The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-12-02
Marrying Under Difficulties.
ny REV. HENRY II. JEssur, D. D.

Protestant properly qualified to perform
the marriage ceremony In HUNS, Syria,
went to that city to marry two of the
Protestant young men. 1t was the first
time Protestant marriage had ever
taken place in HUNS, and great interest
was taken in the ceremony. 1t Is the
custom among the other sects to pro
nous,ce the bride and groom husband
and wife, neither giving an opportunity
to spectators to object nor asking the
girl If she is willing to marry the man.
The girl is oftentimes not consulted,
but simply told she is to marry such
man. If it pleases her, we'll and good.
If not, there is no remedy. The Greek
Church gives no liberty in this respect,
although the priests take it for granted
that the friends have satisfied both bride
and groom with regard to the desirable
ness of the match. If they are not
satisfied, the form of the ceremony gives
neither of them the right of refusal.
Two young men, Idrahim and Yunis,
called upon me, soon after my arrival,
to make arrangements for the marriage.
read them the form of the marriage
ceremony and they expressed their
approval, but said it would be neccessa-
ry to give the brides very careful instruc-
tions as to how and when to answer,
lest they should say yes when they
should no, and no when they wished to
say yes L asked them to accompany
me to the houses of the girls, that L
might give them the necessary direc-
tions. They at once protested that this
would not be allowed. They had never
called at the brides houses when the
girls were present, and it would be a
grievous breach of decorum for them to
go even with me. So certain of the
male relatives of the girls were sent for
to accompany me, and l went to their
houses. On entering the house of the
first one, it was only after long and
elaborate argument and diplomatic man
agement that we could induce the bride
to come in from the other room and
meet me. AT length she came, with her
face partially veiled, and attended by
several married women, her relatives.
They soon began to ply me with
questions. "Do you have the COM
munion before the ceremony"
"No.n
"Do you use the 'Ikleel," or crown,
in the service 20
No, we sometimes use the ring"
Said ono g + haor that won ooID tba
girl if she is willing to take this man to
be her husband"
Certainly we do"
Well, if that rule had been followed
in my day, know of one woman who
would have said no; but they do not
give us Greek women the chance"
then explained to them that the
bride must stand beside the bridegroom,
and when asked her if she knew of
any lawful reason why she should not
marry this man, Ibrahim, she should
say NO,-and when asked her If she
took him to be her lawful and welded
husband, she must answer Yes. Some
of the women were under great appre-
hension that she might answer No in
the wrong place so l repeated over and
over again until the girl was sure she
should not make mistake. The woman
above alluded to now said, "Iwould
have said no in the right place, if had
been allowed to do it'll" 1 then went to
the house OF the other bride and gave
her similar instructions. The surprise
of the women who came in from the
neighborhood, that the girl should have
the right to say yes or no, was most
amusing and suggestive. That one
thing seemed to give them new ideas of
the dignity and honor of women under
the Gospel. Marriage in the East is SO
generally matter of bargain and sale,
or of parental convenience and profit,
or of absolute compulsion, that young
women have little idea of exercising
their own taste or judgment in the
choice of a husband.
This was a new doctrine for the city
of Heliogabalus, and, as was to be eX-
pected, the news soon spread through
the town that the next evening mar
riage ceremony was to be performed by
the Protestant minister, in which the
bride was to have the privilege of refus-
ing the man if she wished. And, what
was even more outrageous to HUNS
ideas of propriety, it was rumored that
the brides were to walk home from the
Church IN company sOith their husbands!
This was too much, and certain Of the