The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-06
PERSONAL AND SOCIETY
BRIDES NOWADAYS NOT so RETIR-
ING AS THEY USED TO BE.
Some Comments on the First Season
OF the Observation-Disclosures
of Honor.


shy about the approaching event They
made no demonstration Of affection before
others and when spoken TO about matri-
mony they rather Stunned talking. as if the
subject we're one which ought not to be
mentioned. Then the bride-elect was not to
be seen il, public after her cards were sent
out. The bride of to-day makes no conceal
ment of her happiness and is as joyous
and frankly pleased as she really feels. She
is not unduly excited and takes her matri-
moniaI venture with twice the calmness that
she took her first party or went to her first
dance. 1t is no longer unseemly to be happy
and let others know it. The ones who are
in love are willing that others should know
it. They take their congratulations with
happy grace and instead of secluding them
selves from shopping, all visitors, except the
most intimate friends, and remaining away
from parties and entertainments, they go
to almost anything or everything until the
evening before the ceremony. Probably the
reason that this one evening is not spent
in social gayety is because it is given up TO
the rehearsal. Nearly all the weddings have
to be rehearsed even to the ceremony, and
with the exception that the license is not
I'm evidence, the couple is as much married
as at any time. When the wedding is TO be
in church the bridal procession has to be
reheaFsed and usually 1t is not until the
last evening before the wedding that all the
participants are in the city. The bride is
usually the calnest person at the wedding,
for the hurry is over and she is serene and
complacent, satisfied with herself and the
affair in general for the girl of to-day has
the pleasure of planning and carrying out
her idea of a wedding. even If she never
has had her own way before. The bride of
to-day seems the most sensible. She is pos
sessed of sweet reasonableness.
Next to the brides of the season come the
debutantes They are associated with the
social season from Thanksgiving day until
Lent begins. They are talked about, writ
ten about and their entrance into the social
whirl is usually made after decorous in
PRODUCTION by a reception given in the after
noon or dance in the evening. When the
entertainment is given in the afternoon the
young lady is presented to her mothers
friends, and she is then ready for her in
vitation to any social function given by
them. The debutante is often brought out
after four years away at college or some
fashionable school in another city. In either
case she is taken out of her girlhood sur
Toundings. made to form new set of
friends, and then, when the school or col
lege days are over. she is brought back to
she has outgrown largely, and they, too,
have formed other friendships, so that the
debutante is almost as much of stranger
as she would be- in entirely new place.
Going away when she is a young girl and
returning when she is a young lady makes
every one remark the change, and she is
new being to her mothers friends whom
she knew, and the girls who have not been
away are shy to her. The debutante has
great things expected of her. She is sup
posed to have received instruction in social
matters while absent. Her dancing master
has taught her how to enter a room; weekly
receptions at school have taught her how
to receive people, and her own natural sense
shows her that she must make herself
agreeable and entertaining. The girl who
can enter society with heartiness and really
enjoy herself is the one who makes the
greatest success for herself. but there are
scores of girls who are shy and, having
been in a giEl's school for four years, do not
feel a freedom in the society of young men,
and this kind of a debutante is the one to
whom a debut is a great ogre and society a
misery The girl who is brought out or i'm
troduced by a reception or dance has great
things expected of her, but the girl who sim
ply begins as a guest and not a young hos
tess is apt to have just as good a time. A
writer about the debutante says: Let the
debutante have her first season to herself:
do not worry her with the idea that she is
to have aims and ambitions Tell her to
talk to everybody; her merry girlish chatter
will amuse. and it is far more important
that she should dance well, be chatty,
bright, cheerful and amiable, and, as the
years drift on. if she and society still agree,
she can take up her accomplishments by de-
grees and learn to make herself even more
attractive in other ways"
lady of this city, travelling to- Persia.
writes thus of the trip. the letter being
dated Oct. 10: I'VE shall soon be passing
through the Red Sea, and it is so hot there
that everyone sleeps on deck. The punkahs
are waving and things begin to look more
Oriental. So far we have had perfect wealth.
err blue skies, blue waters and smooth seas
and we are enjoying the novel trip i'm
mensely. The z, and o. boats are unlike
those of the Atlantic, are more out Of
water, have larger cabins and saloons and
wider decks. covered and protected from
the sun by awnings Life on these boats is
unlike, too. Here the passengers come to
stay and make themselves at home and are
sociable and agreeable. True English meth
Cd and monotony prevail. In the morning
press the button and tea and biscuits
Crackers appear and soon your ba-a-th is
ready Said baths are luxury and a de-
light. Then a walk on decksand breakfast
at .. Then another walk and settling
down in long cane chairs in shady places.
with books, writing or fancy work or
cards. till 'titfin at |. Then a nap on deck
or in the cabin; at the tea bell rings and
then bread and butter. or scenes and buns
are served with the tea At $50 the dress
ing bell rings and the decks are deserted
At all reappear to a ten-course dinner.
in evening dress, the men in the regulation
swallowtail. women in fancy waists, tight
gowns and some in low necks and short
sleeves, bedeeked and bejeweled. At first we
thought this most inappropriate for ship
board but we have fallen in line and II
seems all right. After dinner, promenading
on deck. music and dancing. During the
day cricket and all kinds of games are
played. The Anglo-Indians are, on the
whole, more agreeable and informal than
the pure British One day we did Gibraltar.
another day Marseilles, and since then we
have been more like excursionists. as the
boat skirts the coast Aetna looms I'D
grandy against the blue Siciian sky. All
along we have been near enough to the
shores to see towns and houses distinctly
and all the places are interesting and beau
eifuI After leaving Port Said we have ,ba