The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-03-15
LETTERS FROM UTOPIA NO. 4.
MoREHILiE, UTorIA,
March IL. 1888.

ibunlcatlOH, III you please, i VIII CODtlne
attention 10 domestic ai!iir-
Though our people we're intensely
welded to the old system Of free mar
riagc. nevertheless, a,ionally, serious
objections 10 it forced thcmsclyc, upon
the public attention. A gentleman in
our community WAS arranging to send
his little daughter, just entering hcr
teens, to Il reighboring boarding school A:
aud one night his plans were utterly dis.
comiited by her c!opcmen, and marriage
There was no remedy the law acknUwI
edged the marriage as valid.
Again, Il gentleman. from a distant
part Of the country had To come to our
region in the vain effort to find among
the Oldest inhabitants some one who
could testify to the fact and the date Of
the marriage Of his parents, Of which
there was no Di'ir:.i record
These and other kindred evil. induced
the gradua! development Of our present
system the great superiority Of which is
delightfully."- manifest
NO minister or magistrate is allowed
to sclcmnize marriage except upon Il
license issued by the Clerk Of the Court.
No marriage license can bc issued unless
the groom is nj least seventeen years Of
age and the bride at least fifteen; and
| none can be issued without the consent
Of he parents unless the groom is at
!cas nineteen years Of age, and the
bird at leas seventeen.
Within ten days after the marriage,
| the minister or magistrate reports the
fact to the Clerk for permanent record
giving him The date Of the marriage, and
the names 0f three reliable witnesses OF
the ceremony.
The few years during which these reg
ulatioIs have been in effect are not sulli
cicnt, Of course, to show fully their bene-
iicial influence on the general health and
| longevity but decided Improvement in
these respects is already beginning tC
appear.
There is All other matter OF some i'm.
portance, which, though not ordained by
statute law, is universally carried out by
all good citizens, much TO the general
convenience in several ways. refer to the
custom Of giving TO each child As n mid
die name the maiden surname Of il,
| mother.
For example, if Mr.. Smith marie.
Miss jones, and three children result
from their marriage, they would bt
called respectively John Jones Smith
Snllic Jones Smith, and Lucy Jonc
Smith.-Suppoae Mrs Smith dies, ant
MIR. Smith afterwards marrics Miss
Brown. Then their three childrer
would he named respectively Sue Brown
Smith, Walter Brown Smith, and JOSEPH
Brown Smith. Now suppose Mr.. Smitl
dies, and after while Mrs. Smith il
married to Mr.. Stone. The three chill
dren OF this marriage would he nance
Alfred Smith Stone, Jennie Smith Stone
and Carrie Smith Stone, respectively.
In the mean time, Mr.. Smiths bro,he
marrics Miss Black, and three children
result from their marringe. There vii
be no confusion if these three clildreI
arc named like three Of their cousins
for instance, Sallie black Smith, Su,
Black Smith, Joseph Black Smith
Ii HI other brother marries lady o
an other family, the same fnvori,e name
may be given to their children withou
producing any confusion.
Besides these advantages, the precis
lineage and descent of successive gener
ntiona can be readily traced by person
acquainted with the preceding history O
the family, by knowing the full middl
name of each child in question.
But this is not all. 1t does not seen
fair to expect of y woman who contract
marriage with a man, that she should
in addition to all the unavoidable sacri
fees Of her new relation, utterly blot on
the remembrance of her former name
In the children which result from til
marriage Of Mr.. Smith and Miss Jones
there is certainly as much of Jones a
of Smith; end their names ought t
indicate this fact.
But, lest l weary you, farewell.
Your nephew,