The morning news., 1899-12-31

est sister, VINO was threatened with con-
sumption. was ordered by the doctor one
stormy winter to dance in the drawing
room If the weather did not permit her TO
take exercise in the open air. Our mother
would retreat TO her room when the music
began, lock her door and devote the time
we spent in dancing to praying for our
souls. OF course when we found this out
we gave up our exercise. but we never
knew why she thought dancing wrong.
She only said that she had been brought
| up 70 a belief that II was sinful. In the
! recollection of the partial estrangement
that came between her and us in conse-
! quence of her inability to sympathize in
our tastes and pursuits, / made up my
mind TO contine mine to those of my chill
dren in all non-essentials and not to force
! my dogmas upon them as cardinal truths.
| Ihey Will think for themselves some day,
and sit in Judgment upon my distorted
| judgment and Illogical conclusions | go
with them to see really good plays instead
Of driving them to see bad plays clandes-
! ttnelyi we read the same novels discussing
doubtful books freely; play dance music
| Tor them and their father and play whist
with them. Neither of us care for cards.
We do not care that our boys and girls
shall find home the pleasantest spot on
earth"
In other words. she has changed the step
| IN which she was raised and to which she
mas been accustomed all her life long IN
| oiNVf 10 keep IN line with those whom she
loves better than she loves her own way.
Not long ago a marriage took place in a
church at Springfield. Mass, TIE pastor be-
| ing old-fashioned enough to believe that
the phrase sacred ed.fice" was not a mis-
nomer when applied to pace Of Worship
| lie was therefore, much scandaliZe
when. at the conclusion Of the ceremony,
friends of the happy pair literally be-
sprlnklcd them with rice as they moved
out of the church toward their carriage
The reverend gentleman said afterwarl
that observance of such a custom was al
together out of place in a Christian Church
ana that in future he would emphaticany
OBJECT TO repetition of such a SC ne as he
had Just witnessed. He would even invoke
the aid of the law should he find 1t nee
essary to do so.
prominent South Side CLERGYMAN of
this city, says the Chicago Chronicle
heartily commends the stand taken by his
! Yankee brother THE throwing of rice a.
| weddings" said he, is a heather custom
1t probably had its origin in India, for
among the Hindoos rice is a symbol of fe-
cundity and fertility, so that the throwing
| OF rice is expressive of the hope that the
! pride Will in time be a happy mother of
children During the marriage ceremony
| in India the bridegroom throws three
handfuls of rice over the bride and the
| bride does the same over the bridegroom
| A preliminary rite is to place an eartheu
| vessel filled with water on a heap of rice;
| the Brahmins then repeat over the vessel
several invocations, calling on Varuna
the god of waters, to sanctify the con
tents, which are then poured over the head
of the bridegroom.
In the next stage of the ceremony
three female relatives wash the feet of
| the young couple three times over in milk
while they are seated within the pandal in
swing. They are then swung while the
cha A.
| lover OF shepherdesses. Balls of saffron
mixed with rice are then thrown toward
the four points of the compass This is an
Offering to the gods and the names. all of
whom are supposed to be present as invit-
ed guests Saffron among the Hindoos is
regarded as auspicious, and Is an indis-
pensable on wedding occasions as are
orange blossoms among Europeans As
| the father gives the bride away he pre-
sents to the bridegroom grains of rice
tnged with red, along with betel leaves
Al the END or the ceremony grains of
parched rice are eaten Somewhat as Eu-
ropeans send out wedding cake and cards
10 friends on hymeneal occasions, the
Hindoos distribute betel leaves, with the
nut of the Areca palm and grains of rice
| colored red.
in Central India a curious custom /.
met with which perhaps explains our
habit of giving presents to bridesmaids
The Kurku girls pretend TO resist the re-
| Dloval of the bride. When they get relr
enough to the young man they pelt him
with balls of boiled rice, they coyly re-
| treat, followed of course bv the na,h
At the door of the brides house they
make a final stand, only suffering the
men to enter when they have paid toll In
the form of presents to themselves"
Max O'Rell thus describes rice throwing
in England. when the wedding breakfast
is nearly over friends take I'd their r,osi-
/ tiOnG at the door of ba IA
wait for the young couple. Their apJear-
ance IS the signal for cheers and then
down falls on their heads, in their necks
on their backs a shower OF rice and ali
the old slippers that are found in the
house Parents friends, guests servants
neighbors all join in the fun. on tn,
part of the parents this old custom means
'Ah, rascal, you are taking away my
daughter! There, take thatr or
course, the origin of this custom must be
looked Tor little further. The rice is
the symbol of plenty"
Strange to say among the roorer classes
in England there is a widely spread no.
tion that rice as an article of food pre-
vents the increase of population. How the
populousness of India and China is ac-
counted for on this theory it would be
difficult to say. Probably those who en-
tertain IL do not realize the existence of
foreign parts, but there was once great
outcry in England against the giving II
rice 10 poor people under the poor law as
1t was said to be done with purpose
Many persons unable to read that most
interesting book. THE Romance of Isabel
Lady Burton" may like to see the rules
she wrote upon her marriage in her diary
for her own guidance in the new relation
-rules to whose observance she believed
much of her subsequent happiness was
due
First-Let your husband find in you
companion, friend and adviser and conf
dante, that he may miss nothing az home
Second-Be a careful nurse when he Is
ailiug, that he may never be in low spirits
about his health without a serious cause
Third-Make his home snug. If it be
ever so small and poor, there can always
4 be certain chic about H.. Men are always
ashamed of poverty-stricken home, and
therefore prefer the club Attend much 10
his creature comforts; allow smoking or
anything else. for If you do not somebody