Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-03-27
HASTE IS unknown
Forms OF Courtship as Practicet
In Old Spain
Not an Uncommon Thing for Man
and Maid 70 Remain Engaged for
Ten Years--Klssino Not Per-
mltted Between Them.

in the case of courtship and marriage
is done in haste. Indeed, in the
country towns Of Andalusia, a sudden
marriage creates great surprise, for,
as a Spanish writer says, "there is
nothing In which procrastination il
carried so far in Andalusia as in the
matter of engagements"
The Andalusian peasant considers
well the step he is about to take, and
this consideration is a very pleasant
way of killing time, and time is Of but
little value in the south of Spain. 1t
is quite a common thing for a man 20
| be engaged ten years. There is also
monetary consideration to be taken
into account, the marriage fee In Spain
being a high one-namely, 81 or IS.
Before coming into the house Of his
fiancee man has to ask permission
of the father to be his daughters
lover. If he gives it, party is given
to celebrate the engagement, at which
they drink aguardiente, etc, and eat
cakes. Girls are never allowed TO
walk out with their lovers. No kiss
| ing is permitted between them. When
a girl is asked why, she says: I'VE do
not belong to our lovers; If we guar.
relied he could not say that my lips
had ever been his"
This comes partly from pride and
! partly from a wish not to be depreci.
ated in the matrimonial market, as
| lovers in Spain often prove tickle. A
| II !,
| gagged five years when her lover Tilted
| her. Six months later she became en-
gagged again. You see, she had only
chatted with her former lover, so her
matrimonial chances were quite as
| good as before she was engaged at all.
Courtship is so public in Spain that
there cannot be any difficulty in get.
ting evidence for breach of promise.
| A peasant who is sued for breach Of
promise and who has resided In the
same province as his fancee has TO
pay so much for every year that he
has been engaged to her. Nearly all
the peasants are illiterate and have to
get friends to write their love letters
for them.
Although they do not kiss each 9th
er, they put KS and o's In their letters,
the latter signifying embraces When
q girl first writes to her love she only
addresses him as my appreciated
john" she does not think it at all cor
rect to put my dear John" unless
they have been engaged very lone
time.
In these days engaged couples be
longing to the upper classes see a
good deal of each other. They meet
at mass In the morning, chat together
during the hour of siesta, see each 9th
er in the afternoon during the prone
made, go to the same party in the eve
ming. and after supper see each other
and chat together at the window, and
there are nights when they remain
once more chatting together, their
faces pressed to the bars, until the
rosy fingered dawn appears in the
east.
| It is related that a lover getting
| married after an engagement of eight
years soon afterward fell into low
spirits from not knowing what to do
with his time.
A peasant girls fance always buys
the furniture, but the girls family
often takes care of it, which is some
guaranty that the marriage will take
place. The girls often spend more
than two years making their house
linen and trousseau.
Il Of he al Il,
not make good husbands; perhaps this
is why girls appear TO care more for
their mothers than their husbands
The devotion of daughters to their
mothers Is very great Indeed. TO be
a Spanish mother is to be much
adored. l know a girl who was great,
exasperated with her lover because
when he wrote to her he was always
quoting his mother. The girl satiri-
cally said, ut was always MI madre,
mi madrel"
The houses OF the Spanish poor are
nearly always built round large patios
| in which there is a well that has to
serve for as many as twenty families
Some of these patios are very pleas.
| ant, being decorated with plants and
shaded In summer by large vines. The
houses are very small. consisting Of
one little room and a tiny kitchen
So, as there is not much homework
TO be done, nor much housekeeping, II
is no wonder peasant girls are anxious
TO exchange domestic service for mat.
rimony, and become rather aggravated
with their lovers elaboration.
II a girl is engaged to a man who
emigrates SO as TO make a home for
her. before going out TO join him she
is married by proxy. The girls. how.
ever, do not like the now very preVa.
lent custom of emigrating. TOR owing
TO ii they often hose their lowers. The
English poverb that absence makes
the heart grow fonder" does not al.
ways prove true as regards the Span.
lard. He will, indeed, ask his fiancee
10 x..-tfa A., him buf oh ,,,fTI