The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-03-22

we tor weeks or mouths IN this mid climate,
but he can never be better. The old statesman
views his coming fate with camness, as one who
has fought the good fight, and will lay hold Of
eternal lite"-N. o. Picayune.
During our Court Of Sessions last week all
individual was tried for the crime of Bigamy,
and acquitted. In the charge of his honor.
Judge Frost, to the Jury, he remarked that
there was no law in the State of South Caro-.
lima prescribing a marriage ceremonial That
if citizen wished to buy or sell a piece of
land, the law prescribed the form of the deed
or title; that if he wished to buy or sell ne.
gro, there was legal form for the bill of sale;
that if he wished to secure the payment ,f
money to himself or to another at future
time, there was a legal form for the bond or
note; but for the bonds of the most solemn
and binding obligation into which man or wo
man could enter, there was no legally prescri.
bed form.
At one period marriage was held to be re.
ligious sacrament and Gould only be solennized
by the clergy: consequently magistrates were
prohibited fom performing The ceremony. At
later period the law prohibiting magistrates
from officiating at marriage contract was re.
pealed. This we believe is the extent of le-
gislating by this Statcupon the subject. Hence
the mode of the ceremony and the character of
the officiating functonary are left TO the choice
of the parties entering into the contract. If
the couple who desire to enter into the holy
state Of wedlock choose to call in a clergy
man or magistrate before whom to make
their vows of love and fidelity, it is well but
if they prefer to make their VOWS to each other
and assume the relations Of husband and wife,
acknowledging each other as such before the
world it is also well. BY the latter mode
they enter into as indissoluble . bond as by
the former. If Mr. A. and Miss B. jump over
broom, the former saying take this woman
to be my welded wife and the latter, take
this man to be my welded husband and 20 to
housekeeping they are legally married. have
entered into a bond of union which cannot be
annulled, so long as they both live This in.
difference to the form of ceremonial, binding
the parties to the end of life, may to the casual
observer seem strange, but to those who are "a
miar with the working Of our system no such
feeling is experienced. Liberty of conscience
is right too sacred to be abridged by legal
prescription, even as to the mode of entering
iuto this holy compact. And this is ample rca.
son for The apparent apathy of our Legislators
upon this subject Cheraw Gazette
a WAnNING TO SpoRrsMEN-We are conni
zant of fact which we think should serve as a
warning to all persons who are at all accustomed
to using firearms, and therefore give it to the
public:
On Monday morning last, while standing in
front of Messrs. Cheshire tE Smiths store, re-
port was heard as if 4 gun cap bad exploded in
the counting room. Mr. Cheshire Immediately
proceeded to examine, and found that cap had
exploded on the nipple of a gun, placed there by
hammer down. No one was within ten yards
of it, and the apparent spontaneous combustion
remains mystery. The gun was loaded, but
fortunately the powder was not ignitcd. Will
not our young friends take warning from this ,
We almost begin to believe the old saying, that
"a gun is dangerous without lock, stock or bar
."-LaurensrHe HewW.
TIE SABpArn-"lf," said Daniel Webster to
a friend "regous books are not widely circula-
ted among the masses in this country, and the
people do not become religious, do not know
what is to become of us as nation"
Willis says "What can 4 nation expect to
receive from God who allow their Senators and
Representatives to sit in session on his holy Sab
bath, and who allow theirPresident to subscribe
his name to acts passed on that holy day, when
thu exigences of the country do not call for it.
God has said it: Remember the Sabbath day
| to keep it holy"