ. Brisson. who is happy
| and successful, exclaims, IN his own rap
| tCre: 1T is sweet, warming, consoling,
L
| colonial politics; but long live the senti-
| ment. of family and the religion of the
| hearth Perfect love casteth out fear-for
| others.
| In this way 1T happens that marriages
are stirring events. like the treaties Of
nations. The first thing is to choose n
wife. In this sentence a world of meaning
lies concealed In America the young man
| (who is neither a widower, fortune hunter
| nor crank does not choose a wife-he dis
covers, some fine day he is in love.
Choosing a Wife.
The French youth decides to marry first
| then looks about for his IDEAL or has his
PAL ents do it for him. In this process, when
| he does the work himself. he chats with as
many demoiselles as his range of society
| permits. If he is at all eligible, every
| facility is given him; the girls mother will
| even walk away from her tender fiedgling,
| leaving her alone in loud ball room ten
| full minutes.
Having made choice, it is the young
mans business to ask the girls hand for
| mally, through his own father or nearest
male relative. Being accepted by the fam
| lily of the young girl first and by the girl
herself afterward. the charming period of
courtshlp is commenced.
Frequently enough he makes a choice-or
has 1t made for him-of a young lady he
has never seen and does not know Frigid
as this might appear. it permits delightful
surprises and no end of solid romance
lHe QellSHtlul peTlOQ Oh COurtShlD I'M
winds itself, and the young people have
frequently occasions TO see each other
They are even allowed to sit in one cor
rer of the salon and converse In tones so
low that the girls mother, in another cor
ner, cannot understand half that they say
Besides these meetings, there are preoccu-
pations on all hands. The girl and her
mother are engaged on the trousseau; the
girl and the young man are busted over
the corbeille; the young man alone is
breaking off his love affairs and providing
for the house and carriages
AS to the trousseau, the mornings are
reserved for it; the afternoon is for the
groom, and 1t Is unbecoming that he should
hear the trousseau mentioned. The girl is
furnished with linen, if not for her whole
lie (since linen goes out of fashion like
goWnS), at least for long years.
How the COurtship Proceeds.
The French were bookkeepers from the
beginning. 1t is at once their good and
bad fortune that they cannot move, except
in the consecrated ruts. The revolution
and the code Napoleon scarcely changed
their marriage customs. 1t is true that
provision exists for marriage against the
consent of parents; but both parties must
BE- of a certain age, long past the first
blush of youth, formal demands must be
made, and a practical lawsuit begun. The
law exists; but in practice the consent of
parents, to say nothing of their manage
ment of all details, is an absolute neces-
sity.
Among those happily engaged courtship
marches with even step to the signing Of
the marriage contract to the civil mar
riags, to the religious function to the drive
H. the Bots. and the marriage dinner. Each
step, from the reception given by Nine
X. on the occasion Of the signing of her
daughters marriage contract and the din
ner which follows II, to the exposition of
thu corbeille (by way OF a previous recep-
ton to the girls young maiden friends
and a chattering over the trousseau) and
from the casting OF Of the young mans
mistress to the daily superintendence of
the white bouquets he sends to his young
bride, is like the movement Of q piay-prop-
er, proportioned. ordered and comely.
The Marriage Contract.
The marriage contract includes the pre-
elsa statement Of the dot OF the bride II
is bad taste for the groom to show anxiety
about it; preoccupation on this score be-
longs to his family. The same carelessness
should be shown by both bride and groom
during the formal reading Of the contract
An experienced notary. once asked his
opinion concerning this detail Of behavior,
replied emphatically: Good taste demands
that they should assume an air Of indiffer-
ent attention. They can make I'D to the
notary for this impertinence by extra at