Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-26

out at SO m0fieSt rate lnau the poorest
could afford TO have them. Mourning is
worn here very heavy and very long. But
there is a
REVOLT AGAINST THIS PRACTICE.
1t is quite common now to see men and
women with a small band of black Grape
around the left arm. Their dress other
wise may he of any color, but this emblem
shows that they have recently suffered be-
reavement, and marks them at the same
time as persons who have fallen into line
with the reform tendencies of the age
Chief among the agencies seeking to pro-
mote economy in connection with the
burial of the dead is the Church of Eng
land Funeral and Mourning Reform Asso-
citation. One thing that struck me very
curiously was to see women acting as pail
bearers. In the burial of children this Is
quite common. In many parts of England,
| too. the bearers, whether male or female
| carry the coffin on their shoulders 1t Is
also more common here than among us to
take the remains to church. This is, in
fact, the rule, house funerals" in the case
of adults, being very rare indeed.
MATRIMONIAL MATTERS.
Getting married being so much more
pleasant an operation than being either
born or buried, have reserved my notes
on this subject for a climax. To begin
with, | think it would be safe to say that
no woman was ever welded in England, OF
would ever think of being without ring
| This emblem on the third finger Of the
left hand is the universal badge Of the
connubial state, and the absence of it the
universal sign of single blessedness. A
lady who has been twice married will
usually wear both wedding rings. Married
American ladies, who come over here minus
this outward mark of their relation, are
often looked upon by English matrOns with
suspicion Another remarkable thing
about English marriages is that they are
nearly all celebrated in some place of wor-
ship, and nearly all, too, before y O'Clock
in the day. To get married at any other
hour, and in any other place than IN a
church or chapel, or at the Registrars Of
| flee, a special license costing $3.50 must
be procured. An ordinary license, which
confers only the privilege of getting mar
ried without previous publication OF the
"banns." costs $25. As a matter of course,
this expensive method of getting spliced is
a luxury left to the enjoyment Of the rich
and few, the many going through the or
binary process of having
THE BANNs ANNOUNCED.
This is done by the clergyman, who de-
clares,, in making his notices at the morn
ing service, that so and so and so and SC
are about to become husband and wife
winding up by calling upon anyone who
may know of any lawful impeachment to the
| union to declare the same or forever there
after hold their peace. The banns must be
published thus on three successive Sundays
Then the wedding can take place. In the
case of dissenters who propose being mar
ried in their chapel, the names, ages, resi-
dence and occupations, etc, of the parties
must be exhibited for three weeks at the
Office of the Registrar for the district, and
to make the chapel marriage valid the
Registrar must be present at the ceremony
Considering that nothing of the kind is re-
quired at church weddings, this is a great
injustice to dissenters, and doubtless it will
soon be done away. The Registrar is com
petent to tie the knot himself, and is the
only person outside the ministry who en-
Joys this privilege In wishing the couple
| good luck, the old custom still prevails OF
throwing slipper or old shoe after them
when on the way to church, this, however
being varied in some places by strewing
rice before them.
PROTESTS AGAINST MARRIAGES.
/ 1t is nothing unusual for protests to be
made when the banns are published. The
objection is made in public and the clergy
man hears the statement of cause in tho
vestry at the close Of the service. Most
frequently it is the parents who object, but
occasionally cases of different kind occur
At church near Manchester, few Sun
days ago, the bahns of marriage were be
| ing published for Z" the third time of ask
ing" when a gentleman arose in a
conspicuous part of the congregation and
said, according to the usual form, 9 for
bid the banns" Subsequently it transpired
that the man who had been "asked was
50 years of age The woman, who was 45
had recently nursed him through an i'll
ness, and had ordered the publication Of
the banns without his consent, her object
in thus attempting TO force him into matri-
mOny being to get possession Of the old
gentleman's property. The wedding, !
need scarcely add, did not come off.
MARRIAGES AND MARRIAGE STATISTICS.
From the census of 1881 l gather the
following interesting statistics. Taking
| fifteen years as the minimum, there were
at that time sixteen and half million
people in England and Wales of a mar
riageable age Of these, eight and three
quarter millions were married, six and
| one-quarter millions unmarried, and a
million and a half widows and widowers.
The number of married women under 20
years of age was nearly six times that OF
the married men under that age, and the
number of women under % years Of age
who were married was nearly double that
of the men under that age who were in the
connubial state There were 10000 or q
per cent, more bachelors between ID and
80 years of age, than there were spinsters,
but Of spinsters over 50 years of age there
were 10000, or SO per cent. more than of
bachelors. The preponderance of widows
over widowers is often remarked. The
census returns show this to be unmistak-
ably the case There were in 1881 close
upon one million widows in England and
Wales. the number of widowers being less
than half as many. OF these million
widows, 1000 were under 80 years of age.
In Ireland and Scotland the number o.
widows was in each case three times that
Of the widowers. II. t.
.-.-----s1s--s.-.-.
Why He was Promoted.
1t is related of an ex-member of Con-
gress from the West, who died last month,