Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-08
An Instance Cited Where the Brides
Nerves Deserted Her.
ANOTHER WHERE THE HUSBANDS DID
Precautions Against Hasty Choice
Make Strange Restrictions.
EXPLICIT STIPULATIONS

France. The mayor had put the effective
question to the bridegroom. who, like a
young man of spirit, answered energetical-
ly, "Yes" But when the demoiselle's turn
came she was so moved that she said NO,
amid general hilarity-because they knew
the tender creature must be ratified. See
ing her mistake, she Immediately burst into
tears and sobbed that she meant yes But
it was too late. 1.-The marriage is off, the
MARIE pronounced infexibly. You can
start another one by new three weeks
publication of banns, but the present cere-
mony has reached its legal end in the
lady's spoken word!'
Another case, because Of the unusual
publicity given to it, is attracting great
deal of attention in Paris A young French
governess living in London made there the
acquaintance of French youth of good
family, studying the language and absorb
ing the English business spirit. he per
suaded her to marry him, by the Engllsh
ceremony in an English church. While
she knew it was not regular, he Gained hef
scruples by making a subsequent acknoWl-
edgment of the marriage before the French
consul. After two years happy welded lille
and the birth of a son, the French youth
of good family sailed for France Then MS
father wrote to her letter that has gone
the round of the press. 4 have other de-
signs for Henri than to marry him to an
adventures like you." he said. You nave
done your best to entrap this innocent.
Know that YOU have failed Your marriage,
not being performed before the French con-
sui with the written consent of the boy
parents, is no marriage. If you come to
France with the intention of making trou-
tle, we shall know how to protect ourselves
against blackmail, and you and your law
yer may find yourselves in prison under the
charge of conspiracy.
The girl writes to the papers asking
II So rtf,rrc n m ,
that the advice of thousand correspon-
cents is to shoot the fellow" True, the
French law gives her no remedy, while the
French jury views with Indulgence all
crimes known as ''passionnel.
The spirit of French marriage breathes
through these two cases. Before the proper
functionary a single word is vital; before
an irregular functionary the most solemn
oaths are wasted, and no signed and sealed
Acknowledgements have power to brace
them up.
The first principle of the French law OF
marriage is that the ceremony must be
performed before the proper funcuonary OF
the French civil government. This is the
MARIE of the reimbursement (warO In
which the bridegroom legally is domlclled-
or. in foreign countries, the French consul
on whom the emigre depends and 10 whom
he should Immediately have reported on
coming into that part of the world
The Marriage Papers.
The French is a civilization in which you
cannot live without your papers, which
for marriage are:
The written consent of all four parents.
If any father or mother be dead the certiil-
cate of such decease is essential. II both
the parents of one party be dead the survlv-
ing grandparents, If any, must give the
written consent. And If there be no grand
parents the written consent OF fanny
council is requisite.
Both parties must produce certificates OF
birth. without which there can be no mar
riage Of French people in France. If GER
tificate be lost certified copy must be pro-
duced.
Should've woman be a widow she must
present the death certificate of her former
husband 1t is the same for WdoWer.
And il either party be divorced a certified
abstract of the decree Costing 500 must be
submitted.
The next essential papers are the acts of
legal publication.
And the last one is the grooms certificate
of having satisfied the military law. e.,
he has served been lawfully excused or,
while still serving, has permission to marry
All officers of the army and navy must OBJ
tain the written consent of the minister,
which reads not Ito marry" but ito marry
So and-so" in particular Common soldiers
must be authorized to marry by the couh-
Gil of administration of their corps For
these the permission is obtained easily but
every officer must show that the girl OF
his choice owns, in her own right, invested
income of $500. The engagement of her
parents to make good this income will not
take its place. The army Is "a great ram
fly" and in France the family always IN
terferes in the marriages of It's children.
The written consent of parents is essen
tial to the validity of marriage until the
girl is twenty-one and until the man Is
twenty-five years old. Without 1t no mare
will consider application, and without
the MARE the young couple are absolutely
helpless. Even after these respective ages
the parents still maintain legal grip.
Until a young man has reached his thlr-
tieth year and until the girl is thirty-five
they must bring a legal suit against the
parents who refuse consent, to make them
show cause why the marriage should not
come off Consisting as 1t does In Its be-
ginning of three Summons each to be
witnessed, served, returned Endorsed and
registered 1t may be lodged from year
to yUar by artfu parents, with no remedy
except an appeal to the president OF the
republic.
COurtship In a TheRter.
Where marriage is hedged round by such
precautions against hasty choice you may
be sure that courtship has little opportu-
nifty to take a clandestine beginning. 1t is
said that the Paris middle class ideal Of the
FIRST meeting remains still the classical
subterfuge of the Opera Comique. Like
most European playhouses the parquet,
circle and balcony of the new Opera
The mother takes the box, and has her
fiuttering daughter under her wing. Be
tween the first and second acts the young
man enters with mutual friend, ostensbly
to pay a mere visit of politeness. When he
has disappeared the girls mother makes
some tentative remarks to her about the
young mans looks, age, disposition and po
sition, trying without alarming starting
up strange thoughts to ascertain what i'm
preston has been made. 1t is a first prin-
ciple that mothers ought not to forewarn
instruct their daughters previously for
the renconter. For If she be catechised be-
forehand the girl will be filled with ap
prehension and emotion as to lose her grace
and naturalness. She may not be able to
preserve sufficient GOODNESS to observe the
young man, whether he be pleasing or not.
She ought not even to know the object of
the meeting-for. If she has failed to please,
1t Is humiliating to be aware Of it. Several
such humiliations have even been known
to make a girl lose part Of her confidence.
Now, II 1t be true that q young girl ought
not to have too high Ideas of her own mer-
its. 1t Is still only proper that she should
not be made to think meanly of herself.
Then the mutual friends meet to let each
other know the mutual effects that have
been produced on the two young minds and
hearts. II 1t be the young girl who has
failed to please nothing further will be said.
The mutual friends will talk about the
weather. have a drink and separate. But
II 1t be the young man who has not made