Marriages.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XVI, Issue 9, 1 March 1926, Page 5

Marriages.

IN REGISTRAR'S OFFICE,

A paragraph m the , li Dominion" recently, contributed from Palmer. ston, says that marriages m the Registrar's office are becoming ''undoubtedly popular." The reasons for this as given by Mr E. C. J. Foot, the local registrar, are (1) that it is cheaper to be married at a Registrar's office than m Church, (2) that the residence m the district ,jof only one of the parties for three days is required by the State. Although we are not going to tout for Church weddings, it is only right to say that (unless the parties wish to make a present to the officiating minister) a wedding m Church actually costs 17s 6d less than a wedding at the Registrar's office. Following is the quotation.:— "The monetary aspect of Church weddings can be looked to as a rea-. son for this," he said, "as of course the ceremony performed by the Registrar does not involve such expense as the fashionable wedding. But then again, it is not necessarily working people that take advantage of the office ceremony, because the latter is also the means of saving quite a lot of time, and this enters into the question a good deal." , ;, He 1 stated that marriages m the office required that one of the contracting parties shall have resided m the district three days, and thus the other party often came from another town for the ceremony, with the result that a good deal of time was saved. We can hardly suppose that bridegrooms who can afford it are going to be so parsimonious as to consider "the difference of a few shillings m fees as a determining factor m their choice between a Church and the registry office; but certainly poorer people who have to consider every penny m their expenditure should know that they need not be deprived of the Church's blessing and of the solemnity of Christian marriage by any consideration of extra expense involved. ' The fee for publication of banns. is only five shillings and even this can be remitted m case of poverty. The fee for Bishop's license is £1 (which goes to the clergy, widows, and orphans fund). , The. Registrar's license fee (which has to be paid whether the marriage is held m Church or m the Registrar 's office) is £1 2s 6d. ' The Church charges na fee for the marriage itself and no fee for the copy of the marriage certificate; but the registrar charges £1 for the marriage and 2s 6d for the certificate. So that m actual fees it is cheaper to be mar-

,ir- ' . .■■■ •■.-.■ •' ■ ■•■ i ■ • •'•/ ' \'~>- ■ ried m Church than at a. registrar's office^ It is the custom for people , who can afford it to, give a present to the officiating clergyman, but this is by no means obligatory. . As for; ; the three days'residenceit is the State and not the Church which requires it. The Church is forbidden by law to solemnise a marriage without the registrar's certificate, and the law requires three days? resi* dence of one of the parties before that' ' certificate can be granted,. A. Regis-- %.'■ ifrax M Births, Deaths and Marriages^ ' slioufel know better than to suggest pat ttie Church charges expensive fees and makes extra restrictions as to length of residence. The Church does, however, make certain restrictions which the State does not. They are (1) both parties to a marriage m Church (i.e., m the Anglican , Church) must have been baptised. Christian marriage cannot be received by people who are not Christians. (2) The Church will not give her blessing on manriages that are contrary to God's law, m fact she says plainly "those who are coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are not joined together by God, neither is their' matrimony lawful." Therefore no Church marriage, can be celebrated between a man and his deceased wife's sister, nor between parties one of whom lias a divorced partner still I liying. - Naturally people who fall ; under these categories go to the registrar, and go through the form of State marriage. The opinion of the Church that such persons "are not joined together by. God neither is their matrimony lawful" may not be expressed m a specific case-without incurring. State penalties. Church people who are m any real sense Christians will never be satisfied with a mere contract at a registrar's office. They will recognise that Holy Wedlock is an "excellent mystery" m which "is signified and represented the spiritual marriage betwixt Christ and His Church. ' ' It is a religious undertaking to be entered into with God's blessing and i m the face of the Church. ' People who go to: the ..Registry: "Office for marriage are preferring a civil contract which provides for subsequent divorce m ease of certain contingencies, to a lifelong holy estate, of. matrimony. A marriage in Church may be just as private as a ceremony m the registrar's office; two witnesses only are required m each case. It "need not involve 1 such expense as the fashionable wedding*." The difference is that the one, m itself, is a mere contract and the other is Holy Matrimony. A Christian who marries m the registrar's office either, m

intention, enters into ;a mere civil contract (terminable under certain contingencies); which is not real Christian marriage, or he intends the marriage to be a Christian lifelong marriage and yet does not value the blessing of God upon it through the ministry of the Church.