ABSTRACT
In one way or another, the people were continually reminded of the paramount importance of the wedding in the life of the neighborhood. The younger generation, born in America, whose loyalty and affection for their elders is unimpaired by the changed conditions, but for whom the old symbols and customs have no longer a religious meaning, often submit to the orthodox wedding ceremony out of deference to the wishes of the parents and grandparents. The ceremony in the rented hall loses some of its dignity, however much it may have of warmth and affection. At a typical wedding of twenty years ago the supper was spread in the basement of one of the public halls, and the incongruities were not more painfully obvious to the reader than to the delicate-minded bride. Public halls are the most common way of making money for a desired end.
