Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-22

Terrors Of Preparation for Wedding,
Horrors Of Bridal Tour.


From the Medical Brief.
IL It Is the province of hygiene to cure
the many superstitions OF the laity, in too
many Instances shared by the profession.
as. for instance. that an egg is equivalent
In nutritive value to a pound of meat; that
the various mysteries sold in the drug
stores as beef extracts are sufficient by
the teaspoonful to sustain famished in
valid or convalescent for twenty-four
hours. more or less, and that milk is tho
one grand. important. absolute and uni
versal food for every breathing thing: 81
hygiene could only restrict itself to such
things. IT would occupy US to the very full
~hiie the world shall last, but there are
many other errors almost as widespread
ana more fatal In their consequences. tits
Almost ncomprehensble to the thoughtfuI
physician why the atrocious vice of we'd
oing tours has not been utterly stamped
out. No matter how robust how tenacious
OF life. how full OF energy, how many
tunes the four hundred years. which the
good DR.. Holmes insists should be the time
or preparation for the newborn infant; no
matter what adjuncts to ease. of wealth
OF education of refinement. not one of
tnem can stand safely the dreadful physi-
cal and mental exactions OF the prolonged
and. too often. deleterious excitement of
the engaged.
The constant strain to keep up that some
nat ITOHt winch mas attFaCfed
and which continues to attract the be-
trothed. together with the six months
Siege, more or less of the most laborious
exertion In the preparation of trousseau.
the exactfons. impOsitions and fatigues of
the dressmaker. the same to a lesser de-
gree of the miliner, and to crown all. the
dreadful hurry and vfgils which attend the
few weeks Immediately preceding the cere-
mony.
With the groom 1t Is scarcely less exact
Ing. Whether in business or whether OF
leisure, and like all the strictly leisure
class. driven by the lash of necessity for
amusement. his attention divided. his en-
tire habit OF life, so far 1t il then
formed, completely subverted his hurried
and frequently frenzied attempts to regu-
late his business affairs in order that he
may have nothing on his hands to interfere;
these combined produce condition OF the
system. both mental and physical. of both
the high contracting parties. which pc
culiarly and positively UNIT them for the
dreadful exactions of honeymoon trip.
Immediately upon the conclusion of the
ceremony the youthful couple proceed with
the utmost dispatch to the train and then
begins the most tiresome episode which
human beings with all the varied ills of
life are subjected to. To the sensitive
modest young woman. the mental disquiet
of appearing to the world In the not to be-
concealed role of bride, is In itself sufficient,
but this must be supplemented by the dis
comforts of that Procustean travesty, the
modern, much overdecorated sleeping car.
The overstuded Indifference of the groom
needs no mention here this is not In
tended as a humorous sketch. Arriving.
not at their destination, for their proper
destination will probably be a sanitarium,
but at the city which they have chosen to
honor with their incognito. they begin life
burdensome from the very strangeness OF
the room. of the furniture, of the sur
roundings. and the unfamiliar and too often
indigestble. if not absolutely hurtful.
menus This, however. does not suffice with
the great majority of them. Hardly have
they swallowed an early breakfast before
they are off sightseeing and visiting every
celebrity within twenty miles of the city,
too often in inclement weather. and too
often In the reaction brought about by the
months of strenuous endeavor which have
preceded the trip. 1t does not suffice that
they should thus drag themselves from
post to pillar ostensibly enjoying these va
rious sights and landscapes in each others
society. while as Lord Allcash says in Fra
DiavOlo," leach longs for his or her sleep
all the day" well meaning. misguid d
friends who have been apprised of their ar
rival. visit the newly married couple n
their hotel in the afternoon and evening.
The bride Is exposed to a series of labori-
Gus mental and physical efforts which
might well break down the strongest and
most robust man. Is it any wonder that
the wedding trip is the first and most pow
erful factor in the wretched health for
many years of young American matrons?