THE FARE OF WEDDING PRESENTS.

Evening Star, Issue 5226, 4 December 1879, Page 2

THE FARE OF WEDDING PRESENTS.

Duplicates and superfluous wedding presents are a great source of annoyance to many a newly-married pair in England Aff well as America. In the latter country", however, with characteristic cleverncs«, they have known how to turn even this fact to account; and there are reported to be at present at least half-a-dozen persons in New York alone, who have engaged in the business of purchasing or exchanging wedding presents. Of course the transactions must be carried on in the most private manner, and with no little ingonuity, so as to avoid giving pain to the kindly donors. Half-a-dozen opera glasses, biscuit boxes, butter dish's, or sugar bowls, is no uncommon number; and as for smaller articles of electro-plate, they pervade every collection of wedding presents to such a dreadful extent that the poor bride positively groans over the sight. The method of conducting the new business is. of itself ingenious. The buyer or exchanger watches the marriages as their respective announcements are published in the daily papers, and collects the names and residences ; and when the wedding is that of well known p< ople a list of presents is invariably given ; this list is carefully read and thought over, and about three months after the wedded pair have rettled down in their new home a gentlemanly stranger makes his appearance, and inquires for Mrs So-and-so, at the same time sending in his card. The lady repairs to her drawing-room and giveß audience to her visitor, who opens his busiaesa in the most circumspect manaer; for, of course, until he knows with whom he has to deal the bare suggestion may be considered offensive. Generally, however, women are very weak where bargains are concerned, and the visitor obtains a hearing for his proposals. The presents are produced, aud while the bride considers her requirements the dealer offers either exchange or purchase, as may be most acceptable. At first the objection is made, "Oh, dear! I cannot sell Aunt Mary's opera glass, or Aunt Lucy's butter dish; what will they say?" But a different opinion is soon arrived at, when once she thinks of the remaining five or six articles of the same description. There is another side to this new business, however, and that is that people are beginning to seek out the wedding present dealers with a view to obtaining cheaper presents for their marrying friends. Of course they are as good as new, and as they are purchased cheaply enough from the bride they can be sold at moderate prices. Toe latter idea is not entirely new amongst ourselves, for last season it was known that many London firms marked " suitable articles for wedding presents," second-hand, that intending purchasers might think them cheap. Everyone seemed so anxious to find effective-looking articles for next to nothing; in fact the " wedding present " business is rapidly becoming too heavy for people with tlender resources.