The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-02
CUP|D'S ASSISTANT
Marriage Brokers Methods in
Different Countries.
DRAWING UP CONTRACTS

one Agent Brings Unwilling Couples
Together and Receives Pay From
Parents--others Paid for Keeping
Willing Couples separated---Demand
Made Upon Widows or Widowers.
Wedding customs in the French
provinces differ from those of Paris.
The oldtime marriage festival, last.
ing at least three days, stu prevails
among the peasantry. The priests
oppose It on the ground that the mer.
riment frequently oversteps the
bounds of propriety, but their protests
generally go unheeded.
Preparations for provincial we'd.
ding and the settlement of the all.
important question of dowry fire.
quently consume several months, and
even then the engagement is kept a
profound secret until the compulsory
publishing of the bans makes known
the fact to the world certain lib
erty of courtship, under the vigilant
eye Of elders, is permitted. A con.
tract dinner is given, attended by the
families and relatives of the con.
tracing parties and by the notary,
who sees that the papers are drawn
up in due form.
Sometimes the terrors of the law
are braved by dispensing with the
vexatious formalities of the civil mar.
riage; but the wedding in church Is
celebrated with all possible pomp. and
to the richest man in the community
belongs the pleasant privilege OF g;y.
ing the bride away The procession
starts from the brides home to tho
church, not in carriages, but on foot
and is enlivened on the way by hired
musici II in Normandy,
bagpipers If in Brittany. The bride
hangs on the arm of her father, the
groom supports his future mother.in-
law. The family and friends follow
in couples, arm i'm arm, all brave in
bright colored ribbons, singing and
dancing as they go.
The church ceremony being over
the pageant returns in the same or
der, except that now the new husband
and wife walk together. The grand
dinner, which has been preparing for
days, is held in the open air in a
tent or in large hall So eagerly
has this feast been anticipated that
parents have warned their children for
several days beforehand to eat spar
ingly, so that they can do full justice
to the wedding dinner. After the feed
is over, the guests are not ashamed
10 hAr hA fra 20 Of
and take them home in baskets. This
meal is but the beginning of the fes-
tival of eating. drinking and dancing,
which will continue without inter-
ruption for several days.
II one of the parties to the mar
riage happens to be a widow or
widower there is sure to be a chara-
vari, in which the couple need expect
no peace until they generously treat
their tormentors. Even the priest will
throw aside his ecclesiastical dignity
to toll the death bell and will keep
on tolling until offered some sort of
inducement to cease his grewsome
racket.
The ancient custom of the bride
taking off her shoe and handing ii to
her husband, in token of his authority
over her, still prevails in some of the
remoter corners of France.
Germany has its marriage markets
and Belgium its matrimonial festival,
but France has an institution which is
still more peculiar and characteristic
Of the businesslike spirit which domi.
mates over Cupid on the Continent,
namely, the marriage agencies. These
are in charge of brokers who make
business of bringing young people to-
gether, Just as the real estate agents
bring together landloard and tenant,
The walls of their Offices are plas-
tered with testimonials from former
patrons.
The customer indicates to the
broker as near as he can what sort
of wife he desires. He is shown a
series of photographs, from which
he may select one or more that
pleases him most, and series of in.
terviews is arranged between the Gus
toner and the originals Of the pic
lures II the parties are not too
hard to please marriage is likely to
result. OF course, there are tricks
in this, as in all other trades. The
INSCRIPTIONS broker may have in his
pay one or more women who will
grant interviews to customers, posing
as candidates for matrimony. Since
the agent is paid for every interview
he brings about, and not according to
his success as a matchmaker, this
fraudulent arrangement proves profit
able to him and his female confeder.
ates, but his client will get no wife.
If the broker be enterprising he will
keep lady travellers on the road to
hunt up girls to replenish the matrl.
monial market.
There are two other varieties of
matrimonial agency One makes
busipess of bringing together unwiH-
Ing young people and making matches
between them, The agent gets his
pay from the parents, who have set
their hearts upon the union The
other sort depends for fees upon his
success in keeping willing ones apart.