Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1853-11-19

kept II, lhat DAD woman who tlrst tempted
me to ruin, made me take false name 1t
is bad thing for girl to give up her name
unless for that Of good husband, Matilda
Fraly. No body knows me by that name in
this bad city.
Very well, Matilda and Thomas, take each
other by the right hand, and look at me, for
| am now going to unite you IN the holy bond.
of marriage by Gods ordinance. Do you
think you are sufficiently sober to comprehend
its solcmnity?
Yes, sir
Marriage being one of Gods holy ordinan-
ces, cannot be kept in sin, misery, filth and
drunkenness. Thomas, will you fake Matilda
to be your lawful, true, only welded wife?'
Yes, SIR
You promise that you will live with her.
in sickness as well as health; nourish, protect
and comfort her as your true and faithful wife !;
that you will be to her true and faithful
husband; that you will not get drunk, and will
clothe yourself and keep clean
80 / will''
Never mind answering until get through
You promise to abstain totally from every
kind of drink that intoxicates, and treat this
woman kindly, atfectionately, and love her as
husband should love his welded wife
Now all Of this, will you here before me as
the servant of the Most High-here ia the
sight of God in Heaven, most faithfully prom
Use, if give you this woman 10 be your we'd
ded wife,?
Yes, will
And you, Matilda, on your part, will you
promise the same, and be true wife to this
man?'
Il will try, sir
But do you promise all this faithfully
Yes, sir will
Then | pronounce you man and wife
Now, Thomas says the new wife, after
had made out the certificate and given it to
her, with an injunction to keep it safely-'now
pay Mr.. Peasc and let us go home and break
the bottle Thomas felt first in his right
hand pocket, then in the left then back to the
right then he examined the watch fob Why
where is itY says she you had two dollars
this mornngP Yes know it, but have
enly got two cents this evening. There Mr..
Pease take them. it is all have got in the
world; what more can give?
Sure enough, what could he do more? |
took them, and prayed over them, that in
parting with the last penny, this couple might
have parted with vice, wicked, foolish prac
tce which had reduced them to such degree
of poverty and wretchedness, that the mon
ster power Of rum could hardly send its vic
Tins lower. So Tom and Mag were trans
formed into Mr.. Mrs. Elting, and having
grown somewhat more sober while in the
house, seemed to fully understand their new
position, and all the obligations they had ta-
ken upon themselves For a few days
thought occasionly ofthis two penny marriage
and then it became absorbed with thousand
other scenes Of wretchedness which | have
witnessed since I have lived in this center OF
city misery. Time wore on and l married
other couplrs--often those who came in their
carriage and left golden marriage fee--a
delicate way of giving to the needy-but
among all had never performed the rite for
a couple quite SO low as that Of this two pen
ny fee and resolved | never would again
At length, however, had call for a full
match to them. which refused.
why do you come to mo to be married,
my friend p said to the man. You are
both too poor to live separate. and besides
you are both terrible drunkards, know you
are
That is just what we want to get married
for, and take the pledge
Take that first
No. we must take all together, nothing
else will save u.s.
will thal?'
1t did one of my friends
| well, then, 90 and bring that friend here
let me see and hear how much it saved him
and then will make up my mind what to do
if can do you any good | want to DO it,
MY friend is at work-he has got good
job and several hands working for him, and
is making money and won't quite till night
Shall come this evening?
Yes, will stay at home and wait for you.
Il little expected to see him again, bu
about O'Clock the servant said that man and
his girl, with gentleman and lady, were wal
ting in the reception room l told him tc
ask the lady and gentleman to walk up TO the
parlor and sit moment while | sent the
candidates for marriage away. being deter
mined never to unite another drunken couple
not dreaming that there was any sympathy
between the parties. But they would no
come; they wanted to sec that couple marriad
Sol went down and found the squalidly
wretched pair in company with we'll dressed
laborng man. for he wore fine black Goa
silk vest, gold watch chain, clean white shir
and cravat, polished calf-skin boots; and hi
wife was Just as neat and tidy dressed as any
body's wife, and her face heamed with intel
ligence, and the way in which she clung t
the arm of her husband as she seemed t
shrink from my sight told that she was lov
ing as well AS pretty wife,
This couple said the gentleman, 'Hay
come TO be married.
'Yes, know it, but have refused. Loo
at them; do they look like fit subjects for sue
holy ordinance? God never intended thoS
whom he created in his own image shouI'
live in malrimony like this man and woman
[ cannot marry them
Cannot! Why not? You married u
when we were worse off more dirty-wors
clothed AM more inioxi ,ated.'
The woman shrunh back little more on
Of sight saw she uembled violently, an