Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-29

II
question that has never been
adequately answered is why no many
brides and grooms zee nj TO follow the |
plunge into matrimony by Inspecting |
the seething waters OF Niagara. You |
can ask this question as often as you |
like and get a different slant on the |
subject every time.
One plausible answer offered by a |
Niagara Falls native OF philosophical
bent is that q trip To the Falls is the
standard American pilgrimage. Once
n couple are married. he explained.
they settle dow. to n prosaic do
mesticity and there is less chance Of
setting Off on the purely esthetic mis-
sion Of seeing Niagara. SO the b. and
&. land at Niagara and do" the Falls
conscientiously from as many angles
as their finances and time permit
After that they board train with a
look Of peace on their faces They
have seen the Falls and in future con-
versations they can hold their own
safely with any one who wants 70
talk travel.
This explanat ton perhaps was based
on premises a trine old fashioned The
modern couple rarely takes marriage
70 imply permanent and total do
mesticity. Nor is travel the formid-
able undertaking that II was once.
A shop keeper explainee the honey
mooners this way: You know the
Falls has fascination for lots Of
people. It's pretty well understood
that when two people look at the Falls
81 81
to keep from jumping in. There's no
other place that know Of that offers
an opportunity Ike that for honey
moon couples. Why. the Falls was
made for them" and the shop Keeper
winked gaily and motioned toward a
couple that had apparently chung to
each other so desperately on the brink
Of the Falls that they hadn't been able
to get apart. There they stood, cheek
! to cheek, gazing soulfuily, at a rack
OF postcards.
Tradition doubtless has had a good
} deal to do with the annual honey
moon stampede toward Niagara. And
the atmosphere Of the Falls is an
obvious reason for the presence Of
bridal parties. The entire parkway
on either side Of the American Falls
for some distance is an unbroken
(. series Of lovers retreats. There is
plenty Of room--with lots Of benches
, and shubbery and the roar of the
! Falls just suitably loud enough TO
keep outsiders from hearing remarks
meant for two only. Doubtless
, Niagara cops are lenient TO spoOners
The Speeches. Spectator.
Q There is not, on the whole, great
!, deal Of conversation going on around
/. the Falls. IL il interesting to note
J. that people do not stand on the brink
E and burst into rhapsodies For SONS
r reason. the American vocabuIar,
). doesn't go far here. Almost all languag.
2 people can extract to fit the view /.
that it's beautiful or wonderful. and
: occasionally, Amt il grand?g will
q the swift answer from the other hal
y Of the couple, 1T sure is"
The Falls has always rendered PEG
9 pie inarticulate. Seventy-five year,
= ago our grandmothers and grand
= fathers, who pronounced it Ni-a-gay
= ra Falls. with the accent on the gay
: were standing at the edge Of the sam,
rapids in the fall models OF 1885,
!. panniers. hoops. beaver hats. an,
. eyerything--using the already boar
" formula: Isn't it wonderful"
. We have been told that the hxe,
le rule of Niagara for a honeymoon ha
II OF late years become less arbitrary
l. other points Of interest rivaling tn
II Falls in attractiveness. This NAV h
80, but casual count would sho,
that aboutevery other couple that ma
be seen wandering about the Fall
bears all the earmarks of being JUS
hitched. Their shoes are new. unde
of the Niagara Falls dust. And thei
expressions Of beatific calm ukeUis
have the look OF being new.
Except for these honeymooners, VIII
- are mostly in a state of suspende
Il animation, the chief amusement Z
n Americans while drinking in the Fan
Il are chewing gum and taking snar
be shots. AT some vantage points il ma
be said without too much exaggeratio
that the click Of the cameras riya,
the roar of the Falls.
People who are at first glance al,
~ appointed in the size OF the spectac
sometimes get clearer idea of III
~ Vastness of Niagara when they sta
/ TO take pictures. Visitors are sta
ing all along the shore on both n
Canadian and American sides.
60 some places where the land juts O,
% tney are on the very edge OF n
~ torrent. Yet the people across Il
- river can scarcely be seen with n
naked eye. The camera makes mott
"a. ing OF them. And even at clos,
= range, the average kodak view of II
- Fails doesn't register the people
- the scene any more than if they we
! mes crawling on the shore.
The town Of Niagara Falls offe
- American travellers seem mo
A. TO want-plenty of post cards and ,
- assortment OF souvsnirs that a.
somehow more in keeping with Il
~ e. OF what-nots, gimcracks. a,
-, suffered parlors than with this \
'or cade Of so many beautiful and usef
~ things. e'
lid The Glmcraek Business.
Il That there is a demand for r
souvenir is apparent from the ia
that there are 50 many of the Sho,
:, a count showed 10 souvenir stor
and 10 restaurants on two blocks
, Falls street on one side Of the sire
only.
These shops are far flOm eheap. n
"a owners figure on i've months acti
-. trade, but out of the five months IN
"a say there is only six weeks rushi,
~ business. A good many newlywe
come during June. but not many =
he 6 uonists. Then after the fourth
~ July. the number Of visitors increas
- steadily and rises to a peak in Aug,,