The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-10-20
THE WEDDING 4sEND OFF"


moves in what the world calls good
society. She is to be bridesmaid for
a friend in October and, despite the
obligations of friendship and those of
the sweet service intrusted to her, |
met her yesterday buying fish horns
for the send of" that would be given
the bridal pair. She mentioned the
fact that the funmakers would also
use miritons-French noise-drums
and policeman whistles when speed
ing the bridal pair upon their honey
moon.
We've got a splendid idea for
tricking out the carriage she went
on. We're going to just load it
down with white streamers and stick
pape rhearts all over it and tie tin
pans to the wheels and paste stick
ing plasters over the doors so they'll
have a time getting out at the sta
ton. It's the fashion to do these
silly things" she added apologetical-
Iy, noticing my Mortified expression,
j suppose, and when | last saw this
young person who had such a wrong
notion of fashion she was staring for
the shop where pink supids and red
hearts and other things of a gaudy
and suggestive nature can be bought.
Let us have sane weddings" said
an. old clergyman in the pulpit recent
ly, just as if he were talking of sane
Fourths. Let US marry witout
charivants, say all the woman maya
zines that try to uphold the ideals
and scancity of marriage-or say
something to that effect. Let me
escape the send off" many a nerv-
GUS bride thinks as she is being but
toned into her treveling frock, with
her ears keyed for the fun makers
who get such pleasure out of bridal
-embarrassments. AS for the bride
gromm, he stays awake at night
thinking of the send of they are go
ing to give him after the wedding
reception. And well he might.
The world is waking up to a great
need-brides and grooms mus posi-
lively be allowed to get away de-
Gently and comfortably. They are
the dearest ornaments of our civili-
zation, these brave, bashful black
coated fellows who know their duty
to the world, these dear, pale or
blushing brides, with their fairy wells
and orange blossoms and new rings.
In truht, instead of making them run
the gauntlet of foolishness on their
wedding day, with uproarious noise
and vulgar tricks of all sorts, it
seems far more proper to spread our
cloaks for their feet. Far more prop
er, too, to defend their carriages and
band-boxes with our lives rather than
to allow them to be stuck over with
ribald tags and floating ribbons, or be
hidden for hours, or be spirited away
altogether, and so on and so on ad
nauseam.
Still, what is sauce for one goose
or gander is sauce for others, and
there is always the matter of tradi-
tion to tingle the fingers and excite
the heart of mischief when two newly
bound lovers have had all the fine
ceremony allowable and are now 60
ing of by themselves; two young
people, perhaps, who have themselves
been very active in other send-offs.
A little fun, tempered with much
kindnes sand good taste, may be d.
rected toward these two and toward
others who take it amiably. But that
fun must never go the lengths of the
brutal horseplay which has been seen
at so many weddings in recent sea-
sons-never reach the point where
feelings and the decencies of life are
actually outraged.
The pinch of rice and the white
satin slipper thrown after the nuptial
carriage are legitimate expressions of
wedding enthusiasm, but the fiinging
OF these emblems of good luck should
be intrausted to one or two level
headed persons who will not abuse
the trust by blacking the brides eye,
making the carriage horses run away,
etc. 1t is proper to toss the rice and
the slipper at the back of the car
riage, and only when it is in motion,
and 1t is by no means necessary for
the missiles to hit the vehicle. Again,
rice is often replaced by confetti for
this innocent and well directed we'd
ding fun, and if this pretty minced pa
per does fly all over the pair in the
carriage, it does no harm AS to
horns, if the wedding guests must
toot them, what is the matter with
buying only teeny weeny doll ones
and only blowing them in the house