detail there is much that differs
from our English ways.

In _Germany_ it is impossible for young people to marry without the
consent of their parents or legal guardians, and unless certain
prescribed forms are gone through, the marriage will be null and void.
So many certificates of birth, parentage, etc., have to be produced
that, it is said, the working classes can neither afford the time nor
the money necessary for a legal marriage; so many of them do without
it. The husband is the lord and master; his wife's property passes
into his keeping and is at his absolute disposal. He may compel her to
work, and even if the pair be divorced he still retains her money. As
German girls are brought up to expect this, it does not strike them as
any hardship, and most of them are quite happy to be under the sway of
their liege lords.

The chief festivity of a German wedding is the _Polterabend_, a
somewhat hilarious party given the night before. The young friends of
the bride enact charades, or give living pictures illustrative of the
chief events in her childhood and youth. There is much merriment, and,
I believe, the breaking of crockery has a part in the proceedings. The
bridesmaids are accompanied by an equal number of young men, called
_Brautfuehrer_. The bridal wreath is always of myrtle, not orange
blossom, and the bride and bridegroom exchange rings. Customs vary
according to social station and locality.

{108} At a South German peasant's wedding there is wild rejoicing and
much ceremony. The guests are invited by a messenger, who draws devices
on the doorsteps of those he has to summon to the feast. There is music
and dancing, processions are formed to and from the church, the bride
is hailed with flowers, and all sorts of emblematical offerings are
taken to church. The bridegroom stuffs his pockets with samples of
what he hopes will constitute his worldly wealth. If he never looks
back between the house and the altar, the bride knows that he will
never want a second wife. For those who have the leisure and
opportunity to study these peasant marriages a curious compound of
sentiment, superstition, and practical common sense will present
itself.

In Norway

the bride who has preserved her maiden state untarnished--it is not
necessarily expected of her--is crowned with a high, glittering crown
inlaid with gems, which is the property of the church, and can be
hired for five dollars. Special music is also performed