The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-11
JAIL RIGHTS RESERVED
OV E, COURTSHIP
AND MARRIA CE&&
By The REV. Z. j. HARDY
[Author OF "How to BE Happy Though Married., etc.1

After the in the church. the
guests used TO GO to the house Of the
brides father and partake of a wedding
breakfast at which almost every one made
a speech and the more ridiculous the
speaker was the more he was appreciated.
Even when accompanied by champagne.
family jokes are dry and embarrassing TO
outsiders who are naturally unable TO see
their point. Now weddings generally take
place in the afternoon and are followed by
receptions. AS only light refreshments are
given at these a great crush of people are
asked. all i'm fact who give or who are ex-
pected to give presents.
The only amusement supplied at these
functions is the examination of the pres
ents, but this always annoys me because l
think that it is those who cannot settle
themselves in life who should get consola-
ton prizes and not those who can, and be-
cause it would he better to keep our ap-
plause until we see how the people will
play their parts upon the stage Of matri-
mony.
In Norway wedding presents are not OF
the expensive but useless kind tina they
are with us. They consist of such things
as pots and pans. plates and dishes, a
feather bed. half a dozen sheep, a sack Of
potatoes and so forth. Perhaps the best
form which the fiattery of friends can take
on the occasion of our marriage is the
financial one.
In Siberia there is a good custom that a
bride on coming to her husbands house,
has to give a dinner prepared with her own
hands as a test OF the education she has
received. If she succeed In gratifying her
.
the young wonan's own excellence but also
as a recommendation of her whole family
by whom she was instructed 50 usefully.
In India it costs almest as much for a
man to marry his daughter well as to have
his house burned, and In Ireland there is
much more to be thought Of than the
priests fee; much food and drink have to
be provided-'lashin's and LAWNS of livery
thing Closeness on such an occasion is
considered a social sin. "Aarrah, If 1 wor
getting married." a woman Indignantly ex-
claimed when she saw a poor display at a
wedding, I'D sell every stitch off my back,
and go naked, in order to get married da-
Gently"
THE HONEYMOON.
The honeymoon has been defined by DR..
Johnson as 1.-The month after marriage
LiC IL lull VI lSlQeTneSS ana QdpDlneSS.'
That is what it ought to be, but even the
honeymoon may be spoiled. This is done
when it is either too long drawn out or
filled too full of excitement.
Do our readers remember the honeymoon.
or rather honey year, that was enjoined in
the pastoral days of the Old Testament?
When a man taketh q new wife he shall
not go out in the host, neither shall he be
IA rood rft1 onx A,,cfn-... ~ ~Aort - g.
at home one year, and shall cheer his wife
which he hath taken. -Deu xiv, S. AS a
new wife, would for polygamists often
mean an additional one, matrimony must
have brought to people then a great deal of
leisure. far more than we can get in our
rapid competitive age. Few Of us possess
sufficient oxen and sheep and manservants
and maidservants to strike work for a year.
Nor, to speak plainly. have we good enough
tempers for this sort of thing. With us.
when the honeymoon is too prolonged, the
parties become bored. Suppose they go to
a seaside place in winter or early spring,
what are they to do? They read all the
books in the little library of the place, and
then there is nothing to do but look at the
old sailor searching all day with a tele-
scope for imaginary smugglers. / have
AANoA0 VI u 0SiItC lidA All lit City III "
don who, growing weary of a prolonged
honeymoon, t~elegraphed to his Office for one
of his ledgers to be sent down to him and
amused himself with it. OF course, he was
a brute. for all his books should have been
In the looks of the lady; still. there was a
great deal of human nature in Punch's
sketches of the waning Of the honeymoon.
In one of them a bride says: 'Wouldn't 1t
he nina Allow Jaorss ar sAl0xr do rlipr I, ~
whatever she called him, 'if an old friend
were to turn up?'' Yes he growled, ''or
even an enemy!' So 1t is that we may have
too much OF a good thing and that a honey
moon may become a treacle-moon and pail
from excessive sweetness.
During his honeymoon Walter Savage
Landor was reading some of his poetry to
his bride. The lady seems to have been a
little tired of the honeymoon in general
and of the reading In particular Though
Landor read beautifully. for she let go the
arm of her husband, jumped up and ran
to the window to see dear delightful
Punch" which was being performed in the
street. 1t was a bad beginning to show
so little interest in her husbands work;
but little quarrels are sure to take place
when people honeymoon not wisely but
" WILL. ~ - II illCldht dlCO " udNt lOO
much excitement In a honeymoon, to un-
dertake, for instance, to see In a short
month all the churches, all the picture gall
leries and all the waterfalls In Europe.
Trunks are troublesome to pack, trains do
not go at the hour wished and there are
many little mishaps trying TO the nerves
and causing quar- els which would not have
taken place nearly so soon IL the honey
moon had been spent in a calmer way. We
know the riddle. What is the difference
between a honey eomb and a honeymoon?
One consists of many small cells, the other
OF one big sell. This need not and ought
not to be the case.
HOW WEDDING CUSTOMS ORIG
MATED.
We are so accustomed to the different
matrimonial customs and ceremonies that
we do not inquire about their origin. And
yet they all had a meaning once. The Of
flee of the best man." for instance. though
now a sinecure, was not so when marriage
BY capture prevailed. Then a bridegroom
seized the girl he fancied without troubling
about the consent OF her parents or even Of
herself. and his friend assisted i'm the opera
ton. making sure that the coast was clear
or keeping at bay the Infatuated parents.
From the same primitive times dates the
custom of the bridegroom giving presents TO
H. H-fxaAr-,ata- RI -~---. t. 49,