The Sauk Centre herald., 1894-12-27
MARRY IN GERMANY.
BUT IF you ARE AMERICANS BE PRE-
PARED FOR A SIEGE.
Documents of All Kinds and Witnesses
Must Ee Presented to the Civil Func-
tionary-The Trials of q Young Couple
of Americans In Berlin.

of Americans In Berlin.
1t is often almost impossible for an
American to secure the papers necessary
to make European marriage valid, es-
pecially III Germany. The lovers are fire.
quently obliged to wait until they can
repair to some less inquisitive land,
where priest or legal functionary will
consent TO unite them without asking
superfluous questions. When the con-
tracing parties are themselves Euro
peans, the formalities are probably for
midable enough, for besides the actual
marriage papers there are settlement
papers and various preliminary docu-
ments to be drawn up But if you are an
American of course you are a suspicious
character. and You will find it even
doubly difficult TO marry the girl oi
your choice. You must first prove you.
right to live and breathe and have your
being, and your bride must prove her
right to live and breathe and have her
being, and your father, and your moth
er and your brides father, and your
brides mother must also prove that they
We're born in due time and have lived
irreproachably ever after, and in case
they no longer exercise the functions of
living, breathing and having their be-
ing it must be shown that they ceased
to do SO III sober and godhlle manner.
All this and much more must be set
forth III ;s quod erat demon strandum
fashion by means Of documents before
you will be allowed to bend your neck
to the conjugal yoke.
The truth of these remarks was illus
trated few weeks ago il Berlin, when
the happiness of two young Americans
hung for long time in the balance un-
til German authorities finally consented
to let them join hands and hearts. The
young man was an Psychologist and
found it necessary to be in Egypt at a
certain time. He hoped to take his bride
with him, but almost up to the last mo-
ment he was uncertain whether he
should have bride to take For months
he had been trying to bring about this
marriage, but the requirements of the
German law were enough to drive even
man accustomed to the complications
of the Tel-el -eh- Manah tablets to de-
spair. The bride had lived formerly on
the other side of the world, and as there
existed in the cautious German mind
the possibility that she might have gone
through the marriage ceremony on some
previous occasion it was necessary to
publish the banns weeks beforehand, not
only in the Berlin papers, but also in
the journals of her native American
u,
cure certificates Of the birth and bap-
tism Of themselves and their parents
anu to furnish an epitoma of the family
histories down to date. There is q ru-
NOR that testimony was even demanded
as to the number of times certain rela-
tives had been vaccinated and the sue
cess oi the operation. The young wom
ans father had died when away from
home, and it was rather difficult to sat
isfy German authorities as to the man.
ner Of his taking off. Finally all the
papers arrived, and tho couple repaired
one day with their friends and witnesses
to the Office Of the legal functiOnary in
whose hands their happiness reposed.
The legal functionary, of course, had
witnesses on his side. The Germans
never transact any business except in
the presence of witnesses. If you quar-
rel with the guard on a railway train,
he Immediately summons another guard,
not to settle the dispute, but to witness
it. They put their two solemn heads to-
gether, shake them at each other and at
you, make copious notes of the facts
and finally take themselves off. This
bridal couple and friends were silently
surveyed by the band Of witnesses.
Then the bride was placed in one chair
and the bridegroom in another at a re-
spectful distance. The papers were pro-
duced. The. bride told all about herself.
and the bridegroom told all about him
self, and the friends and witnesses told
all about both of them. The mother of
the bride assured the assembled COM
pany that this man was not insidiously
defrauding her Of her daughter. The
The bridegroom heaved a sigh Of relief
The tired bride moved in her chair
wearily. But the legal functionary was
not going to let them off so easily. He
shook his head over the papers, pursed
up his lips and then turned on the
whole crowd and asked them fiercely for
their passports. OF course no one had
such thing about him, so the jaded
bridegroom had to rush off in a drosky
to secure as many as were necessary.
Meantime German couple appeared.
Their papers, Of course, were all right
The German bridegroom took possession
of the American bridegroom's vacant
chair and the American bride, who, by
this time, was almost in tears, yielded
her seat to the German bride. By the
time they had been safely launched upon
the sea of married life the passports had
been found, and the Americans again
took the chairs and were finally made
man and wife, to tahe Subtraction Of the
legal functionary, themselves and their
friends.
That wasn't all, Of course They had
to rush of, after the legal functionary's
fee had been paid, to do honor to the
ordinary convent Qualities, array them
selves in fesJal robes and be married
again by a minister who spoke the Eng
lish tongue, shake hands with their 900
friends and catch the first train for
Egypt. Berlin Cor New York Sun.
Simple Remedy.
A teacher of health culture declares
that simple remedy for removing the
blood from too active brain is to exer-
else the muscles Of the feet. Stand firm
i I