Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-21
MARRIAGE IN FRANCE
LOVE rs SAID TO PLAY SMALL
PART IN MARITAL CONTRACT.
Revolutionary Proposal to Change
French Matrimonial System-Sug
gestion Of Playwright.
Paris Cor. London Express.

Paris Cor. London Express.
At the present time a not inconsiderable
number of Frenchmen are living In the fear
that the law may compel them under pen
atty, to love their wives. 1t Is not that
these men do not already possess some sort
of affection for theindpartners In life but
there Is no knowing what awkward inter-
probation the ladies might put upon the new
reading Of the law. Hitherto the French
marriage code has limited itself to declar-
Ing that the contracting parties owe each
other mutual esteem. fidelity and succor.
Nothing is mentioned about love.
An eminent playwright, NJ. Paul Hervieu,
however, thinks that people who enter the
bonds of wedlock should also be required
by law to love one another. M. Hervieu
expressed his views before parliamentary
committee formed to consider certain re-
forms In the code, and apparently ma
jority of the members are inclined to share
his view, on the ground that it is in the In
terests of morality for the law to recognize
love in matrimony.
Curiously enough, love enters very little
indeed into the making of the vast majority
of French marriages. French people, as a
rule marry because it is to their mutual in
terests. In arstocratic marriages love is
purely a question of convention. of deco
rum, of mutual convenience.
Among the middle or bourgeoise classes
marriage is principally question OF pounds,
shillingS and pence. A manufacturer, a
lawyer an official, an officer or a merchant
looks forward, in contracting a marriage
to finding in the shape of his wife dowry
value corresponding to the position he holds
or the annual income he derives from his
profession or business.
The Mercenary "Dot."
One Of the first cares of French father
is to provide dowry for each of his daugh-
tiers, and according to the value of the
dowry he can command a more or less suit
able husband for his daughter. The larger
the dowry the more exacting will he be-
come as to the status of possible son-in-
law.
Such marriages are nearly always ar
ranged by the parents or near relations on
both sides. The young Frenchman who de-
cides 1t is time to marry seldom fixes his
choice on any particular girl. He allows
his relatives to look around for him. He
manages to obtain, by various well-known
articles, view of the person who is sug-
gested to him as a suitable part" and If
she is sufficiently presentable to please him.
and the two families can come to terms as
regards money matters, the proposal is
made in due form.
A few weeks later the marriage takes
place. The girl, 1t will be seen, has scarce
ly been consulted. but such is the manner
of her bringing up that she Is generally
quite content to leave matrimonial matters
III the hands of her father, and to accept
the husband he has selected for her.
In France hasty marriages, long engage
ments, and breaches of promise are prac-
tically unknown.
The desire to obtain quid pro quo in
marriage extends even to the masses, to
the peasantry and the working classes. A
small peasant farmer who is the proprietor
of five acres of land and ten cows would
consider he had made an extremely bad
TO- l.. -,
to the daughter of a man who owned but
three acres and six cows.