The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-07
MATRIMONIAL BLUNDER.

Marriage is SO important an episode in
the life of both parties to the transaction
that it is very desirable that there should
be no legal doubt about the business. 1t
is one of those enterprises, if it is to be done
at all, that should be well done. There
are sometimes many contingencies and
bitches in the nature of obstacles before
the parties reach the marriage altar that
it is a great pity to have any bungling in
the last act that makes the twain one
flesh. There seems to be something of
this nature in a recent sensational we'd
ding in high life in Chicago.
The Hon. J. Canchon, Lieutenant Gov
ernor of Manitoba, last week incurred
all the Inconvenience of midwinter
trip from his hyperborean domain, on
the Red River of the North, to meet his
fiancee in the aforesaid city. His fiancee.
Miss Emma LIE Moyne, had wended her
tedious way all the long route from her
home in Quebec dutifully to meet her
future lord. On Sunday evening last the
ceremony of marriage was performed for
the supposed benefit of the couple in the
Cathedral of the Holy Name by the Rev.
Father McMillen, and the happy couple
are now vending their way back to the
home of the supposed bridegroom.
1t now appears that no marriage IL
cense had been procured authorizing the
ceremony. The laws of the State of
Illinois makes marriage civil contract,
and requires imperatively as a condition
precedent that such license should be
procured. The Legislature has said that
"persons intending to be joined in marri-
age shall before their marriage obtain
license from the County Clerk of the
County where such marriage is to take
place." and I6poses penalty of 800 on
any minister, judge or justice of the
peace, who shall celebrate a marriage
without a license having been first OBJ
tanned therefor. Unless, therefore, the
Hon. J. Canchon, Lieutenant Governor
of Manitoba, is the law unto himself on
the subject of matrimony, he and Miss
Emma LIE Moyne can not be very much
married, Notwithstanding the zeal both
have shown in their long mid-winter
journies for that end.
Apropos Of the technicalities that the
laws of different countries throw around
the marriage contract, it may not be gen
orally known that under an old law of
England the ceremony can only be per-
formed between the hours of eight in
the morning and noon. A fashionable
evening wedding such as is in vogue in
the United States would be illegal. The
reason for this absurd law isthus given
in the London World: Marriages before
noon were adopted by our forefathers for
the simple reason that there existed a
strong presumption that after noon
bride and bridegroom might both be
unable to walk straight to the nuptial
altars. In these primitive times the
more hilarious spirits were in the habit
of drinking themselves as near as posi-
BILE blind drunk before l o'clock on any
holiday by way of doing it suitable
reverence. The earlier the marriage the
less likelihood of an ecclesiastical scan
dal and the arrival of a wedding party
whose members could barely stagger
up the central aisle" A bill has been
introduced in Parliament by Mr.. Banner
hassett to repeal this relic Of barbarous
age. After its passage the noble Eng
lishman will have time to get drunk first
and married afterwards.