The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-25
If YOU MARRY IN GERMANY,
AVID ARE AMERICANS, BE PRE-
JARED FOR A SIEGE

Documents or ali Sorts Must he Procured,
and Then the civil Fuuctionary win
Discover that You Have Forgotten Some-
thing - Trials or an American Couple
BERLIN. Nov. cit is often almost impossible
for an American to secure the papers necessary
TO make n European marriage valid. especially
in Germany. The lovers are frequently obliged
to wait until they can repair to some less i'm
quisitiye land, where n priest or legal Junction.
nry will consent TO unite them without asking
supsrnuous questions. When the contracting
parties nre themselves Europeans the formall-
ties are probably formidable enough, for besides
the actual marriage papers, there nrc settle
mcnt papers and various preliminary documents
to- be drawn up. But IL you IRE an American,
Of course you are a suspicious character, aud
you will find IL even doubly difficult to marry
the girl Of your choice. You must first prove
your right TO live and breathe and have your
being. and your bride must prove her right
tn live and breathe and have her being,
and your father and your mother and
your brides father and your brides mother
must also prove that they were born In due
time and have lived irrcproachably ever after;
and in case they no longer exercise the functions
Of living, BREATHING, and having their being, 1t
must he shown that they censed to do SO In a
sober and eodlike manner. All this and much
more must be set forth In a quOd erdt demon
sirundum fashion by means OF documents before
you will be allowed to bend your neck to the
conjugal yoke.
The truth of these remarks was illustrated q
few weeks ago in Berlin when the happiness of
two young Americans hung for n long time in
the balance, until German authorities finally
consented to let them join hands and
hearts. The young man was an Egypt
ologist, and found It necessary to be in Egypt at
~ certain time. He hoped to take his bride with
him. but almost up to the last moment he was
uncertain whether he should have n bride to
take. For months he had been trying to bring
about this marriage. but the requirements of the
German law wcro enough to drive even =
man accustomed to the complications of the
Tel-cl- eh- Mannh tablets to despair. The
bride had lived formerly on the other
sidc OF the world, and as there ex-
listed In the cautious German mind the
possibility that she might have gone through
the marriage CEREMONY on some previous occa-
sion. IL was necessary 10 publish the banns
weeks beforehand, not only in the Berlin pa
pers, but also in the Journals of her native
American town. Both parties were Obliged to
secure certificates of the birth and baptism Of
themselves and their parents, and to furnish an
epitomc of the family histories down to date.
There is u rrmor that testimony was even
demanded ms to the number of times
certain relatives had been vaccinatcd.
and the success of the operation. The young
woman's father III d died when away from hor,o,
and IL was rather difficult to satisfy German au-
thoritics rs to the manner of his taking Of.
Finally, all the papers arrived. and the couple
repaired one day with their friends and wit
nesscs TO the office of the legal functionary in
whose hands their happiness reposed.
The legal funct'onary: OF course, had wit.
any business except in the presence of witnesses.
II you quarrel with the guard On q railway train
Tn settle the ulsDlte. HIT 10 witness IL.
They put their two solemn heads together,
l p,"Hs n ,"ea' Of Of the " fa Sts' and finsfiiy take Them
selves of. This bridal couple and friends wcro
1TIEIs nn ibe S bI,Ss YEA, p pI,c ,nS in So am cG Hl ~i mmS ins
bridegroom in another at y respectful distance;
The PAPERS we're produced. The bride tpld all
himself. and the friends and witnesses told all
about both OF them. Tho mother OF the bride
was not insidiously dctrauding her Of
her daughter. The company began to breathe
OF RELIEF, The tired bride moved in her chair
YEARLY. But the legal functionary was not go-
over the papers, pursed Up his lips, and then
turned on the whole crowd md asked them
had such a thing about him. so the jndcd bride
groom had tn rush of in a droschke to secure as
Meantime "a German couple appeared. Their
papers. of course, were all right. The, German
bridegroom's vacant chair. and the American
Srids' who lie,as ~ lhn.s siim9 was the anne" Germn IN
bride, BY the time they had been safely
launched upon the sea of married life the pass
ports had been found, and the Americans again
took the chairs and were finally made man and
wife, to the satisfaction OF the legal functiohary.
themselves, and their friends.
That wasn't nil. OF course. They had to rush
of, after tho legal functionary's fee had hecn
paid, to do honor to, the ordinary convention
! alities, array themselves in festal robes, and be-
married again by a minister who spoke the Eng
lish tongue. shake hands with their fiye hundred
friends, and catch the first train for Egypt,
A fine young fellOw-a student and something
that he'd fight for America and die for her. but
he wouldn't live there. But one would certainly
choose not only to be married, but also Ia DO
born and 20 die In the land of, the stars and tho
trying to I've horn in France, for instance.
and very difficult to be buried there. There is
likely 10 he n little too much publicity about
the former event. and not quite enough about
the world and go out Of II. armed to the teeth
with documents. If they fail in ono case, one
can have no standing in the community, must
be n sort OF u man without = country; IN me
standing in heaven. but is likely to have no rest
ing place in earth.
Still. in spite OF the sometimes inconvenient
thOroughneEs OF these continental methods,
many respects. II certainly seems, II little
more fitting that one should learn or
the betrothal Of Hans To lischen from the lips
Of the good pastor rs he publishes the banns
! from the pulpit rather than that one should read
IL in some gOssipy column Of a newspaper. The
infinite amount of pains necessary to tie the knot
must impress those tied with the inc pcdiency
OF untying II. Then, too, Illinois Is "A long way
natural responsibilities should have IA tendency
10 make people appreciate their %sanctity.
CHOOSING THEIR OHM CISkEIS.