Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-07-16
CoURTING IN FIFE.
How Young Men Signify Their Love
 at the Dinner Table.

at the Dinner Table.
 The mode of courtship in Fife in olden days had some very singular characteristics. That it was modest in it's nature and did not embarrass the onlooker, and that it had good deal of true Scottish caution about it, we learn from the following quaint ac- count by an old writer:
 ''When the young man," he wrote, "hath the felicity to be invited to the same party with the maiden that hath won his affections, then doth he en- deavor to sit opposite to her at the table, where he giveth himself not. up to those unSeemly oglings and gazlngs which he practiced in other parts, to the offense of aged virgins and other persons of much discretion; but, put ting forth his foot, he presseth and treadeth withal upon the feet and toes of the maiden; whereupon, if she do not roar forth, it is sign that his ad dresses are we'll received, and the two come in due course before the minister. This form of attack is known by the name of 'Footie, and the degree of pressure doth denote and measure the warmth of the passion. Such young dS speed: these do take with them more forward friend, who shall yicariously, in their stead, give, a light pressure, and a person who doth thus melt the ice of coyness between the parties is, in these parts, called 'Lightfoot,' from the lightness of his pressure" Curious customs with regard to mar riage were in force in many Fifeshire villages during the seventeenth cen tury. After being proclaimed on three successive Sabbaths, the marriage could not take place until a pledge, usually amounting to five pounds Scots, l had been lodged with the kirk session. At a stated time after the marriage, If meanwhile the couple had behaved i themselves to the satisfaction of the l session, this sum was returned. but 1T l not, the money was forfeited and went to the support of the poor. Many l time the expectant bridegroom had not such a sum as five pounds in his pos session, and in that case a kindly | friend or neighbor would lend him the money.
 When the marriage of a wealthy couple tok place the bridegroom was expected to contribute very liberally | to the poor box, so that marriage in Fife would seem to have been rather 1 a costly affair in olden days.
 The marriage ceremony was per I formed by the minister in much the same way as at the present day. In 1 the subsequent festivities the pipers played a very important part. The proceedings would seem to have been generally of a most uproarious nature l judging from the following minute of Aberdour kirk session, dated January, l 1853: Tt is reported by some of the 1 elders that there is any great abuse at brydalls, with pypers and the like.
 To put down riotingi and disorder at weddings this session, those who seem to have held the poor bagpipe players responsible for much of the trouble, ordained that those who were about to be married must consign two dollars 1 into the treasurer's hands, which should be restored after the marriage, provided there had been no abuse by pipers, but, in the event of such abuse, the said two dollars was to be confis- l cated for the use of the poor. The pipers usually accompanied the mar riage party from the house of the brides relations to that of the bride groom.
 Penny weddings" or as they were sometimes called, Penny bridals," !" were very popular in Fife in the sev- enteenth century. Each guest paid a penny for the privilege of taking part
 in the festivities, and so great was the
 uproar often made by these paying guests in order, presumably, to get
 as much excitement for their money as possible, that at length, in 1647 we
 read: 'The Presbytery of St. Andrews passed an act restricting the number
 of persons present at weddings to twenty and the number present at con- tracts and baptisms to six or seven,
 and this act was extended by the synod to the whole of Fife.-Girninan in the
 Scotsman.