Year: 1871

upon his own head. Manxmen find a
pocketful Of salt equally efficacious.


In China they have a curious ceremony,
believed to be never-failing means of
making a marriage turn out we'll for the
lady. When she has taken her place
in the sedan in which she Is to be
carried TO her future home, her father
and mother, or other near relatives, hold
bed quilt up by its four corners in front of
the bridal chair. Into this one of the
brides female cronies tosses, one by one,
four bread cakes (the gift of the bride
groom's family,) sending them high up in
air; while the lady most concerned in the
matter repeats without ceasing sentences
invoking happiness upon herself and
spouse, TO which the company assembled
respond with the Chinese equivalent for
"amen."


The Cornish we'll of ST. Keyne pos
sesses


The quality-that man and wife,


Whose chance or choice attains,


First OF the sacred stream TO drink,


Thereby the mastery gains;


but in Sweden the damsel, ambitious of
ruling her lord as well as his house, can
attain her wish by merely contriving to
see him on the bridal morning before he
sees her; or, failing in this, she has yet
another chance at The last moment, by
putting her right foot before that of the
man when they approach the altar.


The lately revived custom of throwing
shoes after newly-wedded couple for
luck, is a very old one. In the Isle of
Man the shoe is thrown after the bride
and bridegroom as they leave their respect
i've abodes; but the ceremony is generally
performed elsewhere, upon the departure
of the horo and heroine of the day for the
honeymoon trip. In some parts of Kent
the shoe throwing does not take place un-
til after they have gone, when the single
ladies range themselves in one line, and
the bachelors range themselves in another.
An old shoe is thrown as far as the throw
er's strength permits, and the ladies race
after it, the winner being rewarded by the
assurance that she will be married before
any of her rivals. She then throws the shoe
at the gentlemen, the one she hits laying the
same pleasing JUNCTION to his heart. Some
thing like this is practiced, too, in York.
shire and Scotland. In Germany it used
to be the rule for the bride, as she was be-
ing conducted to her chamber, to take off
her shoe and throw it among the guests
who battled for its possession, the sue.
cessful he or she being held destined to be
speedily married aud settled. In some
places The threshold is kept warm for
another bride by pouring kettleful of hot
water down the steps as soon as the bride
and bridegroom have taken their depart
ure ; the fancy being, that before the wa.
ter dries up another match will be made
up, or "how on" and that 1t will not be
very long before another wedding couple
passes over the same ground. In Prussia,
the method adopted of invoking blessings
on newly-married pair used to be The
more expensive one of smashing crock
cry against the door of the house in which
they were domiciled.


The breaking of a wedding ring is an
omen that its wearer will soon be wild
ow. A correspondent of Notes and Queries
found this fancy current in Essex few
years ago. A man had been murdered in
that county, and his widow said,
thought 1 should soon lose him, for l
broke my wedding ring the other day
and my sister, too, lost her husband after
breaking her ring. 1t is sure sign" Such
notions are far more prevalent than one
would suppose, and the schoolmaster will
have to work hard and long before they
are entirely eradicated in our land
Chambers Journal