The morning times., 1895-10-06
MINISTERS IRE DEREL|cT
Fail Often to File Certificates
Of Marriages Performed.
IRREPARABLE INJURY DONE
Many Widow Has Lost Her Dover
Than so Per Cent. of the NuptiaJ
Knots Tied Cannot he Substant lated
by Record Evidence.

on the record book of ma rriage licenses OF
the District of Columbia? II it is 1t would
be well for everyone who has taken tina
iDitiatory step toward connubial bliss and
has had the other step performed, the tieiDg
| Of the knot, to investigate and see if the
minister of the gospel who had the honor
TO serve Oh the occasion has certified TO
the part that lie has taken in the matter.
! The chances are one out OF every three that
I he has not.
| From December %, 1911, up 10 the
present time, there have been upward of
~ 800 marriage licenses issued, in the
clerks office of the District. Over 40 600
of them have never been certified to By the
officiating clerg yman.
| 1t would be impossible to calculate the
| irreparable injury that has resulted from
that fact-tlie lost fortunes for lack OF proof
of kinship, and the widows paltry dover
that has gone so many times to another
all because OF the criminal neglig ence
t1f the ministers of the gospel who have
not done their duty simply because there
was no law here 10 make them do ii.
FIRST COUPLE MARRIED HERE.
There is no record of any marriage H.
cense issued in the city OF Washington De.
fore December %, 1911. The happy, and
now presumably dead couple whose names
were first enrolled just in time to celebrate
a merry Christmas in the far long ago. were
Fielder Smith and Eliza Reilly. The only
record OF the event is record or time faded
ink in the old book.that has been fingered
h,- la If.p dS y ., fsu he Of
century.
And SO was the record of marriage licenses
kept down to June / 1870. Two old vol
umes record all of the names-some % 900
in number. But a single line is allotted to
each one, and there is not a letter to show
that In any instance was a marriage ever
performed after the license was issued.
One or two of the old blank forms which
were to he filled out and handed to the
prospective groom as passport to the min
lister are pasted on the fly leaves OF the
book. They were very like the ones now
in use, except that they recommended that
the clergyman tie the knot only when it APP
peared that the Contracting parties had
compatibility of temperament.
A feature of the old books is that the
colorcd applicants were distinguished from
luciI Nlltc SpuslHS, d tniIR tildl is nov
done nowadays. This was done by the
simple abbrcviation, .Blks-' in parenthesis
IN WAR TINES
When it came down to the time OF war
and the soldier far from home met one
whom he loved too well to go on TO battle
or back home without wedding, memo
randum of the fact was made in the scant
space thus: Jacob Smithson, Jan. %,
1868, sth o. INIT There were captains
and corporals, sergeants and lieutenants
committed to history in this way as well
as scores of men in the ranks.
Back on the covers OF the old books
there are few names of the more promi-
neut ministers of the city Of that day. None
OF the names are among the familiar
clerical local celebrities of to-day, how
ever, save one, and that is the name OF
Rev DR.. c. C. Meador, the Baptist divine.
The names were doubtless peuciled where
they are by the accommodating clerks OF
the time, who used it as an impromptu
directory in case ii was necessary TO guide
a runaway couple To some speedy and
lasting place of refuge before oveFtaken by
parental wrath.
The price of a marriage license in the
old days. was, as now, 81 Whether this
was considered u the nature of an eXhor- |
bitant taxation or not is not known, but |
there is. one Illustration ON the books to |
Indicate thatit was
ThefollowinSis there a nd may be taken for |
Its face value:
STRICTLY ON A CASH BASIS.
January 60, 1867; James Honesty and !
Julia Robinson, so cents paid Whether |
one or both OF the parties rcpented of their |
move, or whether they Underesti- |
mated the expenses of such luxury as mar
riage, will probably never be known
Like postage stamps, marriage licenses |
are never sold on credit. If the dollar is |
not handed over the desk as the license is |
issued, the clerk will not complete the |
transfer. overtou c. Butler presented !
his application for a ticket to the shrine |
OF HyIneu on January 3, 500, one OF the
old books say In line, and it was this |
intention to take as his travelling |
Kitty Boyer. Both We're white.
y pencil memora udum beside the entry !
says: See slip at the end of book" Any |
romance the reader may have been weaving |
around the two names before him van
ishcs when he reads the slip indicated 1t |
is peuciled with the same graphite, in the
same hand, and says: Hasn't paid yet"
The reorganization of the Supreme Court
Of the District took place on March %,
1868 Mr.. r. j. Meigs was clerk of this
court. Many admirable changes were made
in the Kramer of keeping records and con-
Quoting the affairs Of the office. 1t was not
until seven years later, however, that Con-
yress could be indu ced to make change in
the manner of recording marriage licenses.
The manner of record then ordered is the
same that is in effect to-day.
NO RECORD IN MANY CASES.
The act making the change was ap-
proved June l, 1870. 1t set forth the
blank form to be used In the marriage
book. 1t provided another form, too, that
was to appear in the book directly under
he blank intended to be filled out by the
,lerk as license.
The sixth section of the act reads as fol-
ows: THAT copy of any license and GER
ificate recorded in said book, certified by
aid clerk under his hand and the seal
Of the court, shall be competent evidence of
uch marriage"
But in sixty out of every hundred cases
If from fifteen to twenty years ago, and
II thirty out of every hu ndred cases of the
present tire, the records lack the filling
nut of the minister's certificate, and are
not records"
There is absolutely no law other than a
Moral one to prevent Inconvenience and
TO ones fellow-man, by which
he ministers are compelled to make return
IN the record book. In those cases where
'e has not placed his certificate the book
AN never be used to prove the marriage