The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-11-20
Small Marriage Fees.
PhiladelDhia Record,

Small Marriage Fees.
| Philadelphia Record.
The Camden clergymen are consider
ing the propriety of establishing a uni
form rate of marriage fees. Since the
Pennsylvania license law has been in
operation, the rush to cross the ferry
for quiet weddings has become so large
/ that the ministers and justices have had
busy and, taking one consideration
with another, profitable time of it.
Lately, however, there has been dis
position on the part of the Philadelphia
lovers to become stingy about the fees,
and, in some cases, to entirely forget
about them. What is wanted now is a
minimum rate, and an agreement that
no fee less than that shall be accepted.
A we'll known Episcopal clergyman of
this city, laughing over the idea of a
fixed marriage fee as thus proposed, said !:
Marriage fees are not usually taken as
right, but it is very seldom that min
lister is called upon to marry people for
nothing. The happy man, however
stingy and mean of disposition, at such
a time IS disposed to make show of
generosity even if his eyes do ache to
see his money 60. To establish the
practice of regulation price for the ser
vice would not benefit the ministers,
because the average marriage fee is much
larger than could very we'll be fixed up
on as uniform rate. Have any idea
what is the average marriage fee? Well
let me see. When | was young preach
er had fairly well todo congregation,
and lived in a good neighborhood. l
married 162 couples in five years and l
received S478 in cash,'a silver watch
and a tin wash.boiier. That is an aver
age of about s. for each marriage. In
my present congregation, which is in a
financial way much superior to that t-af
my carry ycaIS, my marriage tees have
rbeen sufficient in the past ten years to
buy me a very comfortable house if |
were disposed to invest in real estate. l
have received fee of $500 in one in
stance and fifty cents in another, and ]
married one couple for nothing and
gave them a few hundred dollars to be-
gin ht usekeeping on-the bride was my
daughter. | have a ministerial friend
in this city who is very we'll known, who
was paid $4,000 as marriage fee, which
is the largest that l have any personal
knowledge Of
One of the popular Methodist pastors
of the city says that he has received from
5000 to pair of juicy spring chickens
for marrying people. 'On one occa-
son,' the minister said, 4 took drive
of sixteen miles and paid S. for the
privilege of marrying couple who did
not even invite ne to the marriage sup
per. That was in New Jersey. The
groom promised to send me fee large
enough to include the cost of the con
veyance, but was never able to collect
either Once a marriage fee came near
getting me into trouble. was paid a
S. bill by the groom which was coun-
terfeit. l placed the bill in my pocket
book, and few days afterward had oc-
casion to 60 over to Baltimore. When
| went into a store to buy a pair OF
gloves l gave the salesman the IS bill
and waited for my change. Unfortu-
nately for me a swindler had been pass
ing bad money in Baltimore about that
time and description of the fellow
had been put in the papers. In general
way l happened to answer fairly to that
description, and it was with great diff
Guilty that l prevented the clerk who
was waiting on me from handing me
over to an officer, whom lie had called
after closely examining the note. Of
course the newly y-married man who had
given me the money was greatly mortl,
fed. He afterward gave me beautiful
colt as compensation, and redeemed
the note, of course.
1T is a pretty mean theft who will
swindle poor country preacher with
large family and small salary; but
once knew man mean enough to dc
that by means of bogus marriage. He
came to small country town in which
my church was located. This was in
New York State. Near me lived Bap
tist minister who had hard struggle tc
make both ends meet. A man and {
woman drove up to his mouse one even
ing and were married. The man had :
large roll of bills, and pretended that hi
was looking for 6ve-dollar note among
them, but they were all for 500. Ths
fellow was profuse in his apologies; sale
he was sorry that he had no small bills
and did not want to go away wlthou
giving the minister fee. Was it pos
sible for the pastor to get one of tn
large bills changed. The poor clergy
man, eager to get cash IS marriage
fee, which was something unusual will
him, went to his little hoard and CAV
the man sos. The next day the clergy
man found that the 500 bill was coun
terfeit, and he was never able to flint
the swindler. The marriage was put
up Job, and about the most contempt
bic trick ever knew or heard Of
The most common fee in Candle
from the people who cross the ferry t
get married is one dollar, which is give
with request that the marriage motto
be published in Philadelphia paper
This costs fifty cents. The marriag
certificate costs an additional five cents
postage three cents, and the minister
magistrate has just forty-two cents as h
( share of the groom's prodigality. {
. course they cannot refuse-at least the
do not-but the marriages are becomln
so numerous and the fees so ridiculol
that the Camden ministers and magi