THE SUXDAY OKEGK)TAX, PORTXA"T), JT7XE 23, 1907.
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BT ALBERT EDWARD ULLVAN.
THERE may be special months or
season favored by brides-to-be in
different climes for the ringing of
wedding-bells, but any old time Is a
Kood time. From China to America and
from Iceland to Patagonia the whole
earth is perpetually smiling with brides.
Think of the trousseaus that are being
prepared, from the red silk veil of the
Orient to the white tulle of the Occident;
of the sifts that are being given, of the
odd strange ceremonies that ere being
performed, of the rites and feastlngs!
lrdeed it is a wonderful time; and a
time when all should be happy. . And, in
general, we may suppose that all brides
aro happy, but
In the land of the Joss, the little
Chinese maid, who Is about to be mar
ried, doesn't seem to look forward to
thj venture with anything like the en
thusiasm of her American sister. It Is
a time of walling and lamenting with
her. She is looked upon from her very
birth If indeed she is not smothered as
a -babe as something despicable. A girl
baby finds no favor in the eyes of the
rodfc of the Flowery Kingdom; all honor
goes to the male child over there. Hence
when the girl-baby grows up there is
small wonder that she Is disposed of
lightly to some man who. Instead of
looking1 upon her as a wife, views her
rather as a servant, and a profitable
one, too. Inasmuch as he doesn't have
to pay her anything for her services.
And this Is even shown In the marriage
service; for at the conclusion of the
rites she is received by the austere groom
as he sits upon a high stool, indicating
his superiority, and is made to prostrate
herself at his feet; The women of the
East, it must be observed, are far more
abjec and dependent than the women
of the West.
In Japan, the dear little Island of
cherry blossoms, the woman Is treated
with more respect; Inasmuch as this
modern country Is rapidly taking on
the customs and manners of Europe,
their treatment of the fair sex is con
siderably "fairer," and this is shown In
many ways. The young girl Is given the
opportunity of refusing her suitor If
she doesn't want him, a privilege that is
frequently denied the Chinese bride. In
"Nippon the wooer comes and places a
sprig of shrubbery on the house of the
maid he would like to marry: If thte
shrub la neglected, it shows him that
he is rejected. If it Is taken Into the
house and placed upon the wall. It means
that the young lady "has no objections."
Then she, to show him that she returns
his affectionate regard, blackens her
teeth. After they are married she plucks
out her eyebrows, and then the husband
and -wife "are allowed to talk together;
for, you must know, the young men are
not often allowed to talk to the girls
over In the Mikado's realm.
In Korea, close- at hand, men of all
ages take tip the benedict's life. It
frequently happens that young boys,
scarce 12 years old. are married to girls
of the same age. The price of a wife is
a bullock, and. needless to say. a good
bullovk is regarded over there as a
thing of much more value than a mere
woman. The photoirraph ahows a bride
groom on his way to the wedding: It Is
taken at Seoul, in the Southern part of
the island, where the sun is hot and a
servant is seen protecting the speeding
groom from the rays of the sun with a
large umbrella. A curious connection
with Korean weddings is that concerning
the bridegroom's hair. Before his mar
riage It is left long and braided down
his back: but afterward It is colled on
top of bis head, much as the American
woman colls up her hair, and Is sur
rounded by a wire apparatus not unlike
a birdcage or a mouse trap and left that
way as a sign, doubtless, to all scheming
widows that he Is already "took" and Is
not to be tampered with.
In Norway the crown is on the wom
an's bead, as can be seen by a reference
to the photograph. It is a magnlncent
affair, but It is rather cumbersome and
unwieldy and while no doubt it is con
sidered quite a luxury, the mere fact that
the bride has to wear It night and day
for a week would make it a decidedly un
popular custom in this country. The
methods of the suitor are unique, as is
the case In almost every foreign country.
If a man and maid happen to eat off of
the sace piece of bread it is taken for
granted that they are sure to fall in
love; then, after, the marriage, the bride
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tuns away the next day and hides. She
is sought out by the whole village and.
when found. 1s brought back, set up in
her new home and made to dispense
liquor to villagers. A week Is generally
given over to the bridal festivities.
The "match-maker" is always a promi
nent Institution among foreign brides and
bridegrooms; he (or she, as the case may
be) is a sort of bride-merchant, a middle
man, who sorts out a likely husband for
an anxious wife, and vice versa. Gen
erally it Is the other way: generally the
wife has to be sought, and sought with
care. The matter of the dowry has to
be arranged, and the match-maker has
to be paid by the wife's parents. In the
Vnlted States we frequently hear, among
the Ghetto tribes, of the "shatchem."
which Is the same thing as the Old
World "match-maker." Greece. Pales
tine. Persia. India, practically all the
Eastern countries have this sort of traf
fic; and these wily wife-merchants make
a very good living. Indeed.
In Greece the "match-makers" practi
cally arrange all the marriages among
the lower classes. There, too, are orange
blossoms used, one of the few countries
besides our own In which this flower has
the same especial significance. There also
the best man has a rather delicate Job
which probably would not be popular in
this country. The groom presents his
bride with a pair of shoes and it Is part
of the best man's duties, during the cere
mony, to get down and put these shoes
upon her dainty feet. In the photograph
here given the Grecian woman has ar
rayed herself In a splendid costume and
is standing mock simplicity (the usual
Grecian custom) while a part of the cere
mony is being performed. It Is this tra
ditional affectation of hers which has
given rise to the Greek saying, "as af
fected as a young bride."
In India there is a curious way of "get
ting rid of the woman." If It may be said
in that brutal phrase. There a young
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bachelor is apt to wait a long time be
for purchasing a bride, because the cost
is too great. Widows, however, are
cheap! What does the wily father of
the rapidly aging daughter do. In order
to make her readily marriageable? He
marries her to a bouquet of flowers and
then throws the flowers in a well! This
makes her technically a widow and as
such very cheap, on the market. After
that, the process of 'wedlock Is easy. A
wife Is a decidedly handy thing to have
around the premises. She can work
equally as well as the man, in time of
debt, she is accepted by the creditor as so
much cash.
The "match-maker" above alluded to Is
an accepted go-between In Persia, nearly
all the marriages there being arranged
by these dealers. The wife, as a young
girl, keeps herself heavily veiled: and
even after her marriage" she does not re
move this covering, for fear of not being
considered respectable. Wrhen she has
given birth to a son she is allawed more
freedom than formerly: in fact.- she is
even allowed to go about the town, heav
ily veiled, if she is accompanied by this
son and by her mother, or mother-in-law!
What would our American wome
say to this?
We are apt to gather from the Rubayat
of Omar Khayyam and from other Per
sian poets that the Persian Is a very
poetical man. yet here Is the burden of
one of his wedding songs:
"Ah, Lalla. Lalla, you have made roast
meat of my heart!"
The Dauphine maiden is past mistress
in the art of encouraging or discourag
ing a lover's attentions besides saying
In so many words that he is welcome or
had better be gone. When a swain's
visits are pleasing to iter he makes his
soup thick with grated cheese; if the
contrary, he will find a handful of oats
in his pocket. Should he persist, she
will turn the blackened ends of the fire
brands towards him. a sign there u no
Customs in Foreign Lands
Contrast With Our
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mistaking. The peasant girl admits a
favored lover to a parlement, which cor
responds to a consent to ."keep com
pany," as we say in this country. The
swain is now allowed to dance with and
call upon her. and to make himself use
ful In a thousand little ways. Should
no better suitor come forward, the two
will probably become man and wife. But
French women have a shrewd turn for
business, and. if a richer loon comes
across her path who is equally attractive
to her, the chances are Jeanette will not
let him sigh in vain. So Jean, who has
been admitted to a parlement at the Xew
Year, may find his privileges withdrawn
at Easter; while Jacques, who has a rich
uncle, now carries her basket and chats
with her at the well.
But with the better classes In France
there Is little opportunity for courtship.
In Paris young unmarried girls go out
occasionally into society: in the provinces
this Is not allowed. Wfcen a young man
resolves tn matrimony, and hears of a
young lady ' whose family and circum
stances are in every way suitable, he
makes Informal Inquiries, through a
priest or some lady of her circle, about
the girl's domestic qualities and amount
of dowry. This last particular is of the
highest Importance. It Is rare for a
dowerless girl to marry In France,
though the portion which wives,1 even
of the comfortable middle class, bring
their iiusbands only consist of a sum of
three or four figures. On receiving sat
isfactory Information the suitor, who
wishes to do the thing In a decorous
manner commits the affair to some el
derly woman, perhaps his mother or
aunt. This good lady hastens to ac
quaint the girl's family with the offer,
and in her turn informs them of the
suitor's unimpeachable character and
good circumstances.
Marriage is more difficult of accom
(Concluded on Paipe 8.)
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