The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1911-03-11
EVER ON THE MOVE
MODERN GREEKS HAVE PASSION
FOR WANDERING,
Cafe Is Social Center Of Town-littJe
Comfort In the Romes-Sisters
Must Marry Before Their
Brothers Do.


Ducke Ferriman, the art of making a
home is not known, which does not
necessarily mean that the men Of Hell
las lack the notion of home" or dis
like it. They understand home life
otherwise than we do, that is all.
One may meet with exquisite
cleanliness" Mr.. Ferriman states,
with beautifully embroidered bed
linen scented with rosemary, but never
with what We mean by coziness. The
Greeks are far less in their houses
than we are, and when they are at
home they appear to spend most of
their time in looking out of the win
dow
They do not ask each other. so 1t
can hardly be expected that they
of foreigners. The cafe Is a second
home to them.
1T offers no alternative to the home,
there the hearth is the social center,
while in town It is the cafe. In Ath-
ems those who do not own the house
they dwell In seldom remain long in
the same abode. Two or three years
is quite a long tenure. Many people
make point of moving every year.
The imposing facades OF Athenian
houses conceal for the most part q
bare and comfortless interior, and a
well kept garden Is rare. A
garden is not made in year. and a
person who changes his residence
every twelve months does not want
to be troubled with much furniture
nor is he particular as to its arrange
ment. seeing that it will be carted
away in few months.
Home life has no resources for the
Greeks as it has for US. 1t affords
them little occupation and no amuse-
ment They like to eat and drink In
crowds, where there is noise and move
ment Their instincts are too
gregarious to allow them to appreciate
the domestic intimacy which we prize.
THE day chosen for marriage in
Greece is usually Sunday, but the day
of all days in the year Is the Sunday
preceding the Christmas fast 1t is not
fashionable now to be married In
church. In Athens the ceremony
takes place In the house of the brides
parents. A temporary altar is set up
in the middle OF the room.
"At the conclusion of the ceremony
the priest and the couple join hands
and walk three times around the altar,
the guests pelting them with comfits.
The most important part of the cere-
mony is the browning of the bride and
bridegroom with wreaths Of orange
blossoms. Hence a wedding is popu-
larly called the browning.
Love marriages are rare excep-
tons The match is made by the par
ents and relatives rather than by the
parties principally concerned. :.
There are certain established usages
which though not legally binding are
not to be contravened with impunity.
"Then It is considered wrong for
brothers to marry until their sisters
have been wed. Again girls must mar
nv in order OF seniority. 1t would not
he right for a girl to be married while
she had an elder sister who remained
single. The men of family are thus
naturally anxious to see their sisters
settled, and as a dowry is indispensa
BILE its provision is often a matter OF
serious anxiety and the fruit OF great
self-denial on the part OF the brothers
II the parents are dead.
"There are cases In which brothers
have remained unmarried for years
and have devoted all their hard earned
savings to the dowries of their sisters
Among the poorer classes emigration
is resorted to not infrequently solely
with this object and many dowry
comes to Greek maiden from across
the Atlantic London Daily Mail.
n41A Man