The sun., 1903-11-12
A New York wedding.

A London newspaper OF the vulgarer
and more sensational class describes a
wedding in New York yesterday as a
"barbaric debauch Of color" q ceremony
in which Everything emblematic Of re-
ligion" was "obliterated under the sensu-
GUS garment of materialized wealth.
1t was the wedding Of an American girl
to Scottish Duke and actually was a
moderate enough affair, as weddings go.
1t was not marked by more display than
is usual at considerable weddings in Lon
don, in Paris, in New York or in any other
capital of civilization. About it there
was no "barbaric debauch of color; but,
unquestionably, there was displayed
much barbarous curiosity on the part OF
people who had nothing to do with it
either as guests invited to the ceremony
or even as acquaintance of the pair to be
welded. The ceremony itself was con-
Quoted according to the usual forms OF
the Anglican Church by Bishop dis
tinguished for his regard for the dignity
Of religious ritual. Rich people were in
attendance, as they are always at we'd
dings of people Of social consequence,
but their wealth was no more a "sensuous
garment" than is the wealth gathered
at similar functions in London.
The barbarous and curious crowd about
the church may have been unusually
demonstrative, but its collection was due
to the extraordinary publicity which
had been given to the Forthcoming cere-
mony for many weeks. Probably, If
there had been like advertisement Of
the wedding Of Duke, the crowd gath
cred in London itself would have been
as large and as boisterous. 1t is the pen
atty which must be paid by social conse-
quence Even in England, where Dukes
are not the novelties they are in America,
there is much popular curiosity regarding
them, and particularly when they get
married.
This wedding at the Fifth avenue
church was a free show, 80 far as con-
cerned the outside sight of its partici-
pants and those who had been invited to
the feast. People who had seen Dukes
impersonated on the stage of theatres
wanted to catch glimpse of Duke in
real life OF course, it was vulgar curl
osity and silly, for there is nothing in a
Dukes appearance to distinguish him
from the run of decently bred men. A
stage Duke satisfies the popular ideal Of
the character far better than Duke who
is actually in Burke's Peerage. He is a
far more imposing parsonage and far
better worth seeing.
The young Scotchman who was mar
ried yesterday is described as an unpre-
tentious fellow, and it is to be assumed
that like men generally he would have
preferred a quieter and less conspicuous
wedding, and the American girl married
to him has had too much experience Of
brilliant social functions to have craved
such "barbaric debauch Of color, as the
sensational London paper calls this Fifth
avenue wedding; though actually, as we
have said, it was not more "barbaric' v
than the weddings of people of social
consequence are usually in both
America and England. 1t was rather a
routine affair, and the tumultuous crowd
it's fame had collected about the church
must have been sorely disappointed at
the absence of the magniticence, the
"barbaric debauch of color, perfume
and expensiveness' of which the
London paper talks.