The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-09-16

!. 'hink you are suInclently sOOer 10 compre
hend its solemnity!"
!, ayes, sir.''
a marriage being one of Gods holy ordi
/. nances, cannot be kept in sin, misery, fill
o and drunkenness. Thomas, will you tax,
Matilda to be your lawful, true, only, wed det
, wife!"
eyes, sir"
"You promise that you will live with her
in sickness as well as health, and nourish
protect and comfort her as your true and
faithful wife; that you will be to her a true
and faithful husband; that you will not get
drunk, and will clothe yourself and keep
clean"
$50 will"
"Never mind answering Until get through.
You promise to abstain totally from every
kind of drink that intoxicates, and treat this
woman kindly, affectionately, and love her as
a husband should love his welded wife. Now
all of this, will you, here before me as the
servant of the Most High-here in the sight
of God in Heaven, most faithfully promise,
if give you this woman to be your welded
wife!"
ayes, will"
Sand you, Matilda, on your part, will you
| promise the same, and be a true wife to this
mani"
81 will try SIR"
"But do you promise all this faithfully!"
Eyes, 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.. Pease, and let us 60 home and
break the bottle" Thomas felt first in the
right hand pocket, then the left, then back
to the right, then he examined the watch-fob
"Why, where is it!" says she, "you had
two dollars this morning!'
"Yes, know it, but have only 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 part
ing with the last penny, this couple might
have parted with vice, a wicked, foolish
practice which had reduced them to such a
degree of poverty and wretchedness that the
monster power of rum could hardly send its
victims lower.
| So Tom and Mag were transformed into
Mr.. and Mrs. Elting, and having grown some-
what more sober while in the house, seemed
to fully understand their new position, and
all the obligations they had taken upon them
selves.
For few days thought occasionally Of
this two-penny marriage, and then it became
absorbed with a Thousand other scenes Of
wretchedness which have witnessed since
have lived in this centre of city misery. Time
wore on and married many other couples
| 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 couple quite so
low as that of this two penny fee, and re-
solved never would again. At length, how
ever, had call for full match TO them,
| which refused.
"Why do you come to me to be married,
my friend 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 that?"
at did one of my friends"
"Well, then, 60 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 a good
job and several hands working for him and is
making money, and won't quit till night.
Shall come this EVENING""
"Yes, will stay at home and wait for you"
little expected to see him again, but
about 8 O'Clock the servant said that man g.
his girl, with gentleman and lady were wait
ing in the reception room. told him to ask
the lady and gentleman to walk up TO the
parlor and sit a 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 not
come up; they wanted to see that couple
married. So went down and found the
squalidly wretched pair in company with a
well-dressed laboring man, for he wore fine
black coat, silk vest, gold watch chain, clean
white shirt and cravat, caif-skin boots; and
his wife was just as neat and tidiy dressed
as anybody's wife, and her face beamed with
intelligence, and the way in which she clung
to the arm of her husband, as she seemed tc
shrink from my sight, told that she was q
: loving as we'll as pretty wife.
"This couple" says the gentleman, "hav,
come to be married"
"Yes, | knew it, but have refused. Lool
at them; do they look like fit subjects 70
such a holy ordinance! God never intcndc,