The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-08-26

THE Hon. SMITH ELT. ...
refused to perform any wedding ceremonies a.
why IL Is that Mayor Gllroy takes the same posi-
ton. know Of no instances where either Mr..
Grant or Mr.. Gilroy fulfilled this simple dutytn
this respect. To o01ciate at a civil wedding 10 q
common function ola Mayor. and often where
there are religious differences between the bride
and the groom a civil marriage is a necessity.
Most or the wedding ceremonies / performed
were of a civil nature, and we're usually followed
by a religious ceremony. Mayor Gilroy some
times declines to perform tho marriage cere-
mony. in consequence, ! suppose, Of some re1ig-
ious %scruples. think adherents Of the Catholic
Church take n higher view Of the ~sanctity and
indlssolubility of marriage than Protestants do.
SINCERE Catholics are rarely divorced.
How can you account for the fact that you
otber Tay az :; :! many more or y TTe dd than pny
We'll, / can give two reasons. / charged N,
fees and then married IA great many Italian
couples MY intGrpreter was Col. Pratt. who
He was recommended to me BY Count di LuoGi,
the Italian Consul;General. Col. Pratt had a
city, and suppose all The italians who wished 10
be married went straight for the Mayors office.
me S., but. yuu know. when the Mayors
iia i" leu OF va" all ' fsGs SSd p ,S S,R;Soo 4 4 xT wss
many couples insisted on my accepting some
give sh.ss they ss %lsh then daop rf ia ,sr , nsSy E sSa, No. to
Hardy was my chief clerk. The applicants for
grarrn u ansi lP"'S Sffer tIiroq Kin y. t., hands Snt w Tss
Hardy said there was no legal charge tho
groom would invariably Iook astonis9ed and
you can drop something in that poor
boz Very fey Of the happy grooms ever
some change and put in on an average about 81,
During my term about 81 $500 was contributed
TO what we called the poor box, all OF which was
given away to unfortunate but deserving women.
Iramps and men walking on their uppers would
cent. All the wedding fees during my term
went to poor outcast women"
Yes Yes / Sn Sjpy @S PPs sEit2rmiiRs az ,h ss sfGfmen When
! saw that the couple were not clippers, or when
The bride and groom fully appreciated what
the Couple should be accompanied with some
relatives or friends, was reasonably sure that
~ was proper that the two should be united. IL
the couple came alone, ! refused to marry them,
and told them they would have TO go elsewhere"
DO you recall any unhappy outcomes OF
II can only recall two. II any. OF the other
they have kept their unhappiness 10 themselves.
! married ths daughter Of an old friend OF mine
met The Young man on the elevated road when
he thanked me cordially for marrying him
young lady who had been the bride. She had
assumed her maiden name.
" Arc you not tlr Young. lady At whose mar
riage | of1Clated "a year ago ~ l asked.
=, Yes l am; and will never forgive you for
II, size replied.
/ was sorry for her domestic infelicity. but I
didn't want her 10 blame me for it. l remember
one other incident which shows how simple
man couple. Seither tie bride nor tho groom
could speak English, and 4 had to marry thorn
with beaming faces and dropped a thank Offer
ing In the poor box az they Ieft. Three months
long as they, had been broad before.
A woman who accompanied the couple
gTUDll hAu concluded tlHH could. not live, MN
together and she wanted 10 know il |
Doui1 moo the marriage. Ihs c9upie looked AT
lo idea OF the serious nature OF their request
told the EnSiish;speakinS woman that had n?
AXE tor much of my time to investigate their
Ease. The trio went away looking very disap-
Were yon not much more careful than mag
ktrates In general In Your wedding ceremonies r.
prompted my course. II "a couple, unsultably
mated. were going headlong into matrimony, -
title care wOald probably stop them. Moreover.
Was dispOsed 10 Dc very particular because of
\ ceremony l once saw my predecessor, Mayor
,t,ice i in.1 6bre ffnro'hh III, term mnl I Z Wien ID !. copn ~
anne IN 10 Dc married. The bride and groom
Wici GpIaTsn!is fsr{ poor; thought that NE;
| did not believe lac had sufficiently i'm
PRESSED the couple with a sense OF the RESPONSE
was therefore in my turn bound 10 make sure
Jefore | gave a certificate 10 md that tho appli-
ants fully understood the serious nature OF the
,OntTact they were undertaking. /, however,
never uttered the word obey In my service.
Did the couples ever interfere with your N
"Oh, no, they didn't come so thick as all that,
vas in onice. The greatest hunber OF welding
ceremonies ever performed IN one day was
our WIN Tour executions AL NE marriages
lon had a double wedding"
Who performed the most notable wedding I"
Il guess Mayor Hewitt can claim distinction
n that regard. lie married the widow OF
.ouis Hamersley To the Duke OF Marlborough.
n 4aARA n .HL Nm mr. NNa HEa - -
iayur stephen Allen 10 a young man with
HON she had eloped. | had several disttn-
roman Cardinal TO an Amcrican girl. and also
usrried the widow OF Robert iearsall To Count
.npwn in New York society. she Was she sis
OF Thomas Pearsall. Originally shs
nd si T mosi rHe X t hs'Hf -Four on IffiH ahartdi d s'f TSs;
erod, Her wedding with Count hessi has been
do you recall any amusing incidentsTr
" or course there must be- a humorous side 20
many weddings. rememta-r a yeg respec-
They sad they came from Michigan
olely TO be married hy me, and asked the bride
NY sue and her groom went 10 all the unheces-
",,oh. W wanted 70 e married b. an old
arhel0r Mayor AIS severed thr bride.
Mi. samuel J. Iilden was "A candidate at the
aDle time a. myself. during Tho canvass lHE
achriaTG0od In tSn,,0u 'Elc f r.ceiSed mn.
ferrous letter, from women residing in different
i i h.ikin; SsntimrEtH susETstions: hr:
rCthcr also received many such rpi,tles, which
+ turned over 20 her Iur consideration
- Mhru married Mrs. FrIr-tll AMI count
the Count asked ILu 10 l' sure and visit
an IN ever / haplsar! 10 le Iu ltaly. Pour
raT. ego Z vent sH-uaG. Thought Of tho
Uunts WAIIEtiun ala N3>gt,l Lin m lOrenCv.
found tLv count And u.u tssHtyS y Y happy
ru!r. They vaJvr'aiucI uY, 90 -htf1ly-"
hT. Els MlrU NaNur 'l-.-f,l that CBupiss
'mparaiiNris @'!l An"Hn a len married by hpn.
- doe nUi prov No Tor the printing ~ adycT-
,smentz 81 oFn Weddlns-. Mayor Ely IN
artsd notice. 81 his ON e1peRsE wLsh hs 49,