‘HOW TO GET MARRIED.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 25, 20 June 1891, Page 91

‘HOW TO GET MARRIED.

BY

MRS L. FROST RATTRAY.

FOURTH PAPER.

• A man’s best fortune or his worst is his wife.’—Old Proverb.

HEN an engaged pair wish to be married accoiding to the service provided for the solemnization of matrimony by the Church of England, and are duly armed with the necessary Registrar's certificate or certificates, they have the choice of being wed in three ways—by banns, by licence, or by special licence. It may be as well to mention here that the Government certificate holds good for three months only. If anything should occur to delay the marriage beyond that time, a fresh certificate must be obtained. At one time it was fashionable to be married by banns ; then some nouveaux riches started the idea of a licence because it cost more ; then, owing, I suppose, to the English aristocracy becoming poor, banns again became the correct thing. There is no tee for calling the banns, which must be published for three Sundays before the wedding, but 5s must be paid the officiating minister, which he pays to the Pension Fund of the Diocese. 1 am not sure whether this mle exists all over New Zealand. Of course, the bridegroom can, and generally does, give the clergyman an offering for his trouble, but this is not compulsory. The reading ot the banns in a large parish church after the second lesson was always listened to with interest. * I publish the banns of marriage between M., of , and N., of . If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in holy matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is the first (second or third) time of asking.’ There was always just a little hopeful pause. Perhaps some one would jump up and forbid the banns. In one church, where no interruption of the kind had occuned in the memory of the parson, after two couples for the first, two for the second, and one for the third time, of asking had been duly called, and the cleigyman had uttered the usual challenge, a man rose up in a back seat and said sternly, ‘ I forbid the banns.’ Every head was instantly turned in the direction of the speaker, and the minister completely taken aback, stammered, ‘ Wh—wh—what, sir?’ T .en, as the man repeated his words with even more emphasis, the clergyman recovered his self possession, and said : ‘Come to me in the vestry after seivice.’ Of course, no one was quite sure to whom the fatal wordsapplied, and as nearly all the would-be bridegrooms were present, it may be imagined that the rest of the service was occupied by them in useless speculation as to the meaning ot the objection, whilst the remainder of the thoroughly interested congregation were busily running over what they knew of the personal history of each of the couples. The interview in the vestry was short, but to the point, for the objector proved that the lady in number three state of banns was his legal wife. The would-be bridegroom disappeared, ami made no attempt to dispute the possession of the bride. Sometimes, if the clergyman was old and given to mispronunciation, a runaway match would be announced by banns in the presence of the parents, who would be blissfully ignorant that their pretty, wilful daughter was planning an elopement with that undesirable young sailor under their very eyes, and in their hearing also. One case of this kind was however, defeated by the sudden illness of the infirm old rector, whose place was supplied on the eventful third Sunday by a clear-voiced young curate, who

seemed to enjoy reading the banns in a particular at tractive way. At all events, when John Smith to Ellen Mille came distinctly to the ears of Farmer and Mrs Mille, theie was a sudden murmur of conversation in the pew occupied for generations by Milles, ami Ellen, crimson to the roots of her hair, was obliged to own that she was the woman called for the third time that day. The result was that John Smith was sent alwrut his business, and Ellen Mille wept bitter tears and married some one else within the year—but not by banns. The second method of getting married is by licence. A licence can be issued immediately before the wedding by the Registrar of the Diocese, or by the cleryman. The cost is one pound (£1), which is paid to the Registrar's l and. If the persons wishing to be married are poor, this licence can be issued for nothing at the discretion of the minister. The fee for marrying is 10s, which is paid to the Pension Fund ; also, an ottering can be made to the clergyman, but is not compulsory. The marriage lines are given free at the time of the wedding, but if applied for after some time has elapsed, the charge for obtaining them is 2s 6<l. A special license costs a good deal more, and is not very often demanded. Many people think that the ring is a necessary part of the ceremony. So it is in church, but not in a marriage before a Registrar. In the early days of the Church of England in Otago, wedding-rings were very scarce. The wife of the Resident Magistrate was married with the church key, and did not boast a plain gold ring until a lady arrived from England who possessed two and gave her one. The lirst Episcopalian clergyman in Dunedin told me that on one occasion, when marrying a couple, the man persisted in saying, ‘ With all thy worldy goods I me endow,' instead of the prescribed formula, ‘ With all my worldy goods I thee endow.' As she was rich and he was poor, the man was perfectly right. This same clergyman married a couple away in the countryand found on his arrival in Dunedin that this marriage and several others were rendered invalid by some mistake in the issuing of the certificates. Either they were issued by a person not legally appointed, or they were in some wayinformal. So the clergyman rode in hot haste to the lastmarried couple to tell them they must be remarried. Of course, two or three days had elapsed, and when the news was communicated to them they were both delighted to find themselves free, and would not he pursuaded to go through the ceremony again. Some time later these marriages were all legalised, and again the clergyman sought these two, and this time told them they had no choice, they were really husband and wife. They very sensibly agreed to make the best of the situation and put up with each other. On one occasion the minister said to the bridegroom, ‘Now repeat after me, “1, John, take thee, Mary, to be my wedded wife,” ’ when the bridegroom hastily interrupted him with, ‘ I say. parson, hold hard. I don't want you to marry the girl. I'm going to do that.’ Another husband in posne insisted on answering, • All right, sir,’ to the questions put to him ; whilst another nudged the clergyman as he was telling the bride to repeat ti e words, ‘ to love, cherish, and to obey,’ and said, ‘ That's it, parson. Make her say- “obey.” ’ It is on record that one fair damsel absolutely refused to promise this, though the clergyman stopped the service and reasoned with her, whereupon the bridegroom scowling significantly at the refractory bride, said, ‘AU right, gove’nor, you go ahead. I’ll make her understand that part afterwards.’ The wife of the rector of the little township of Waikouiti was decorating the church one Christmas Eve, when she was interrupted by the arrival of a wedding-paity. The dusky bride, a half-caste, paused as she saw the partlycompleted work. ‘ We’ve come too soon,' the Maori maiden obseived, graciously. ‘She’s not tinished getting ready for us.’ (TO BE CONTINUED.)