Page:Book of Etiquette, Volume 1, by Lilian Eichler.djvu/83

 sweetness when a kind deed adds to its pleasure. Rather let the sufferers in a hospital enjoy the colorful fragrance of the flowers than permit them to wilt, forgotten, in the church.

Frequently a shower of rice follows the departing couple, and satin slippers are thrown after the car. Care must be taken not to overdo this ancient custom, for although it is considered good luck for one of the satin slippers to alight on the top of the car, it is certainly bad form to give the occasion any appearance whatsoever of vulgarity.

It is interesting to trace this custom back to its origin. Among the ancient Egyptians and Hebrews a slipper or sandal was a symbol that denoted an exchange of property. Women at that time were regarded as property, and they were given in exchange for other property. Later we find, in Anglo-Saxon marriages, that the bride's father delivers her shoe to the bridegroom, who touches her on the head with it in token of his ownership and authority. The custom prevailed, and still later we find that the idea of good luck is associated with the throwing of slippers at weddings. Rice and grain were combined with the ceremony of throwing shoes, obviously indicating a plea to the deity of Productiveness to bless the marriage with an abundant supply of nature's bounties.

To-day the custom is still in vogue. Old satin slippers and handfuls of rice are thrown after the departing couple. It would not be an objectionable custom if some over-enthusiastic individuals did not overdo it to the extent that it becomes almost riotous. After a solemn, dignified, well-ordered wedding ceremony, and a charming