The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-06
MARRIAGES IN GERMANY.
A BUSINESS SYSTEM THAT WORKS
WELL IN PRACTICE.

the American Stnndpoint-A Dow
ry for the Bride One Prerequisite
Matches Made by AdvertisInE-Re.
strictiOns as TO Marriage Placed
on Army officers.
Munich Letter in New York Sun.
There are in every German city, bu
notably in Dresden and Munich, grea
many unmarried American and Englist
young women. When they first come they
are enchanted with German manhood al
exemplihed by the officers. 1t is wor,l
remarking that although the young womer
are mostly entirely eligible from the Ger
man point OF VIEW ana the officers ever
more so from the Anglo-saxon. it Is a very
Tare thing indeed when an internaliona
marriage occurs.
There are reasons for this. The marital
relationship In the various countries is an
Interesting subject for study. In no two is
ii exactly the same; in some the wife IS on
the pedestal, IN others the husband is on
the pedestal. and this might be called the
Teutouie attitude. In Germany there is a
remarkable difference in this matter IN the
different states: that is q difference OF de-
gree. Most American women would prob
ably prefer a Hanoverian for husband 10
a Bavarlan, and they might not like a
Prussian at all-even German women, not
Prussian, have views as to the last. But
there IS one thing that no one seems ever
to have denied; the German, no matter
from what part OF the empire he comes, Is
not the ideal husband according to the
American stand I'd. That standard is
known throughout the world TO be very
high.
When a woman marries In Germany she
ceases to be an entity. Her money, estates,
clothes. whatever worldly goods she may
poSsess, become absolutely the property
of her husband. who does what he pleases
with them. She has no standing in the eye
OF the Jaw apart from her husband. He
may beat her, starve her live apart from
her and she has no redress; The laws are
made for him. not for her-unless she hap
pens to break one of them. And that is
not DIFFICULT, because they make laws IN
Germany al they make sausages.
Marriage is looked upon in no European
country exactly as 1t is in America; IN
nearly every instance, when II Is not pure
ly a matter of business, il is matter IN
TO which some business enters. A woman
may be loved very much. but unless she
ed together by saving-no matter how
small the amount may be-she has little
chance of getting married. At the same
time every young German looks forward
10 marriage as his inevitable fate al some
time or other, and a German girl never
looks to old maideuhood with that con-
tented resignation that one may see in
England and America.
The dowry, then, is one prerequisite to
marriage In Germany. There may be no
love. but there must be a dowry. In times
past Germany has been regarded as the
country of romances; to-day there is none
more practical The dowry business has
been reduced 10 an exact science. What
is called a dowry varies from $40 to as
many thousands; after that it Is called a
fortune, The lower sum is respectable for
a serving maid, the higher for almost any=
body. In the army the sum Is regulated
by law. The officers are usually poor;
many are said to adopt the career with
the sole idea of contracting a wealthy al
lance Their salaries, with allowances,
range from 50 a week for a lieutenant to
$50 a week for major general. Imperial
law does not permit an officer under the
rank of major to marry at all, un,ess he
has a private income, or unless the dowry
his wife brings him reaches a designated
figure. This figure is $4,000 for a leuten-
ant and grades down 20 5000 for a major,
The dowry is paid over, not to the hus-
band, but to the government, which doles
out to the happy couple after marriage
3 per cent. on the amount received This
money is retained by the government un-
ill the husband reaches the grade of lieu
tenant colonel, or until he resigns from
the service, being refunded in fun in eth
er case. The object is to prevent officers
from marrying women who cannot sup
port them with the dignity becoming the
imperial army.
Out Of the army the system is not so
good; the dowry is not handed over to a
watchful trustee but is placed in the
hands of the husband himself irrevoca-
bly,, just as If it were his purchase price.
1t becomes his absolutely. Mostly he puts
II in his business, IL he has one; If he has
not he buys bonds. In either case he
rarely loses 1t; but the matter goes deeper
than that. The unjust part of it is that
the wife is not likely to receive any bene-
ut from 1t, or at least little. Most people
who have had the opportunity cannot have
failed to remark that the German in any
position of life except the lowest, is not
prone to do the square thing by his fam
lily; he wears the best clothes, all the
family jewelry, and is willing to pay only
for his individual pleasures. Hurried
travellers descant upon the German hus.
bands virtues, because his family is al
ways with him when he takes his outings
If these same people would only observ,
more closely they would remark that
while they are always with him, he spend:
very little money on them. One of the
commonest sights in brewery or beer gar.
den is to see a German order his din
ner eat 1t, and hand over the remains
often only empty plates-to his spouse
Although the context would seem Il
point to the contrary, there is compare
lively little real fortune hunting in Ger
many. 1t is confined almost entirely Il
broken-down mobiles who, having exhaust
ed all possible resources and deep in debt
propose to sell themselves as dearly a,
possible. Caste being the ruling factor II
the national life, titles have a marketabl
value which is never overlooked. Asid,
from the mobiles, few men marry TO
money alone. They will not marry a cir
who has no money, but the require.
amount is usually contingent upon th,
mans position and his earning capacity
Thus, for instance, If a man has a salar,
or income of, say, $1,000 IA year, he viii
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