Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-26
MARRIAGES BY WHOLESALE
How the Wedding Ceremonies Are Con-
Quoted in Holland.
The Glass Distinctions in All Walks
of Life-BridaI Couples by the
Score and More.
Special dependence of The gveuing Star.

|
| AMSTERDAM, August 3, 1895.
| In Holland class distinction exists along
all the walks of life, and even in funeral
| ceremonies. On all the boats there are
| first and second-class accommodations. In
the trains we find three classes and some
times four-the difference resting solely in
| the 1oor-covering and the kind of cushions
or no cushions at all. When it comes to
| funerals, the gradations of class are de-
termined by the hour of the day and the
number of attendants who are hired to
| accompany the procession. Frequently one
| will see as many as twenty black-coated,
solemn-looking individuals walking behind
and beside the hearse. But when it comes
to marriage ceremonies there are several
features (which fix the class
Preliminary Arrangements.
Before the civil marriage can take place
| there are a number of documents which
| must be procured, such as the certificates
Of birth of the contracting parties, state
ment that the groom has served his time
| in the army, the names of the parents
| who will be present at the marriage and If
| the prospective bride groom be a minor
| the consent of the parents must be filed,
| and If the parents be dead, certificate Of
| death must be. submitted. 1t is also said
| that in sc me cases vaccination papers are
| demanded.
These papers are duly Endorsed and given
with the license to the groom. If he can
afford first-class marriage, he makes ar
| appointment with the mayor, and at the
| time specified goes to the city hall, accom-
panied by the parents, witnesses and
| friends. The ceremony is performed by
| the mayor himself, and the charge is
| forty dollars.
The Fourth-CIass Weddings.
At the other extreme, there are the
| fourth-class marriages. In this class there
| is no charge except a small fee for re-
cording the certificates. All fourth-class
| marriages are performed on Wednesdays
| 1t is case of first come, first served. The
bride and groom, parents and witnesses
| take seats in one Of the halls Of the mu-
Eicipal notwithstanding the most favor
| able position then attainable. The groom
turns over his papers to an officer. They
| serve as a sort Of call card. When the
| hall is full, or when it is known that all
| Of the applicants of the past week are
present, the ceremony begins.
Assisting ut the Weddings.
Last week obtained permission from
| the alderman-who off1ciates in all in
| stances except on first-class occasions-to
| assist" In Europe ito assist means to
be present, but in this instance thought
would be called upon to assist in reality.
| and third classes, and we were to begin
with the latter. When an officer informed
| us that the room was full we marched in
| the alderman, in full dress for the occa-
sion, clerk and myself We found the
| hall containing about one hundred people,
| the retinUe of eleven couples as 1 subse-
quently learned They were sitting on
| benches without backs-except q few, who
| for a gratuity had previously arranged
| for chairs. The floor was freshly strewn
with sand and numerous signs on the wall
| conveyed the sad intelligence mo smok-
| ing" At the end OF the hall was a plat
| form, provided With a table and chairs
| A chair was assigned to me with great
! difference and I at once became an inter-
ested spectator The crier took up the pa
| pers In the order in which they had been
deposited, and in loud voice read out
| the names of the bride and groom. They
promptly marched forward, stood on the
| platform in front of the table and ac-
knowledged that they were the persons
| named; whereupon they were told to re-
sumo their seats. The clerk then read out
the names of such parents as had been
| cited to appear. They acknowledged their
| presence by rising, then the four witnesses
| were asked to stand up.
The crier then announced the names
| OF the second couple. and the program
until the list was exhausted. Two police
men acted as marshals and saw to it that
there was no delay in coming forward, and
| no confusion In returning to their places.
Married In a Body.
| The alderman then arose, asked all the
contracting couples to stand, and proceeded
| to discuss the divine institution of mar
| rage, the duties of the husband toward the
wife and her obligations to him. He then
| told them to join their right hands, In
| response to the question whether they were
was a chorus of ia" throughout the room.
Taking up the gavel. which was lying on
the table, and striking one blow with it,
he said "Echtgenooten," man and wife,
and In that instant twenty-five persons be-
came married.
No marriage ceremony is complete with
out this tap of the gavel. 1t seems to SYM
bolize the forging Of the marital chains
He Immediately left the assembly: each
party exchanging congratulations and per-
haps criticising the dress and bearing of
the others. while an officer passed around
| contribution box, taking up a collection
for the poor of the city.
The SecOnd-Class Weddinrs.
From here we passed to another room,
| carpeted and provided with chairs through
out. was told that we should now have
| the second-class marriages. While wonder
Ing where the candidates were, an officer
opened a door and marshaled in a bridal
party. telling each where to sit-to the left
of the bride her parents, on the groom's
right his parents, the witness on the next
row and the other friends in the rear On
| this occasion the clerk and I were mere
spectators. The alderman performed the
entire ceremony. He was paid to do So
and the parents and witnesses were not
| required to stand, as they had paid for the
privilege of sitting. The same formula was
employed that we had heard before, and
| tap of the gavel-this one was ivory tipped
made them man and wife. The collection
| was made and the party marshaled out to
| sign the register. In a few minutes another
was ushered in from the waiting room,
| where they had been nervously waiting
| their turn, and the ceremony again repeat
| ed. There was, Of course, some variety
Some of the brides were pretty, some of the
| grooms forgot to remove in time the glove
| from the right hand. In few instances
| the newly made wife did not have any
money ready for the poor box, and was
obliged to make an early beginning in her
calls on the husband, and now and then
| the husband could not find the pocket in
which his purse was hidden. The greatest
difference was noticeable in the way in
which they received the tragie word, with
| its gavel accompaniment-"Echtg enooten"
Some heard it as the echo Of what had for
years been ringing in their ears; to others
| 1t seemed to sound as the awakening call
| to life's more serious duties, while not a
| few showed by their startled looks that not
until that fbox, P,,tlxy