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Only wealthy marriages are tolerated in New York
society. For men or women to marry beneath them is a
crime society cannot forgive. There must be fortune
on one side at least. Marriages for money are
directly encouraged. It is not uncommon for a man
who has won a fortune to make the marriage of his
daughter the means of getting his family into
society. He will go to some young man within the
pale of good society, and offer him the hand of his
daughter and a fortune. The condition demanded of
the aforesaid young man is that he shall do what may
lie within his power to get the family of the bride
within the charmed circle. If the girl is good
looking, or agreeable, the offer is rarely refused.
When a marriage is decided upon, the engagement is
announced through one of the "society newspapers,"
of which there are several. It is the bounden duty
of the happy pair to be married in a fashionable
church. To be married in or buried from Grace or St.
Thomas's Church, is the desire of every fashionable
heart. Invitations are issued to the friends of the
two families, and no one is admitted into the church
without a card. Often "no cards" are issued, and the
church is jammed by the outside throng, who profane
the holy temple by their unmannerly struggles to
secure places from which to view the ceremony. Two
clergymen are usually engaged to tie the knot, in
order that a Divorce Court may find it the easier to
undo. A reporter is on hand, who furnishes the city
papers with a full description of the grand affair.
The dresses, the jewels, the appearance of the bride
and groom, and the company generally, are described
with all the eloquence Jenkins is master of.
If the wedding be at Grace Church, Brown, "the great
sexton" is in charge. A wedding over which he
presides is sure to be a great success. A wonderful
man is Brown. No account of New York society would
be complete without a few words about Brown. He has
been sexton of Grace Church ever since the oldest
inhabitant can remember, and those familiar with the
matter are sorely puzzled to know what the church
will do when Brown is gathered to his fathers. The
congregation would sooner part with the best Rector
they have ever had than give up Brown. A certain
Rector did once try to compel him to resign his post
because he, the Rector, did not fancy Brown's ways,
which he said were hardly consistent with the
reverence due the house of God.
The congregation, however, were aghast at the
prospect of losing Brown, and plainly gave the
Rector to understand that he must not interfere with
the sexton. Never mind about his want of reverence.
The Rector's business was to look after the
religious part of the congregation, while Brown
superintended the secular affairs of that
fashionable corporation. They had use for the Rector
only on Sunday; but Brown they looked up to every
day in the week. The Rector meekly subsided, and
brown forgave him.
Fashionable weddings are very costly affairs. The
outfits of the bride and groom cost thousands of
dollars, the extravagance of the man being fully
equal to that of his bride. A wedding is attended
with numerous entertainments, all of which are
costly, and the expenses attendant upon the affair
itself are enormous. The outlay is not confined to
the parties immediately concerned, the friends of
the happy pair must go to great expense to give to
the bride elegant and appropriate presents. One,
two, or three rooms, as may be required, are set
apart at every fashionable wedding, for the display
of the presents. These are visited and commented
upon by the friends of the bride and groom, such
being the prescribed custom. The presents are
frequently worth a handsome fortune. At the marriage
of the daughter of a notorious politician not long
since, the wedding presents were valued at more than
$250,000. Efforts have been repeatedly made to put a
stop to the giving of such costly presents, but the
custom still continues.
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