Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-12-20
EEMsE I'D EaAE EH
The Marriage Service
Publication of the Bans.
!, ,ha if..loyaland tObio} Herald

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From the Cleveland tohio) Herald.
The marriage service contains.
sort of proclamation to the effec
that if any, one present has an.
valid objection to the union con
itemplated, that it be proclaimed
then and there. This prOclama
ton has come to be considered
more a matter of form than of
any actual validity of use, anC
probably the reader has nevel
known of any response beins
made to it go.
s'Inasofie of the New England
States the bans are published BY
outcry from the pulpit on three
public occasions, or the names OF
the intended matrimonial contract
ing parties are posted up in the
church vestibule for the same space
of time. We have seen, In a Mas
sachusetts church, by the side of
the door, small recess In the
doorpost having a pane of glass III
it, behind which the notices were
posted. But this latter fashion
was not a good one, as too many
people on Sunday visited this mat.
rimonial bulletin after the first
bell-ringing, as they would a news.
paper office bulletin, merely to
learn the news, bat did hot enter
the Church. The better way was
found to be to post the names on a
pillar inside the building; then the
curious were forced to attend the
"meeting" or run the gauntlet of
the deacon's eyes in withdrawing.
All sorts of devices were resorted
to by which the law might be sat
isfed and yet the wedding kept Sc
cret. Sometimes the publication
would be made in the most deli
cate ssfine hand" and posted,
wrong end up, at the top of the
pillar. Many of the more curious
worshippers, on entering, would
mount a chair in order to decipher
the. announcement, before they
could compose themselves to pray
er,
But the old Connecticut fashion
was themest trying. The preach
er invariably showed his spec
tacles from nose to forehead at
least three times before he uttered
a word from the piece of paper he
held in his hand, either indulging
in "guess' as to what the marrl-
age fee would amount TO, or to give
the congregation time to ''guess
which village belle was spoken
for, and particularly whether she
came from the singers seat, or was
the school marin. And when 1t
was announced that ''matrlmony
is contemplated between Moses
Meekness and Patience Reslgna-
ton" all eyes were turned toward
Patience's seat to see how she
stood it, and then toward Moses
This announcement, originally
was made before the sermon, but
being found to furnish such a fund
for gossip as to set the audience
whispering, and leading to discus
sions during sermon time as to
which of the two was making the
sacrifice, it came to be the fashion
to make the marriage announce.
ment the last thing at the after
noon service, thus avoiding the
discussions in church, and proving
an inducemept for attendance up;
on afternoon services. t.-.
But we have wandered from
what we intended to say, which.
was that the other day, ct ST.
Louis, when Q Roman Catholic
clergyman asked the usual ques-
tion in the marriage service, which
was being performed in church be-
tween Mr.. Haagsman, consul Tor
the Netherlands, and 3 Miss Mil
Ter, a Miss Percell arose In the au-
dience, and proclaimed that the
intended groom had promised her
marriage; that she held him to-
his agreement and forbid the union.
The prizes. refused to finish n,!!h the
and the couple were
forced tn uo to a Justice of the peace