The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-12-02

rooms open, and the open space or
court of the mission house was very
large. Before the brides arrival, the
entire court, the church and the school
room, were packed with noisy almost
rlotous throng. Men, women and
children were laughing and talking,
shouting and screaming to one another,
and discussing the extraordinary inno-
walton on HUNS customs about to be
enacted. Soon the brides arrived,
accompanied by q yelled and sheeted
crowd of women, all carrying candles
and singing as they entered the house.
We took them into the study of the
native preacher Sulleba, and after a
reasonable delay, we forced way for
them through the crowd into the large
square room, then used as a church.
My brother and myself finally succeeded
in placing them in proper position in
front of the pulpit, and then we waited
until Asaad and Michael, Yusel and
Nasif had enforced tolerable stiffness.
1t should be said that silence and good
order are almost unknown in the Orien-
tai churches. Men are walking about
talking, and even laughing, while the
priests are performing" the service,
and they were much impressed by the
quiet and decorum of Protestant wor-
ship.
The two brides were closely veiled so
that l could not distinguish the one
from the other. Ibrahim was slender
and tall, at least six feet three, and
Yunis was short and corpulent. So,
likewise, one of the brides was very tall,
and the other even shorter than Yunis.
AS we could not see the brides faces,
we arranged them according to symme-
try and apparent propriety, placing the
tall bride by the tall groom, and the
two short ones together. After the
Introductory prayer, L proceeded to
deliver somewhat full and practical
address on the nature of marriage, and
the duties and relations of husband and
wife, as is our custom in Syria, not only
for the instruction of the newly married
pair, but for the good of the community.
No Methodist exhorter ever evoked
more hearty responses, than did this
address, from the HUNS populace.
"That is true" "That is news in this
city," "Praise to God" Afdshullah!
A woman exclaimed on hearing of the
duties of husband and wife, "Praise to
God, women are something after all ~
I fhan tnrnoH IN thn
commenced asking Ibrahim the usual
questions, "Do you,' etc., etc., when
women screamed out, "Stop, stop, Know
adj, you have got the wrong bride by
that man. He is to marry the short
girl ~
Then followed an explosion of laughter,
and during the confusion we adjusted
the matter satisfactorily. A Moslem
Effendi who was present remarked
after listening to the service throughout,
''That is the most sensible way of get
ting married that ever heard Of"
After the ceremony, we sent the new
ly married pairs to the study to wait the
dispersion of the multitude, before
going into the street. But human curl
osity was too great. None would leave
until they saw the extraordinary sight
of bride and groom walking home
together. So we prepared our lanterns
and huge canes, and taking several of
the native brethren, my brother and
myself walked home with Ibrahim and
wife, and then with Yunis and his wife.
We walked on either side of them, and
the riotous rabble, seeing that they
could not reach the bride and groom
without first demolishing two tall
Khowadjis with heavy canes, contented
themselves with coarse jokes and con-
temptuous laughter.
This was nine years ago, and on
recent visit to HUNS, the two brides
and their husbands met me at the door
of the church on Sunday, to show me
their children. Since that time numer-
Gus Protestant weddings have taken
place in HUNS, and a new order of
things is beginning to dawn upon that
people.