Page:Life in the Old World - Vol. I.djvu/424

440 done. A young ragged worker in the silk-factory married a young slatternly girl, also a worker in the same factory. “Hunger who had married thirst!” said Mrs. Fierze, speaking of them. The second marriage was that of a wealthy young man, with a girl whom he had loved for seven years. She was not however in the least pretty; rather the contrary, but celebrated as being good and capable. He looked a very excellent fellow. In marrying, the bride is commanded, in two several passages, to be submissive to her husband. In Switzerland I believe this exhortation is repeated three times. I wonder whether it does any good. Of the third marriage I have already spoken.

As far as the creed of the Waldenses is concerned, it has, since the time when a great visitation of the plague carried away nearly all the pastors, been strongly influenced by the Swiss Reformed Church, from which the Waldenses community after that time received the greater number of their new pastors. Some customs in the church service of this community have appeared to me peculiar, and I have been told that they have existed from time immemorial. Thus, for example, divine worship begins by the reading aloud of the ten commandments. The pastor then adds: “In the presence of this picture of what we ought to be, let us acknowledge what we are!” The confession of sin then follows, and is such that one can with one's whole heart repeat it after the minister.