The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-07-03
A New Marriage Service.

A New Marriage Service.
Miss Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, in the
Independent, takes exception TO the
usual form OF the marriage ceremony
and proposes the following as an inn
prOvement:
Which beginneth with the words, "Iet
us pray.n tl la
(At the close of a briefprayer the min
lister shall say:) .-..... .......-..
"In the presence Of God and of these
witnesses, we are now come to solemnize
the convenant OF this man and woman
in marriage. Are you, Charles True,
prepared, of your own free Wills inelin-
Ing, and whole hearts desire, to take
upon yourself the VOWS which shall
make and keep you the husband of this
woman as long as death shall spare you
one to the other ?n
(He will say:) 'I am"
"Are you, Charlotte Tender, prepared,
Of your own free willis inclining and
whole hearts desire, to take upon your.
self the vows which shall make and
keep you the wife of this man as long
as death shall spare you one to the
other ?n
CShe shall say:) 'I am" .-g
ais there to your inmost conscious
ness any hidden reason why you should
not charge your lips with the utteranee
OF these vows T? Does the voice of your
secret soul cry to you-by any reproach
Of memory, by any uncertainty of
hOpe-tO forbid these bans If there
be such reason, il there be such a
voice, i'm the presence of God and these
witnesses, regard it, before it be too
late"
(Both:) tsThere is none SUCH" S..
unto the man he shall say:) "If you
feel within your honest heart that any
other woman ought to hold-or, in the
sweet mood of you affections, that any
other could hold-the place which this
woman occupies to-day, for your souls
sake, and for her souls sake, acknowl-
edge il before it be too late"
Unto the woman he shall say:) "If
you feel in your honest heart that any
other man ought to hold--Or, in the
sweet mood Of your affections, that any
other could hold-the place which this
ann occupies to-day, for your sours sake,
and for his souls sake, acknowledge it
before it be too late +" .
(Receiving no response the minister
shall proceed:) .....
t'Then reverently do l offer you, and
loyalty may you take upon yourselves,
the convenant of true marriage" ed
"Do you Charles True, take this
woman whose hand you hold to be your
lawfully welded wife ?"
(He shall say:l al do"
t'Do you Charlotte Tender, take this
man whose hand you hold to be your
lawfully welded husband?"
tShe shall says 'T do"
tsYou promise to cleave unto each
other i'm sickness and in health in pros
perity and in adversity, through trial
aud triumph, in temptation, peril, joy,
sorrow, through life unto death. You
promise to be considerate of each others
happiness, above all other claims. You
promise TO assist each other in your mu-
tual aud individual life's work, render
4 ing each to each such tender thought
/ fulness, aud such large estimate of the
others nature, that neither shall absorb
| in petty exactiOns or in selfish blindness
the others subject life. You recognize
! IL to be the duty Of every man and Of
every woman to live life of individual
service to an individual God, and you
hold il to be the especial aim of mar
riage to assist men and women in the
pursuance of such service by a union
which brings mutual fOrbearance, and
mutual comfort, to replace solitary Ia
bors and lonely failures and unshared
successes. You, therefore, promise to
regard each others presence in all your
plans of life, and consider any claims OF
one to legislate for the other as foreign
to the spirit of righteous marriage and
to the letter of your VOWS. You believe
that the sweet restraints and large lib
erty Of mutual love shall serve you in
the settlement of all difference of opin-
Iau MI hn
| increased by your recognition each of
| the others freedom of personal judg-
ment and action. You promise to rev
! erence i'm each other all that is essen-
| TALLY different in your natures, and to
meet generally upon all that is com
mon, and to elevate, each for the other,
and each in the other, your ideals OF
manhood, of womanhood, and of mar
riage. Do you thus believe and prom
] ise? ?"
Both shall says al do"
! 'Frhen do / pronounce you to be hus-
band and wife. The great necessity OF
! love is laid upon you. Love is no longer
/ its own but each Others. You have set
1 yourselves to learn the longest lessons OF
| human experience. You have entered
upon a condition of the highest duties,
as well as of the deepest joys. As ear
1 nestly as you have come 10 III may II
come to you AS solemnly as you have
chosen each other may Gods blessing
choose out you. Even as tenderly as
you are drawn to each other may His
heart be drawn unto you. As sacredly
as you cherish each other may His pro-
lection cherish you" al ...I
"Tove,' we read, 'is stronger than
DEATH OF whatever there be in human
| love which outliyes human life, may the
| love of this man and woman be found to
partake ~ @ nat
"For all that the love of man and
woman may mean, in a world where
they neither marry nor are given In
marriage. God grant that this earthly
marriage may fit these two heayen-born
souls ~ r aI
"Amen." ...t...,
! ITNIvERSAIIST CONVENTION AMI