The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-01-22
MARRY IN GERMANY.
BUT tF YOU ARE AMERICANS BE PRE-
PARED FOR A SIEGE. A

It il often almost impossible for an
American to secure the papers necessary
to make o European marriage valid, es-
pecially in Germany. The lovers are fire.
quently obliged to wait until they can
repair to some less inquisitive land,
where a priest or legal functionary will
consent to unite them without asking
superf1uous 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 mp. 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 of
your choice. You must first prove your
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
were born in due time and have lived
LISpINAkCIIhDlJ CNS1 hlbGLs anu LA 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 in a sober and godlike manner.
All this and much more must be set
forth in q 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 a few weeks ago in Berlin, when
the happiness of two young Americans
hung for a long time in the balance I'M
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 q 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
a man accustomed to the complications
Of the Tel-el- h-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 i'm
the journals of her native American
town. Both parties were obliged to Sc
cure certificates of the birth and bap-
tism of themselves and their parents
and to furnish an epitome of the family
histories down to date. There is a ru-
NOR that testimony was even demanded
as to the number of times certain rela-
tives had been vaccinated and the sue
cess OF the operation. The young wom-
ans father had died when away from
home, and it was rather difficult to sat
isfy German authorities a to"the man
ner of his taking of. Finally all the
papers arrived, and tho couple repaired
n 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. III 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 q 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 ma was not insidiously |
~defrauding her of her daughter. The |
company began to breathe more freely.
The bridegroom heaved a sigh of relief.
The tired bride moved in her chair
YEARLY. But the legal functionary was
not going to let them off SO easily. He
shook his head over the papers, pursed
mp his lips and then turned ON the
whole crowd and asked them fercely for
their passports. OF course no one had
such a thing about him, SO the faded
bridegroom had to rush off in O drosky
10 secure as many as Were necessary.
Meantime a 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 the satisfaction of the
legal functionary, themselves and their
friends. s.r
That wasn't all, of course. They had
TO rush of, after the legal f~unctionary's
fee had been paid, to do honor to the
ordinary conventionalities, array them.
selves In festal robes and be married
again by a minister who spoke the Eng
hsh tongue, shake hands with their 600