The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-10
TEN THOUSAND WEDDINGS.
Quaint, Curious and Humorous REM
iniscences of an English Parish
Club.
From the london Leader.

FIOn tie l-OnuOn Leader.
The eternal theme of "Amandus He
Amanda She" is subject to many. and
often fantastic. variations. but perhaps
! the invest Us TO be f6Tina in Inc r'sconelss
tions of parish clerk, who has assisted
at no less than 1O400 marriages.. The
| chronicler has wisely preferred to remain
anonymous for, look you, mesdanes and
mademoiselles, what ought fate to have
In store for man who not only confesses
to have given away 1,13O brides. but pro-
ceeds to repeat the process, with, it must
be admitted, the bridegrooms as well, in
"Cupid's Pupils?
Truly, l do not think that the author
! would find women altogether as Shake
| speare describes them. soft mild, pitiful
and flexible" if some of the brides in
| question knew that he had thus ruthless
| ly torn away the veil and laid bare their
| tender secrets to the gaze of an amused
| public. Ones belief in the shrinking mai
| denly modesty inseparable from the ideal
| bride is somewhat shaken to find that i'll
| some cases the banns were put up by the
| lady unknown to the happy man, and that
| out of 100 consecutive entries in the banns
! book IS couples attended together, IA were
| given by the men, and no less than IS by
| the eXpectant brides
The ladies were evidently, self-possessed
and businesslike. for the Parrish Clerk
| makes no mention of their Introduction of
| themselves, but the mere men--clumsy
! and awkward as ever-seemed one and all
| to indulge in attempts at humor to con-
| ceal their nervousness. For example:
Come to give myself away like the rest
| of 'em.
Come to commit suicide-I mean put up
| the banns.
Went to enter our names for a hanging
xxyau ant to h.aY, for
There also seems to be a considerable
| amount of trouble in getting accurate in
| formation from both brides and BRIDE
| grooms regarding names and ages. In one
amusing instance a young lady was unable
| to spell her lovers name, and the family
gravestone had TO supply the information.
| That the genter sex Is always in hurry
| to change names is an accepted tenet of
| the male creed, but possibly few meet
with so blunt rebuff as the young lady
who, on being asked her name when the
couple called about the banns, gave the
surname she was expecting to bear. The
young gentleman instantly turned toward
| her and said, correctively: You amt
| yet" covering the girl with bushes and
confusion.
Many eccentric characters, of course,
| figure among "Cupid's Pupils" one of the
oldest perhaps being a widow who had
only buried her husband four months pre-
viously, and upon giving notice for her
| second marriage wished that her poor
| huebaud" could know of her intention TO
| take another, che would be so pleased"
| Another individual perhaps not altogeth-
er singular In this respect, suggested that
* should be substituted for "v'' in
| certain portion of the marriage service,
which would then have read that the cou-
! pie should live together as long as they
/ both should like.
Bridesmaids, too do not seem to be al
at.A Ezf-t
one would expect; and instances are here
| recorded of some who have taken upon
| themselves to rearrange the wedding
group at the communion rails or keep
| the ring out of sight while others have
| thought il their duty to give the bride
| away, or even dress exactly like her,
with veil and orange blossoms. so that
| the embarrassed bridegroom scarcely
| knew which to marry
| Among some of the more curious we'd
| dings at which the author gave the bride
away were those contained in the follow
| ing extract:
Two spinsters. one aged 20, to two men
| in a dying condition.
A spinster pauper from a workhouse to
| a wandering tramp.
/ A widow to a gypsy.
A splnster of % 10 a jet-black negro
and within the space of twelve months
one young lady to two husbands.
Men seem to come Out very badly at
weddings, their courage oozing out at
their finger ends when it comes to taking
| the bride officially by her hand, some
| indeed so that they have scarcely been
| able to articulatel
"A few of them" says the clerk. have
been as ridiculously ready to do the
| brides part as nervously as they per
formed their own, calling themselves Sa-
| rah Jane or any other name mentioned
| by the clergyman. In another case the
| bridegroom allowed an ominous pause to
follow the introduction, L. Thomas but
the bride was in no mood TO tolerate I'M
| necessary pauses, and instantly instruct
ed him to proceed. Her spirited command
was, Take thee, Elizabeth--go onr And
| Thomas took her.
Joseph's intellectual capacity was limit
| ed and he spoke thus: Il, Joseph. take
thee, Jane to my wedding wife, to have
| and to 60" while another had special in
| tontions respecting his brides future: 81
| William, take thee, Susannah, to my we'd
| ding wife to reserve and to beholdv
| Other recollections, all of them curl
| GUS or interesting, many of them amusing,
| are to be found within these green COW
| ers, and the chapters are short and bright
| There is no necessity to go below the sur
| face of that book, or regard the author
| in any other light but that of one who
| desires, as he says TO be a recorder of
| realities. There is no attempt at solving
| matrimonial problems-for the fact that
| most of them are beyond the reach of
| conjecture does not always, alasl deter the
| prentice hand from vain effort; while
| the possibly selfish, but probably wide
| spread sense of pleasure derived from the
| awkward predicaments of others can GER
| tainly be fully gratfed.
December Edition of "COttOn Facts"
| THE Morning News acknowledges re