The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-27

among the habitant folk. That their
opinion on the subject of race suicide
does not run counter to President
Roosevelt's is attested by the large
families that are encountered every
where. The European custom Of par
ents settling something on children
when they<marry is practiced among
them. Whether Ii Is due to. caution
made necessary by the meagerness of
the surroundings, or TO natural covet-
Gus instincts, cannot be explained. but
it is certain that hOmely girl with
dot of few hundred dollars or a small
tract of land at once becomes more at
tractive to the young men than one
destitute of all save physical charms.
Illustrative of this point there is a
story concerning a Yankee farmer who
had married a French girl and settled
in one Of the back districts of Quebec
Although he had lived among the peo-
pie for years. and his children had been
brought up among them, this man re-
tanned enough of his American spirit
to refuse to offer a cash bonus to get
his girls married off; consequently
they threatened to become a drug on
the market. Finally he relented and
offered $500 with each one. At once
came Pierre, a big, numbering lout. who
said: Il ear you give Fl Ondred dol
lar wild Marie?" He was reluctantly
told that such was the offer. Il ear
you give f. 'ondred dollar wild Julie?
He was told the same amount went
with Julie. well Monsieur" said
Pierre, Il tink I'll take de bot o. 'em. -
The Yankee was so indignant at this
attempt to joke about such a serious
matter that he withdrew his offer at
once, and his girls were forced to wait
until they could find husbands who
were willing 10 take them for them
selves alone.
When Marie Louise Marries.
habitant wedding usually takes
place early in the morning. The bride
may have on a gown much finer than
the surroundings would seem to war
rant. Although she arrives in a COW
cred wagon. she is attired in an Outht
which cost several times as much as
her fathers house with all its furnish
ings. That it may take the greater
portion of the years crop 30 pay for
il, and that she is 10 become the wife
of Shantyman, does not seem to en-
ter into the count for consistency. This
is the one time in her life when Marie
Louise wants style and she insists on
having it. After the ceremony. the
member Of the wedding party repair
10 their vehicles and fOm into pro-
cession. often consisting of twenty-five
or thirty buggies. and rrCCced TO make
calls upon the friends Of the young cOu-
pie throughout the neighborhoOd. Dur
ing each visit the wedding presents are
exhibited and all those in attendance
drink TO the health and prosperity of
the high contracting parties as the
members Of the rural PIE IS are wont to
put IT, On such festive occasions il is
not unusual for thirsts to materialize
while the party is jou-neying from
place to place. in which event il is not
at ali impOlite to halt the procession
and pass the bottle.
Like all his cousins CT Latin blood
the French Canadian is a willy poll
tician He would rathe~ be a lawyer
and dabble in politics than 10 get rich
by following some less exciting COM
mercial pursuit. In making jobs he is
as slippery as an eel Although he NAV
pledge his support here and there. he
invariably votes one way-for the
French candidate.
An Election Story.
An operator Of a mine in northern
Quebec told me of an experience he
had during the last election He was
a conservative and had in bis. employ
at the mine Gil French voters. which
is almost equivalent to saying that he
had that many liberals under him. Sir
Wilfred LaurieT is a Frenchman and
IL has been the experience of election
bosses that nothing can prevent The
rank and file of his people from voting
for him. This particular mining man
knew this TO be a fact so he decided TO
leave them alone The men felt very
kindly toward him because he had vol
unfairly raised their wages. When he
made no overtures to them concerning
/ their votes they seemed surprised. AS
election drew near and nothing was
said, the men became uneasy. At last