The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-02-07
MANY WAYS TO WE'D.
The Queer Laws and Customs Of the Good
Old Days.
Ancient and Modern Rites.-Why The Ring i
WOn-,JeWiSh Marriage CeremOnies-EoW g..
The Unlimited Guests TOOk ReVage.


ried II he had been compelled to hunt
around represent Allegheny county court
buildings to find the little back room Of
the registers office, where he would be
obliged to pay his half dollar and swear
to more things than he ever dreamed Of
before he could get marriage license.
He would certainly have been in bad
fix when he came to swear that Eve was
Of full age, Or to produce the written con-
sent Of her father and mother. It Is safe
to say that he would have given 1t up
and died an old bachelor. Yet without
minister, magistrate, register or other
official intervention, the marriage Of
Adam and Eve was such that II would
have stood the test Of the old English
common law.
From earliest times the various states
Of society have imposed regulations for
the observance Of this solemn contract.
For marriage Is simply contract, except
that the parties cannot now change or ter
inmate it by mutual consent, as they can
all other contracts. There Is In the Royal
Library Of Paris written contract made
in 1897, between two persons Of noble
birth in Armagnal. The husband and
wife were bound to each other for seven
years. It was also agreed that the parties
should also have the right to renew the
tie at the end Of that time II they mutual
ly agreed; but II not, the Aildren were to
be equally divided, and II the number
should chance not to be even, they were
to draw lots for the odd one.
The Roman church alone regarded mar
riage as q sacrament, but all the other
churches recognized Il as q divine insti-
tuition, and, accordingly, every denomi-
nation has provided religious services for
its solemnization. So strong hold did
the church in England gain upon 1t that
for long time the regulation Of marriage
and divorce was almost exclusively under
the chuTch's jurisdiction.
Among the Romans there were three
ways Of obtaining q wife-by capture,
sale or gift. When a Roman bought 4
wife, and this was the usual way, the
ceremony that followed was merely gone
through with for the sake Of having in
disputable evidence Of the sale. The
head Of the family had to give her over to
the husband in the presence Of witnesses,
and II is from this that we now have the
custom Of giving away the bride. Before
the period Of Rome's greatness the parties
could dissolve the marriage by mutual
consent. When they wished to terminate
the contract they usually went before an
altar and in the presence Of witnesses
declared the marriage at an end. At and
after the time Of Rome's greatness the
marriage was indissoluble. The Roman
husband took his wife, not rs her hus-
band, but as her father. She came into
his family the same almost as an adopted
daughter. Originally the husband had
absolute and complete control over her
and her property. Even after his death
she was subject to any guardianship that
he might have appointed for her dur
ing his lifetime. But change came in
her condition, and came as changes usu-
ally come, from one extreme to another.
The wife was now subject to the tutelage
Of guardians appointed by her own family,
This tutelage gave to her a very independ-
ent position as to her separate estate and
person.
Before this change came, and even aft
erward. there was exercised among the
Romans complete tyranny by the head Of
the family. As head Of the family the
eldest male was always the head. He
had power not only over relatives, but all
persons connected with his household
and his children's households. While
the father lived his son was subject to
him, although the son might be 40 years
old and have large family Of his own.
The grandchildren were subject to the
grandfather the same as their own father.
The family was then regarded much
as we now regard the individual. II
member committed q crime the whole
family were held responsible, and It was
perfectly lawful for the injured family to
get revenge or satisfaction, even II II were
necessary to exterminate the whole
offending family. This was carried to
such an extent that sometimes whole
families were destroyed.
The blood ieud, and II was well named,
descended from father to son. It was to
the Roman, in effect, what the inherited
curse was to the Greek. The feud was
kept up not 80 much for the sake Of pun
ishment as to prevent the supposed ha-
bility Of the offending family to commit
fresh ofenses. With all their peculiar
customs in regard to the family, 1t must
be said to their credit that they never TO
any extent practiced polygamy.
II the Romans did not countenance
polygamy, the Hebrews did; and they
had more peculiar custom. There was
. law among them called the Levirate,
which means brother-in-law, and accord
ing to this law, ct the death Of the hus-
band, the next Oldest unmarried brother
in-law Of the widow married her, II there
were no children. In this way the wife
Of the eldest brother might, in course Of
time, have been the wife Of all the broth