The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-10-03
MARRIAGE CEREMONY STORIES.
Amusing Experiences Of Prominent
American Minister.

marriage ceremony when the laugh was
rather upon me than upon the contract
ing parties, who were colored persons.
1t occurred many years ago when gold
was in ordinary use as a higher form of
currency. The ring was not then as com
monty used in the marriage ceremony
as tits in these days. At the beginning of
the service the groom slipped into my
hand Il thought somewhat prematurely)
what l supposed to be gold piece, the
marriage fee. / hastily dropped it in
my vest pocket and proceeded with the
service. l was just Offering the con-
cluding prayer when the thought sud-
denly occurred to me that there was
something wrong. Why should he have
given me the fee in advance? twas GER
tainly very unusual proceeding. So
felt in my pocket and found out that
the supposed gold piece the groom had
given me had hollow in tit was ring
and the parties desired to be married
with it. AS / had not absolute con-
cluded the service, after the conclu-
sion of the prayer / introduced a new
form of service and gradually worked
my way round until the ring could be
introduced in proper manner. In fact
the couple had kind of double barreled
marriage service, and / may say that
they were very much pleased with it
and gave me considerable praise for the
peculiar way the ring was introduced
though, of course, they were ignorant of
the misapprehension had been labor
ing under.
A singular thing in connection with
this wedding was that although the
bride and groom were colored people
as black as you ever find colored people
all those who took part in the festiv-
tiles were white persons The man
was a prominent caterer and was quite
well-to do, but the servants who waited
on the table, the girl who attended to
the door, the maids who assisted the
lady guests in the dressing-room, the
attendant upon the gentlemen visitors
and the minister who performed the
ceremony, all were white.
There is always more or less elegance
about all marriages, but the first one al
which 1 officiated in my ministerial
career happened to be of the plainest
and most matter-of-fact description.
had been told to call at certain house
where the couple had just engaged
rooms. / went up two flights of stairs
. and found there a young woman who
was on her knees scrubbing the floor
informed her who l was and asked
her if had come to the right apart
ments. She said that l had and thai
she was the bride. Going into another
room, she led forth the groom, who
was in worlSingman's attire. They tolt
me to ''go ahead" with the ceremony
and the twain were made one, certainly
without the aid of any extra fuss anC
feathers" When it came to pay the fee
they seemed to be holding financial con
sultation together. They each searched
their pockets, and with some difficulty
made up purse of eighty-three cents
But / wouldn't accept any fee, as they
seemed to be in such humble circum
stances.
There was one couple poorer thar
this. The man came to me in advanc,
and said he wanted to be married a
twelve o'clock. At that hour III
brought the girl, appearing before nj
in his shirt-sleeves. | asked him: AR
'. you to be married in this style?" Fl
said yes; that he was going right hom
e and he wanted to take his new wifi
Y with him to look after some little chill
!. dren that belonged to him. Then h
y asked me to lend him coat, and so
t loaned him coat. So he was marie,
e in borrowed and, 1 fear, somewha
S faded fnery. At the conclusion of tn
, service he said: 81 have no money; yor
S will have to trust me-" l trusted him
0 but l never heard from him again
However, got my coat back; he took
: off after the ceremony.
t In my rural pastorates | have ofte1
. been offered the marriage fee in som
I kind of farm or garden produce.
I never but once made such an eXchang
d for my services, then | took q cheese
: He said his mother had made it: h
o seemed rather proud of it-and anXiou
to get rid of it, SO l took it.
Once / married a man in Fall River
: After 1 had finished the ceremony h
i alluded to the fee and said to me- 6
; don't know whether have made goo
bargain or not; if I have done well
ought to pay you. He did not pay IN
. then, but at the end of the year, the an
;. niversary of his marriage, he sent me
ten-dollar bill. To quote his own Ian
guage, | suppose he had done we'll"
One of the quickest marriages on rec
ord occurred when l was stationed a
Lowell 1t was the very early spring
4 after dark, and was on my way to tn
railroad station. had just passed M
st church when a couple came up to me
o and the man said they wanted to b
:. married told him had no time, tina
n l was going to catch the train. l ad
Il vised them to get another minister
a They consulted together for moment
~ and the woman decided that she woul
!, not have another minister. "Wel
" then,~ / said. you must wait coupl
q of days until come back" but tn
young man said that would not be cor
venient for him and inquired can yo
{ marry us here?" told them | coult
- if they would be satisfied. They Shove
v me the marriage license necessary i
that section. l saw that it was all right
= reading it by the light of the stree
/. lamp, and then married them with
d very short service, right on the spot
The Voice.
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