The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1902-08-01
HUSBANDS WHO MAY NEVER
SEE THEIR WIFES' FACES.

husbands are not permitted to look
upon their wives. They live in
huts apart, and only during the
night are allowed to visit the is
brides. This custom, which prevails
in the neighborhood of Timbuotoo,
is equalled in singular1ly by that
vogue at Futa where wives never
permit their husbands to see them
unvailed until three years have
elapsed since their marriage. y #ss
InSparta, as is we'll known, the
husband was only able to seek the
society of his wife by stealth and
under cover of darkness. as seems to1
be the case among the Turkomans
of the present day, on whom, some
times for the space of two years
after marriage, a similar taboo is
laid. Circassian women, although
they do not carry prudery to this
extravagant excess, always live on
the coolest terms with their hus-
bands until they have become
mothers. ...,.. II;
Among civilized peoples such
codes do not of course, exist al
though essentricity has been known
to afford nalogous, if solitary ex-
amples, as in the case of the wife
of Viennese doctor who, having
on the eve of the day originlly fixed
for her marriage, been stricken
with smallpox, which completely
destroyed her good looks, became a.
bride only on condition that she
might ever by day wear thick
veil. This afterwards rescinded.
A curious marriage was few
years since celebrated in the Russian
province of Simbrisk. The BRIDE:
who by withdrawing herself entirely
from the world had obtained a
reputation for great sancitity le
slowed her hand upon an ascetic
of equal fame. The couple had
never previously seen each other,
nor did they when the priest had
made them one.; for after the
ceremony in which they took part
blindfolded, they separated never to
meet again.
Almost as singular was the
wedding that took place in the sos
in a church in northern district Of
London at which the bride wore q
silk handkerchief wrapped loosely
around her face. To save her
parents from ruin she had consent
ed to marry rich man, whom she
regarded with aversion, on the slip
ulation that he should never behold
her when she had become his wife.
After the ceremony she returned to
her parents house, which, however,
her husband, through the good
offices of friends, persuaded her to
abandon for his own.
A widow, whose husband had
had the misfortune to be blind, was
souhgt in second marriage by we'll
to do citizen of Leeds. She, how
ever, rejected his address and, on
his demanding a reason, averred
that she could on no account permit
him to exercise a privilege that
had not been enjoyed by her first
choice viz, that of looking upon
her face. Her lover fell in with
her humor, and SO obstin ate did
she prove when his wife that
more than three months elapsed
ere he could induce her to remove
the thick veil which since her
wedding she had hidden her
features.
Towards the close of the eigh-
teenth century there appeared at
Brunn, in Bohemia, an impostor
named Maria Zoller, who, giving
herself out to be inspired, invariably
wore veil when among her follow
ers-of whom she had many-lest,
she pretended, the divine effulgence
that streamed from her countenance
should strike them dead. A number
believed in her pretensions, among|
others rich old farmer, who went
so far in his folly as to ask her. hand
in marriage.
10th to forego wealthy husband,
and at the same time unwillingly
to confess to a gross imposture she
advanced the fact that he must, az
her husband, sooner or later, be-
hold the splendor of her face, aud
consequently perish miserably. The