ADVERTISING INTENDED MARRIAGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10406, 2 April 1897, Page 3

ADVERTISING INTENDED MARRIAGES.

10 THE EDITOR. SIR —Mr. Bowbottom's proposal that intended marriages should be advertised iu the newspapers h»s my hearty sympathy, and I will support any movement made in this direction. I entirely agree with him that society has an interest in every marriage, and ought to have a voice, which it certainly has not at present. I could ?ive instances of improper marriages (bigamous, incestuous, and other), which, of course, have led to much misery, but which would undoubtedly have been prevented had there been any really public notice. It ii tone, thi wrong-doers in tneae

cases might have been punished by law, but punishment of the guilty in such cases would often but increase the sufferings of the innoceut, and the proper thing to do is to try to prevent the evil. It may interest Mr. Rowbottom to know that I made an effort to arouse public opinion in this direction some eight years ago. 1 made proposals almost identical with those made by him, except th-it I did not propose more thau three weeks' local advertising. That has worked well under Kuglish Uw in the publishing oi banns, and would, I believe, work equally well even in the widely-scattered populations of our colonies. News spreads through the cobnies now faster than it spread through the Englisb counties fifty vears ago. When I made my effort in 1889 the matter was fully discussed at a local conference of clergy and laity of the Anglican Church, and two resolutions were unanimously agreed t°- • 1. "That a more public notice of intended marriages should be given than the present law provides for." 2. "That this Conference suggests that the marriage law be amended so as to requiro the publication of intended marriages in a newspaper or newspapers of the district or districts in which the parties thereto reside." A third motion was carried requesting me to bring the matter before out Diocesan Synod, with a view to obtaining further support. This I did the same year, but not with equal success. The first motion was agreed to by the Synod, but the second was negatived. Since then, I have fre quently urged the need for this change, both n private conversations and in the pulpit. Last Sunday morning I again spoke on the subject, and drew the attention of the congregation of St. Andrew's. Cambridge, to the letter and the leading article in your issue ol the day before. I would urge Churchmen, and indeed Englishmen generally, to support this proposal as the best substitute for the old wise law of the Church and of the Sfrne, which required the publishing of banns. Banns are now seldom published in the colonies, and would not, as you sav, have the old value if thej were. The Bishop's license, agaiu, gives nc guarantee that any full enquiry has been made. There are cases, indeed, in which the delay proposed and tlie public advertising would act injuriously, aud might prevent marriages, which ought to be promoted. 1 need not here particularise their nature. These are happily the exceptional cases, and for such as these, amongst "hers, the old law of the Church provided the special license to be issued by the Bishop or the Archbishop. Let the Act amending the law In favour ol advertising reserve tiie right to the Resident Magistrate or the Colonial Secretary to buspend that provision when good cause should be shown—in short to grant a special license, which would prevent either delay or publication. There are mauy people who feel that this advertising would be very unpleasant. I have much sympathy with the feeling; but if the change is for the good of society, this fueling ought to give way. It is uot proposed to advertise the. day, or the week, or the month, when the celebrations shall be. Probably even the place need not be advertised. The main thing needed is an opportunity publicly given for three weeks in the places where parties to intended marriages reside to make known serious objections, if there are any, before any marriage be legally ratified. The thanks of the public are dne to Mr. Rowbottom and yourself for bringing this matter forward. I hope others of the clergy and of the laity who can give information will accept your invitation to discuss the question, so that it may be fully ventilated. —1 am, etc., Wμ. N. Uβ L. Willis. The Vicarage, Cambridge, March 30,1697.