The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-19
RECORDS BEGAN
In Eden and Mirror History
of the World.

record will probably terminate with the
year 1900, but what do books count for
in such records? Nothing. That record
was started before that book was
bound, before any Of it's predecessors
came into book being, before Worces-
ter had city hall, before even Wor-
cester herself came into existence
They tell us that that record started
way back there in the garden of Eden,
in that mystical sacred cline from
which our cratic ancestors were ex-
plunged.
When the Lord God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon Adam and took one
of his ribs. made woman and brought
her unto the man, the first entry was
made in the lifelong, the worldwide
book of marriage intentions. Since
that eventful date in the dim and dis
tant past, that record has been con-
stantly growing. In Africa, in Asia,
in China, in England and the Euro
pean countries, and here in America,
cities upon cities have been added to
that record. 1t is the record of life,
the record of progress; it is the history
Of the world
Fraught with joy and sorrow, is that
record 4'he shadows Of sadness sub
due the brilliancy of the brighter lives,
and make of the whole a fascinating
study. Pictures celebrating in their
freshness and joy, flash out upon US as
we glance back over the pages of that
record, pictures depressing in their
darkness, dulling the senses. Lives
that have shaken the world, urge us
on to fresh endeavor; those whose
Tsf1nn
the course of empire, step forth from
those musty pages to shake our faith
in the hereafter and force from our
lips a question of the use of exist
ence.
Good lives and pure lives, bad lives
and vicious lives, pass In quick review
before the minds eye. United, happy
homes stand in sharp contrast to bro
ken families and wretched novels. The
echo of wedding bells and the mourn
Jul note of the funeral dirge is in the
rustic of those leaves. 1t is dolefuI
ana joyous record-this record of
marriage intentions which has been
growing and growing since the birth
Of the World--at once the history Of
the world and the record of mans pride
and his abasement.
Everywhere the book of marriage in
tenttons is an interesting book to study.
and here in Worcester it is no exceD-
ton to the general rule. Those big
books locked up in City Clerk Towne's
safe tell many tales of domestic
doubles in life which are worthy the
attention of the student if not of the
lawyer. Away back perhaps in 1S4S.
we find an entry dated Dec. 10, and to
the effect that Mr.. - Smith. then and
there declared his intentions of wedding
Susannah Brown. Without reference
to the marriage certificates, we can't
OF course dispute Mr.. - Smiths in
tentions, and can only presume that he
fulfilled them. Passing along over the
numerous Johnsons and Jacksons and
Whites and Blacks and Greens of the
intervening years, we find perhaps an
other entry to the effect that on July
., 1873, Mr.. - Smith filed his inten-
tons of wedding Miss Jane Stufington.
There is nothing to show it. but we
nave a sneaking suspicion that the Mr..
---- Smith Of 1873 Is identical with the
MIR. --- Smith of 1S4S. When in the 1898
DOCK We run across the same name rec
orded as that of the intended running
mate of another presumably fair dam
sci, we are convinced of the fact and
Mr.. - Smith at once rises in our es-
timation. Being simply interested in
marriage intentions, it is not good taste
FOR us to inquire the present where
aoouts Of the former Mrs. - Smith or
TO ngure on what it cost Mr.. - Smith
for tombstones, and all we can do is to
turn to other items of interest and ex-
tend our mental congratulations to the
present Mrs. --- Smith.
Another thing that sets one to think
ing in looking over the books of mar
rage intentions, is an item to the effect
that Mr. Jones (this is the same OLD Mr.
Jonesl aged 75 intends wedding Flor
HfI~l 111Frc.
merS ana presumably the same number
OF winters. A young man looking at that
entry and possessing any knowledge of
MI. Jones, bank account would ma
turaIly endeavor to form the acouain-
lance of Mrs. Florence Frances FLUFFY
Jones.
Still another interesting feature of the
book Of marriage intentions is that en-
try indicative of the other extreme
Whlch informs us that willie" Walt
nam, aged Il, is to marry Miss with
emphasis on the Miss Harriet Holden.
aged 40. All one can do in such a case
is TO smut his eyes to the figures and
JOIN with the press and public in the
usual Jangle and tumble about the
Joyous wedding bells" and the rest Of
the newspaper fill-up matter This
course ana not too long a dwelling upon
wines finish will bring one through
all right and restore the nerves to their
normal condition.
II is well the people in the city clerks
ofllces throughout the country are paid
Tor recording marriage intentions.
otherWlse the asylums might have their
hands full. Sometimes the bashful
prospective bridegroom momentarily
forgets the name of his bride to be.
Then he sticks on her mothers maiden
name and hoVers in uncertainty around
her age. The poor fellow GETS rcd in
the face and beads of perspiration
chase themselves down his spine
Dash it! who was the old lady before
she married the old mani"
The wedding is advertised for to-mor-
row and that certificate must be Sc
cured at once, and he regards the smil-
ing clerk much the same as a con-
demned criminal might a hangman.
Perhaps the greatest trials of the city
hall recorder of marriage intentions,
however, are experienced with foreign
ers not thoroughly conversant with
the vernacular Of the United States.
With these people including French
Canadians, Germans, Scandinavians
SWedes, Poles and Italians, the clerks
have all sorts of trouble and the poor
things are doubtless often married I'M
der names far exceeding their fondest
hopes
1t is a curious fact that the number
of marriages per year is governed by
business conditions and no mirror
could reflect more correctly business
depressions and business advances than
does the record of marriages in the city
hall. Going back ten years the records
show that in 1888 there were S24 in
tentions filed with tho city clerk In
1889 the number rose 20 S51 and in 1890
to sol. In 1891 1t erawled up to 944 and