The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-30
ARMY WEDDING,
WITH IT'S ODD CEREMONY, EN-
JOYED BY A LARGE
THRONG.
POINTS ON CHARTER WORK
Furnished by Great Men-Times
Company Looking for a Loop
hole.

way it may be put, but when 1t comes
to marrying in the Salvation Army
and according to Salvation Army GUS
tom, it would drive a timid man to the
wall and send the nervous bride into
Mysteries. There was a great time on
last evening in the Salvation Army cit
adel, and the old Theater Comique re-
sounded with the hallelujahs Of a we'd
ding. Staff Capt. w. Scott Potter and
Miss Mamie B. Ireland, captain in the
corps, were the bridal couple, and they
never quailed before the good-natured
raillery of the presiding officer, Maj.
Clifford According to the major when
he made his valedictory speech after
the wedding was over, Capt. Potter
has Travelled many countries, but he
never found the right Ireland until he
reached Minneapolis. The pun was one
of the easiest things of the evening
How they did "Whoop 'er up in re-
spouse to the urgent invitation of one
of the adjutants. A Salvation Army
wedding is only one-fourth solemn
matrimony; the rest is joking at the
bridegroom's expense, and praying and
singing. The wedding is incidental, for
the SalvationiSts never forget their
services. The wedding exercises We're
announced to begin at o'clock, and
the crowd of hangers-on outside the
door stared curiously at the crowd that
mounted the dingy stairs and turned
into the hall. A Salvation lassie in red
waist and poke bonnet stood at the
door to take admission tickets, and
where there was no ticket she took a
dime. She dropped both alike into her
tambourine. Inside the hall was pack
ed three rows deep after every chair
was filled. Salvation Army notices
hung on the side walls, and the en-
c1rcllng balcony front was hung with
bunting. Over the platform a banner
haunted the words, May the bridal
pair Gods sweet sunshine share"
Ihere were other notices on the side.
The platform desk was draped with
flags and set with two small vases of
mowers A clump of red sumac hung
over the piano. On the platform with
MAJ. Clifford, to whom fell the duty of
marrying the bridal pair, sat adiutarts
and ens1gns The people in the house
waited. One of the adjutants rose and
swinging his hand cried "Whoop her
up ana with one accord they all sang
Let Little Sunshine IN Brig
Gen. Halpin, of New York, had the
place next the major with his sliding
trombone" which looked very much
IKE an accordion. He was very much
IN evidence throughout the service
Alter the chorus, which they sang sew
eral times, some one volunteered "thlee
cheers" and they were given with a
lusty shout. They sang again; a. IA
m1iiar hymn to a rollicking tune; then
they kneeled and sang more. Then
there was prayer and more singing.
A salvation Army wedding is not much
IKE the fashionable society function N
the preliminaries. All this TRANSFERRED
before the bridal couple appeared.
They entered the hall from the rear as
the congregation was singing '"The
Lily of the Valley" and when the
singers on the platform had the first
glimpse of the white-robed procession
that preceded the bride, the songs were
drowned in hand-clapping, handke1-
chlefS were waved, and the bride came
down the crowded aisle her face all
smiles. Her wedding gown was the
blue army uniform and she wore the
straw poke bonnet with the red ribbon
pand Knotted over her right Shout
Ger, with cluster of roses crossing
to her left side, was a scarf of white
She wore no gloves; she carried no
prayerbook. She was a simple Saliva
ton Army laSSie, as unaffected for her
wedding as in her work on the street
A procession of twelve children in
white with flower Wreaths preceded her
also her attendant, Ensign Hopkins.
She was followed by Adjt Berriman,
who beamed over her shoulder. and
the bridegroom brought up the rear,
AT the platform, where the chorus of
the Army sat in rows at the back, the
bride and her attendant sat at one
side, Maj. Clifford, the bridegroom and
his escort on the other; the flower girls
sat behind.
From this moment the proceedings
We're enlivened with illusions to the
bridal couple and the estate on which
they were entering. Maj Clifford as
srred his audience that it should nave
its moneys worth, that marrying in
the army was an ordeal. Then he
called for comments from the floor
from you who are glad you are mar
r1ed, you who are glad you are sin
gle" What the bachelors said about
marriage raised a smile, and then ey-
erybody was solemn again in a mo-
ment, When the next man talked saliva
ton. At the slightest provocation off
they went in music One of the bach
elors said he had special reason to be
happy because Jesus lives with US
and we have magnificent cook -
When one of the married men declared
marriage is a good institution" there
was some applause and the major
shouted: only one man clapped his
hands and that was George, the bach
elor Whereupon George subs:ded. Hav-
ing aScertained the opinions of his of
ficers on the subject of matrimony
the major proceeded to marry the bride
and bridegroom. They were requested
to stand before him, and he continued
with the service by reading Gath psalm,
then he read the articles of marriage
while two ensigns crossed flags be-
hind the little group. The articles had
some distinctive points of difference
from the marriage code in the church
but at the end, when they had prom
ised to honor, obey and help one an
other in their work, the bridegroom
said: Il put this ring on your finger
as a solemn sign that we are married, y
and they were married according to
God and the Salvation army" The
bride and bridegroom turned to take
their seats; the audience was becom-
ingly subdued, when the major cried /:
why don't you kiss your wife," and
when they did it. he said: Wasn't
that a smacker?" For all the laugh
that went round, it was easy to see
that the smiling bride was very happy.
and that the bridegroom was yerv
proud and earnest After a little
speech from Brig. Halpin, both Capt.
Potter and the new Mrs Potter were
called on, and they spoke without ap-
parent f1utter. Even the voluble major
was impressed, and he declared he
could not have said seven words when
he was married. The wedding party
adjourned to the 'Doxology, and as the
audience filed down the stairs the peo-
pie exclaimed among themselves:
Wasn't she sweet bride?" So, after