NIAGARA AND MATRIMONY.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 26 July 1880, Page 2

NIAGARA AND MATRIMONY.

■ ♦ Of the proposal to vest tbe Falls ol Niagara and the surrounding land in an International Park Commission tbe New York Times writes:— "The scheme of making tbe neighbourhood of the Falls an International Park will at first sfght commend itself to the, thoughtless and short, sighted as an excellent thing. A little reflection, however, will show that there are grave difficulties in the way. Wbat will the International Commission do with the newly married people P This is a question wbich must be answered, but which will prove to be a difficult and delicate problem. It is estimated that only 3 per cent of the people who now visit Niagara go there for the purpose of see ing the Falls, and that of these two-thirds and a fraction are foreigners— the twos thirds being Englishmen, and the fraction being an occasional Frenchman. T! c rest of the frrquenters of Niagara con** sists wholly of newly-married people, who are too much occupied with ore anotber to even glance afc tbe cataract. They infest the place so tl.ick'y tbat they drive away all but tbe boldest sightseers. During the summer season fhe surface of Goat Island is covered with newlymariied peop'e in the proportion of ono pair to every 10 square feet of ground. Table Bock being devoid of shrubbery, is mnch less densely populated ; but tbe narrow stretch of shore on the American side of the river, jnst above lbe Whirlpool, is simply covered with umbrellas, each one of which shelters a bride and a bridegroom. In the evening be bluff along tbe river is fairly paved vith connubial bPss. and it was after Ijcrd Dufferin, during an attempted evenng walk along tbe bluff, had stumbled md fallen over 17 distinct pairs in 15 ninufes, that he picked hisfrway back to he botel, nnd wro?o to thf' Governor of !few York proposing the scneme of fc' c international Park. . , . The afest plan will be to make Niagara tbe ;reat matrimonial centre of the continent. Jiergymen of assorted varieties can be :ept always on hand, ready to perform he marriage ceremony without any barge beyond the entrance fee to the ark, fixed by the commissioners. Bess ■ ectable and imposing old men can be arnished to give away brides, and brides* I

maids and wedding cakes io lots to suit customers can be ready at all hours. Every newly married couple might n* ceive a ticket entitling ihem to a reserved nook on Goat Island, where they could sit hand in hand for a specified number o hours without fear of intrusion. Thu* conducfed, the international park would be a great success, but it ought in honesty to adopt the name of the International Marriage Agency, and (o abandon all pretence of rendering the Falls anything but a mere incident of tbe marriage ritual,'