The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-03-16

CLERGY'S QUANDARY
Pastor Raboteau's Talk on
the Marriage Bill Before
the Legislature.
NO MORE GREYNA GREEN MATCHES
Ministers, He Says, Are Unskilled
in Dealing With Lying
Couples.
NO MORE GREYNA GREEN MATCHES

The marriage license bill now pending
was the subject of an interesting discourse
delivered by the Rev. Claude Raboteau
in the Parmly Memorial Church last
night. He said
Amid the multitude of bills that have
come Up at the Legislature for considera-
ton during the past week is Gre which
on account of the political glamour sur
rounding most of the other bills has
scarcely received any notice from the
reading public. / refer to the Lloyd's
marriage license bill which passed the
House on March IL. In my opinion it is
a very important piece of legislation, and
one that the future will reveal to be far
reaching in its effects. Certainly the
clergy of the State owe the author Of this
bill their heart-felt gratitude and should
not stint their praise for the good work
he has done. When the bill passes the
Senate, which / trust it shall. and becomes
q law. New Jersey, so backward in other
things, VIA stand with most of the other
States of the Union in the enforcement of
proper and decent marriage laws. While
the odium of being a sort of Gretna Green
for runaway lovers will, under this new
law, be partially lifted.
.sTnirty-eight States have adopted sim
liar laws, and their operation has been
found generally satisfactory. A compari-
son with the present state of things at
once reveals the superiority of the mar
rage license law to the bungling arrange
ment now in vogue. When a couple
present themselves to the minister for
marriage the entire legal respons Jbility of
performing the ceremony is thrust upon
mis- shoulders, which the State has no
right to exact.
The minister is by virtue of his office
and the manner of his living the least
nlted 10 dee-ae upon the iesal. va4luity of
Questionable marriages. 1t is d notorious
TACT that the clergy are the. leg. ilnate
prey OF the unScrupulouS ana the Tricky.
l suppose tbs is because they are the
most ereduious or the most unsophisl-
GATED. AL any rate, men who would
never attempt 10 Impose on or deceive d
man OF business or a pubic of1c al, will
succeed often IN fooling the minister. Both
agents ind tEem their best customers: the
a~oventurer Will take them in with little
or no trouble. while the unaway coupe
viii cften MAKE their way straight to MS
heart and get min to perform a ceremony
that ought by law to have been prevent
ca. MOI an adept IN lying hlmself the
with liars. and is often the Innocent
cause OF Joining many lives together in
a most wreIched marriage.
When a State like New Jersey with its
lax. laws adjolns a State like New York
With its more rigorous statutes. there
Wall inevitably be a large amount of
wrong lone by clipping. couples coming
here to be married sub rosa. But the
clergy cannot always rightly determine
the status of the parties to the contract.
DE has neither time nor opportunity to
best he can only so it bind and lie the
knot. Since my arrival in this city I
nave been frequently asked to marry
couples that 1 felt sure had legal ijmpedi-
menus lnfthe WaV nf the rprHrnc0X Tn
some cases it took my time and caused
me inconvenience to ascertain just what
these 1mpedlnents We're, and because |
like wedding fees as well as the rest Of
my brethren of the ministry. ! had to de-
cline to perform such ceremonies with
f fSa d;l;l a, regret : What sasa 7 claim is that
these preliminaries. Since the law re-
quires aproper registration of marriages.
then the law should provide for the proper
filing out Of the papers by hired deputies
without asking the clergy to do office
work for the city or county. A deputy
hired for the very purpose of attending
10 the, issuing of marriage licenses would
beyond doubt acquire an experience in
dealing with questionable cases that
would partly check SO many of these inn
proper marriages.
IF a man wants to be married let him
go boldly TO the City Clerk and pay a
dollar for his license after producing salts
obstacles in the way. That is the civil
part Of the business. Then let him see
the minister and he will attend to the re-
ligious part Of the business. But the
present system besides being promctive
of the dangerous laxitv in marriage laws
and much u~nhapiness in the domestic re-.
gy: Their work is religious in its char
acter-. Marriage is a. sacred institution.
and shollld Re wholly under the custody
marriage as in accord with the spirit of
Christianity. nor do l think any one but
on ordained minister ought to perform
H. ~, H D.xk 49,.
forms must be observed and a proper
registration of all marriages made. then
the civil. authorities should tale care cf
9 lt Of secular obligations. In interest
Of the purity of the God-giver ordinance
# m~atrimopy. | heartily endorse the
rhalI speedily be made a law Of the
State"