COURTSHIP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1905, 20 September 1884, Page 4

COURTSHIP.

Customs of Different Nations. {Fiitn -Ocean.) Sir Aktiiuk Helvs gave it .as liis belief that since the wot Id was created no two couple* ever made love after the same fashion. And since "it takes all sorts of folks to make a world " they may be fairly supposed to do their com ting in all sorts of ways. Poi* instance, the courting of the aboriginal of Australia consisted simply in knocking the woman of his preference down with a club, and cairyinq her off. The form of wooing was as efficacious as biief, and was certainly commendable on the score of economy, since it subjected neither party to the expense of lights, fires, oyster suppers, ise-creim, elaborate dresses, flowers, &c, which are the usual concomitants of civilized love-making. But the method of the Australian has been tried by other than the dusky savages. It is a historical fact that William the Coiiquerer conducted his courtship in a similar manner. Having fallen in love with a Flemish maiden, he had told her of her preference, but received in return only scorn and indifference. Becoming enraged at this, he one day attacked the damsel in the open street and pommeled her unmoicifnlly. The result was that she consented to hi? suit and made, when married, one of the meekest wives imagi nable. In civilised countries of our day this courting ceremony is, strange to say, sometimes used alter marriage. Some curious com ting customs prevail in Africa. In one ti ibe of Eastern Africa it is regarded as the no phis ultra of gallantry for the lover to parade bcfoie the hut of his inamorata astride of a huge boar. Mungo Park tells of a tribe in the interior wheie custom compels a woman to carry a calabash of water to the man who has expressed a preference for her. Seated on a mat before his door, he washes his hands in the vessel, and then the woman drinks the water as a token of her affection. Less repulsive was the act of the lover among tlie ancient Persians, who burned his hand or cheek to prove his devotion and then showed it to his lady love. If she was " willin' " she bound the injuied part with a silken scarf ; but if obdurate, she sent the man to the physician for healing salve. Among the Moravians it was the custom for* the minister to select wives for the men of his congiegation. If a "sister" had any objection to the " brother" selected for her life partner she was permitted to state it, but it was generally over-ruled by the piiest's eloquence. Strange to say, the historian telL us that those marriages weie generally happy. In Greenland the services of the pastor of his flock aie also called in. A man who has made up his mind that his wotldly ciiuumstaiices wat rant him in indulging in what has been called " the abstract dcbiie of evciy mar to fumuli boaid and lodging to some young lady," and has decided which young lady he wishes to be taxed for, calls on the revet end fathei and states the case. The inquiry is made wliethct the gul knows of the suit, to which the man replies that he has made some pieliminaiy lo\emaking, which was not veiy kindly received, but adds, " Thou knowest the ways of mankind." In Gieenland, be it remarked, it is an accepted fact in social philosophy that a womau's "No" means " Yes." The priest calls upon the young woman and pleads the case of her lover, assuring her that he is a good man ; that he catches many seals, ice. It is the custom for the women to i eject all proposals at iirst, but to yield at last an unwilling assent. If the pneofc thinks she is too obstinate he gencrilly rcmaiUs, "Ah, well, it is no matter ; I can easily find another woman who will have such a good provider," and turns to leave, which action brings the stubborn maiden to teims at once. In St. Pctei&burg, Russia, a custom pvevailctt for ininy ycais — though declined greatly in impoitince, it has not gone wholly out of use — which wa« designed to stimulate the laggards in courtship. On Whit Sunday time wa« held in the Summer Gaiden, one of the city's parks, a fair of all the damsels of the city who wanti il husbmids. Dies&eil in their best, with all the ornaments at command, and holding bihei spoons 01 other wave in then hands, to show that they were not wholly poiltonless, the\ stood in lows undoi the tiees, at tended l>y patents 01 _,uaidians to insane piopiiety ot behaviour, to facilitate inatiimonial buyim-. The men in aeaich o f m he»> .ibout suulini/.mg all the c,ai)dM.itts-> at li'isiue. When a man s iu fine that p!eitS"d linn h" u>n'l!) liittOiluceil hnnvif lv her cus todian ami if In. Nt of family, business and piospeots vete satisfactory, he was ni.ult- ■te(|iio:iited with the young woman and in\ iteil to her u-sid( j nce Aftei tins the nuptial ceie.nony followed as speedily as the would be bttdegioom desued. We find n custom pieo'sely like thib still in existence 111 a di^tiic-t in the South of It eland, riiijiu it is known as '' shiaftmg," the name being dciived ff 101111 0111 Nlirou 1 Tuesd.iv, the luty on which it ib held. On tint d.)m!i. '0 inainage al-le younsr pfoplt 1 ot both se.xr° aie inaislialled on the ull.ttre gieen by the parents, and the gula in all the gloiy of Sunday gowns and gay ribbons, as lovely as a fiesh blown iom's, evidently enjoying their blushes, and the young men, also m then- best attire, looking as foolbh as only the male human can look on exhibition. The two sexes aie stationed in line apart from each other, and the parents pass between to umelisafe proposals or to jeceivo them, and to haggle over inauiage poitions The piefeivnces of the young people aie fully nndei stood by the elders, and commendable effort is made to gtatify them, the mam object* of the paicnts being to secuie as good a set out as possible for the young couples. As this ceremony occurred o» Shrove Tuesday, it i& oflen "shoit shiift and a long tope" to the willing vie tims, for Lent beginning the following day, which pcifoice postpones all mairijges for six weeks, the majority of the couples fire united by the ptiest the same evening " Happy is the wooing Which is not long m doing." The sentiment of the aidcnt Celt, was also the belief of the famous Dr Abcrnethy. This gentleman, w hen he made tip his mind to marry, was no longer young, and he went about the business in an eminently piactical manner. Having met frequently at the home of one of bis patients a young woman whose comeline t -s aud amiability had quite pleased him, he sought a private mteiwew with her, told her he would like to mo try her if she had no objection, but had no time to spend in courting her. If, however, she would mai ry him and be ready in two weeks, he would call and take her to church for tho ceremony. She was ready at the time appointed, and neither ever had occasion to 1 egret tlie very brief pre liminaiies to what proved to bo a most suitable union. All persons, we may suppose, have not the like opportunity with these two to be assured of the worthiness of the object of their choice ■beforehand, but there are instances where even bolder suitors than Abernethy ha\e been favoured by fortune. A California miner, having amassed quite a fortune, was returning by ship to New York to revisit old friends and find him a wife. A young woman on board the ship, serving in the capacity of nursery igoverness to the family of a merchant on board, pleased him much by her neat and modest appearance. He therefore introduced himself one day, and )broke the ice of his purpose by one reckless, pi mice : "Madame, my name is^ ; my parents and family reside in New i Hampshire ; 1 have property amounting to 200,000d015., and expect to engage ia 'business in . am a perfectly temperate man, and can give yon good' reference fo testify of roy general up.

right character. I am unmarried, and want a wife ; will you marry me ?" The larty took in the character of her suitor <it once. "Thank you," she said, "I will,'' and on landing they were forthwith married.

The lowa man who courted his wife 50 years befoie he married her was a piudent fellow. Fifty years takes the ■strength out of almost any arm, and ni.ikes it inconvenieyt for a woman to get down on her knees to urge the head of the house to come out from under the bed and talk the matter over. A Brooklyn- lady who met Mr I/uigtry in Chicago expiessed herself as gieatly chai mcd by her vivacity and refinement. ' ' Did she seem to you perfectly happy ?" naked her fiiend. "Perfectly." "And what impression did her happiness leave upon your mind?" "The impression that she was a widow." Wut.ub They Gkow.— Small boy of (>i<'ht (looking over picture book with boy of ten) : " What's that? Small boy of ten: "Why, don't yon know? That's a donkey. Haven't you ever seen a donkey !" Small boy of eight (doubtfully) : "No." Small boy of ten (pafcronisingly) : "Why I have ; lots of '(jm—in the Theological Gardens, you know."— Life. A Dkap Box.— A number of lads were recently standing near a Newcastle auction 100 m examining a cvi ions tin box. " Wey, whaativvor i' the warld is that thing'?" said one of them. "Oh," remaiked a gentleman who was standing near, " that's a deed box." " Had away," exclaimed the inquirer; "aa warned tlioo thinks thoo's clivvor. Did thoo think we thowt it was alive ?"— Newcastle Chronicle. Smoking.— A boy living at Sheriff-hill said to his companion, " Can thoo snore, Jimmy?" " Aa dnvent ' knaa," replied Jimmy ; " aa nivvor lie wyekin' lang eneuf te get te kenna '."—Newcastle Cluouicle. A mkmbkk of a fashionable congregation called at a music store and inquired, " Have you the notes of a piece called the" Song of Solomon ?" adding, "our pastor referred to it yestoidag.isan exquisite gem, and my wife would like to learn to play it." "You see," said Uncle Job, " my wife's a cur ous woman. She scrimped, and saved, and almost starved all of U 9 to get our pailour furnished nice, and now* she won't let one of us go into it, and hain't had even the window blinds of it open for a month. She is a cm 'ous woman." Ay editor who was courting a woman of uncertain age, but positive bank account, was cut out by a gentleman fiom a neighboring town, who manied her and took her home. Whereupon the editor sought a mean revenge by heading an account of her wedding— " An Uld Resident Gone." A ThACHKa asked a little girl who was the tiist man ? she said she did not Unow. He then asked an Irish child, who, looking \ery proud at being able to gi\ethe answer said, "Adam, sir.^' " You need not look so grand about it," said the fust scholar, '• he wasn't an liishinan." '• From sixteen to twenty they knew moie then I did," said an old farmer talking about his boys ; 'at twenty - 1 five they knew as much ; at thirty they weie willing to hear what I had to say ; at thirty-five they asked my advice ; and I think when they get to | be forty they will actually acknowledge that the old man does know something." 1 So poor bill Stubbs is dead,' said a ! Louisville man on the train the other J day. ' Yes, I understand so. Where i did it happen ?' In Cincinnati.' ' Did jou leain any of the particulars ?' ' Nothing, except that he died a natural death.' 'Is that so ? Why, I was told lie was knocked down on the street and had the life beaten out of him ' 1 Well, that's what they call a natural death in Cincinnati now. 1 ' Sir, you pmlieted a frost for the night of September 21st,' said an old Ainenon as he enter- d the signal office at Cleveland. ' Ye?, sir, and it didn't come ?' ' No, sir.' ' Well, that prediction caught me with 800 bushels of apples on the tiecs, and I sold the lot for half-price.' ' Sorry, sir ; but the bureau is sometimes mistaken.' ' Well, I want you to help me out of it. The chap who got my apples has got foity acies of tateis. If you will only predict a regular freeze- up for to-morrow night I ken get them taters for 10 cents a bi/bhel, and come out all solid !' Nuikow Emcapk ok an' Editob,— We rainc neat losing our esteemed friend and senior editor the other day in a very cuiious way. It is known that he has a cow that he tolls to and fio from a pasfcuie, morning and night, with a wisp of giasa or a bundle of fodder, and on this occasion the cow seemed more voracious than common, and in grabbing at the bundle she swallowed about four feet of Ins co it tail. After a severe struggle, dining which our fiiend held on to a fence to ke£p fiom being swallowed, lie was loosened from the man eating beast, and we lejoice that we aie uot left alone. —Codec County Gazette. Jnuicions Tkmjeksess.— A tenderhearted clergyman who resides in a town adjoining Hnrtfoid, says the Times, was about to gi\ c a trapped mouse to the cat, wneu he caught what lie thought was a beseeching expression in the little fellow's eyes, and lie relented. The mouse was so innocent and pretty, and the cat so eager to seize it, that the minister told his wife that he would not saciifice it. lie took it down in the lot and set it at liberty. His wife told him that he had done a foolish thing, as the mouse would get into his barn and then back in the house again. "I guess not," said the minister, " I headed him toward neighbour E's barn." Amhucax Mkat. — " Whaat dist thoc eh an ge for a beast's heed ?', asked a miner who leccntly entered the shop of a dealer in Ameiicau meat situated not a very long way fiom the slopes of Durham Castle. "We do not get any heads with our meat," leplied the salesman. "Nc heeds !" exclaimed Geordie ; " ney, thoo nmn be a queer yen. Aa waddenl wunner if ye didn't get onny hairfcs oi plucks nowthor wiv yor beasts 1" ' ' No, we do not," was the response. "Wey, man, yor beasts mun be the queeiesi brutes i' creation," letorted the miner. "Ne hairts anne heeds! Cannie mau, will ye toll us, if yor beasts have nc heeds, whaat thoo gets to bray on when thoo fells yen ? Ye might just as weel tell us yor beasts hes ne black pudding nor polonies, nor nowt o' that kind. Had away, man, thoo'll hey to tell aal that to sumbody that hes ne sense 1"— Newcastle Chronicle.

! The Bad and Worthless > are never imitated or couiitaf cited. This is i especially true of a family medicinp, and . it is positive proof that the remedy imi- , fated is of the highest value. As soon as • it had been tested and proved by the i whole world that Hop Bittera was the i purest, best and most valuable family medicine on earth, many imitations ; sprung up and began to steal the notices in which the press and the people of the country had expressed the merits of : H. 8., and in every way trying to induce s suffering invalidsto use their stuff instead, i expecting to make money on the credit i and good name of H. B. Many others started nostrums put up in similar style i to H. 8., With Various devised names in r which the word "Hop "or " Hops ? ' were 1 used in a way to induce people to believe 3 they were the same as Hop Bitters. All r such [pretended remedies or cures, no 1 matter what their! style or name is, and t especially those .with the word " Hop " i or" Hops' " in their name or 1 in any ' way i connected with them or ' their name, are 3, imitations' or counterfeits.'. Beware of ; them. Touch none of them. Use riothing / but genuine'AmericanjHop Bitters, with I a bunch or cluster of green Hops on the i whjte label, and Dv Soule's , name .bjown i in the glass. Trust nothing else. U- D^ugl f gists aud Chemists are warned against • dealing ia imitations, or gounterfeita, „

Her Daughter's Husband.— A traveller saw a woman take a man by the collar, yank him up the steps into a railroad car, jam him down into the hot scat next the stove, pile up a valise and two big brown baskets with loose covers and long handles at his feet, shove a baby into his lap, and say, " Now, sit there until I help Mary Jane on the ear, and don't you move till I come back !" When the woman reached the car door the traveller said to her, "Is that man your husband." " He's my daughter's husband, and she hasn't sphit enough to say her soul is her own !" This trne story teaches us that some travellers haven't enongh sense to diagnose a family party when they see one. —Burlington Hawkeve. ' Wake yoor Tea.— A young Northumbrian recently took bis blushing bride— a Scotch Lxssie -on a visit to his sister. The sister received her new kinswoman warmly, remarking, " Noo, hinney, aa'm real glad to see thoo— real glad. Sit doon.'an' aa hope thoo'll be ahure and myek thy tea." " Deed, no ; aa'H de nae sic thing !" replied the bride ; " aa didna come here te de ony wark ?"— Newcastle Chronicle. A Good Funeral. — A Newcastle man, who was commiserating another on the death of his father, aaked, " An' did he leave nowfc, Jack?" " Not a cent, Jim," was the reply. " Wbaat !" exclaimed Jim : " nee box money, nor insurance, nor nowt I An' wha barried him ?" " Wey, aa had aall the expenses te pay," replied Jack ; " an'," he added with emphasis, "aa will say aa gave him as good a funeral as ivvor he had in this life !" — Newcastle Chronicle. A Mean Device.— A gentleman at the theatre sits behind a lady who wears a very large hat. " Excuse, me, madam, but unles you remove your hat I can see absolutely nothing." Lady ignores him. '• Excuse me, madam, but unless you remove your hat something unpleasant will happen." Lady ignores him again. Gentleman puts on his own hat. Loud cries from the audience, ' Take off that j hat ! take off that hat !" Lady thinks they mean her hat, and removes it. " Thank you, madam."— Philadelphia News. " Mine Frent, dot's besser you look pooty veil ond. Dot gun vos loated, und when he goes off he kicks like ter ruyfel." The gentleman, thinking to have some fun with the German, replied : " A gun can't kick ; it has no legs," " Vat," said the storekeeper. '* He don't can gick. Yoost vait. I dell yon somedings, und I gif you a little inikmations. I vas in der pishness und I knows someting. A gun don'd kick mit its legs ; it kicks mitits breeches."— Pretzel's Weekly.

August Flower. The most miserable beings in the world are those suffering from Dyspepsia ami Liver Complaint. More than seventy-five per cent of the people are afflicted with these two diseases and their effects ; such as Sour Stomach, Sick Headache, Habitual Costiveneas, Palpitation of the Heart, Heart-burn, Waterbrash, gnawing and burning pains at the pit of the Stomach, Yellow Skiu, Coated Tongue and disagreeable taste in the mouth, coming up of food after eating, low spiiits, &c. Go to your Druggist and get a bottle of August Flower. This valuable medicine has cured thousands and thousands of sufferers and ia known in all civilised countries. Two doses will relieve you. It costs only 3s 6d a bottle. Sample bottles (id.