The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-14

you out of the way the nrst time you called or you made away with the daugn- ter, took to the woods or the plains, as the case might be. with spears. boone ranes. tagged hints and arrows for the wedding presents showertng after the retreating party. Some say that the tocose slipper now used Is a survival of the missiles hurled by the angry parents.
 The throwing of rice at weddings has been traced bacx to an old custom among the Hindoos, with whom rice is a symbol of fertility, SO that the shower of rice is expressive of the wish that the newly-wedded pair may be blessed with a large and happy family. During the marriage ceremony in India, the bridegroom throws three handfuls of rice over the bride and the bride does the samc over the bridegroom, but rice en- ters conspicuously in other parts of the ceremony.
 The Wedding Music. Who has not felt the ripple of excite | ment that breaks over the church when the strains of the Lohengrin Wedding March announce the coming of the bridef But from times away back. music has heralded the approach of the bride. At the marriages of the Anglo.Saxons the happy couple were attended by melodi- | ous measures.
 Dame Sibil Turle, q character in Ben Johnson's play of "A Tale of Tub," is introduced representing her husband: "A clod you shall be called to let no music go before your child to church, to cheer her heart up." Scriben seconds the good old dame's rebuke. She's f tn right, sir; for your wedding dinner is starved | without music"
 at marriage of any consequence. Hence nff-FAnaataA vn bells"
 The Bridesmaids. Even the custom of having brides mats is as old as the time of the An glo-saxons. at least Then, as a writer informs us, 'the bride was led by a ma tron who was called the brides woman, | followed by a company of young maidens | who were called the bridesmaids. With | the progress of time the post of brides | maids became more and more import ant It came to be one of their duties to lead the bridegroom to church, as it was the duty of the bridegrooms men to con- | duct the bride thither. Brides even in | those days were sometimes late, it seems, for character in a veRy old play re- | marks: My bride will never be readie. I think: here are the other sisters" A curious bit of superstition was that the bridesmaids in undressing the bride must throw away or lose all pins Bad luck to the bride if a single one was left about her! And just as bad luck to the bridesmaids if they kept one of them. Their chances of matrimony would be | long delayed.
 l In Oriental China a curious custom is met with which perhaps explains our custom Of giving presents. The KuFku girls pretend to resist the removal of the bride. When they get near enougf, I AAw vaMYk balls of boiled rice. then coyly retreat. followed, of course, by the men. At the door of the brides house they make q final stand, only suffering the men to enter when they nave paid toll in the form Of presents to themselves.
 Wedding Lore.
 Happy Is the bride that the sun shines on.
 Says an old proverb-as your weddins ring wears. your cares will wear away.
 To walk under a ladder is unlucky-ii means that you will not be married for 6 year, at least.
 In England. about the time of James l., 1t was the custom that if the young CT daughter was married before her older sisters, the later must dance at her wed. ding without shoes. This was a charm against bad luck and brought them hus- bands.
 In olden Germany the bride threw hel shoe away as she entered the brida chamber. Whoever was fortune enough to catch 1t was sure to be happily mar. ried.
 Another superstition was that the bride must not step over the threshold in en. tering the bridegroom's home; sine wal lifted across by her nearest relatives.
 There was a time. too, when the bride was expected to weep at her wedding The origin of this peculiar custom. 1t hal been said. was that by weeping copious ly the bride gave her husband the happy assurance that the lady he was marry ing was no witch, and had not pligiltet
 her troth to Satan. flor no witch couit shed more than three tears and thos.
 from her left eye only"
 Something old and something new
 something borrowed and something blu is regarded by brides to this day.
 The familiar phrase, the ''marriag
 knot," it is said, originated from the GUS
 tom among the Babylonians. with whom tying the knot was part of the marriag ceremony Then the priest took threa,
 from the garment Of the bride, and an
 other from that of the bridegroom an, tied them into a knot. which he gave t the bride. thus symbolizing the binding nature of the union.