"SNYDER" ON MARRIAGES AND BABIES

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 582, 12 February 1876, Page 2 (Supplement)

"SNYDER" ON MARRIAGES AND BABIES

" Snydek" says, I have voad in r. southern j mnmt, that a large number of influeutial ladies met the other evoning in Dunedin for the purpose of taking into oou->idei\i-t, on the advisability of establishing a Marriage Ileform Association. A chairwoman was appointed -don't mistake ; not a charwoman — who said the time was pretty well nigh at hand when sensible women shoald make a stand against the tomfoolery and useless expenditure at modem wedding's. I should think it was time. A man and a girl fall in love, or fancy they do, which is about th" same thing, and want to get married ; but instead of just putting on their Sunday-going clothes and walking quietly off to church and getting hitched up, the girl's father has got to bo put to all sorts of expenses, which he very often cin't affird, to give her a rig out. She must have so many dozen of this and so many half-dozen of the other things in tho underclothing department ; she must have so many dresses and polouaises and ruffs and stomachers and so on and so forth in the over dress department, whea its u dead certainty that in almost no timp after th« wedding- nnt one half these things will tit and will require ' letting out ' But the girl and the girl's mother must have 'em, if it half ruins the father. Tt would never do not to call other girls about the neighbourhood! in to make them burn vith ioilousy when they see the wedJing frippeiy spread about j the bi!<l Rnd the dre-.-irng tible ami drawers. Ar.'l then thw i 's the lovir Ife nMisr have more clothes than he wants ; and Ite buys presents for lna girl upon credit, and he must have hiied carriages at a guinea •a piert for the' hour, and he must stand treat to everybody ; and there's a twenty gi/inea breakfast and a three guinea cake, which neWly cares about, and for which the fi iends of the maitied couple only laugh nt them, and say what fools they aie to bo sure And the two only too often begin life in debt, and about the time the young wife i.s asking Lcr husband j for money to buy things for tho coming j biihv, the pastry cook is dunning to bo paid for the wedding breakfist, and ihe tailor and the Jeweller and livery stables keepers are on to him, and all because they would make a splash "when lh" two made a start in life. New, as a rule, the fault is not tho gill's, but the mother's. She had so and so and such and such things whon the got married, n-ud she oouldn't on any account allow her daughter to go io church m any less pretentious manner. And so everything is done, ami its nil to astonish the Browns In nine cases out of ten the girl would be content to go to 1 church as plainly dreißod as you may please. What she Wants 18 to got married ; to be mistress of a home and head of her husband's household ; to be a wifo and enjoy the uuintenuptcd compuiionship of her husband. In it's what most decent girls want, and I'm not referring to any other; but then your foolish stack-up mothers wont let 'em. S>> I feel pioudof those- ladies in Dxmedin who desire to shut up with such nonsense, foolery and ettravag.inee. And While they act to woik about marriage reforms let them give theh* attentiin to the matted of new born babies, and see whether they can't introduce a little economy into that department. What's the use of a two guinea, »V>bo full uf cV -cut holes for the baby to spoil Wit U sour milfc? What's the use of tho guinea wrapper to throw over tho rono before it can be carried out for an uiiiug":' What's tho uao uf a three guinea ba«.siuot trimmed with lace which the mother id afraid to use for fear the deaf little angel should misconduct, itself? The fluid is made hot and uncomfortable With a dress six foefc long or about four foet and a half longer than tho baby itself. This sort of thing may bo excusable enough when the father and mother cm affu'd it, but _ho maiiy fool id li couples do this who can't. 1 Then theie's the christening again ; before a child can ba sprinkled by the clergyman and called Tlioums and Muryanne there must bo a party invited and a lot of wnie ami brandy bought and all sorts of expenses gone to, when everybody is expected in turn to lako a damp baby in their anus and God Mess the little de.n\ and Bay how beautiful it is, when it's nothing of the kind. It is only a mother who can see be,«uly hi a pulpy buhnoii-coloured-facoJ baby, and then only in imagination. Lidies of Duuediu, your effottsaie wort iy of all praise. — Coromandel Mail. '