Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-09-09


the Marie of Gentilly, in France. The
Mayor had put the effective question
to the bridegroom, who, like a young
man of spirit, answered geographically,
s'Yes!" But when the demoiselles
turn came she was so moved that she
said NO." amid general hilarity-be-
cause they knew the tender creature
must be ratified. Seeing her mistake,
she Immediately burst into tears and
sobbed that she meant yes" But 1t
was too late. "The marriage Is off.
the maire pronounced infexibly. "You
can start another one by new three
weeks publication of banns. but the
present ceremony has reached its legal
end in the lady's spoken world"
Another case, because Of the unusual
publicity given to it, is attracting
great deal of attention in Paris. A
young French governess living in Lon
don made there the acquaintance Of a
French youth Of good family, studying
the language and absorbing the Eng
lish business spirit He persuaded her
to marry him, by the English cere-
mony, in an English church. While
she kneweit was not regular, he calm
ed her scrup1es by making a subse-
quent acknowledgement of the mar
riage before the French Consul. After
two years. ahappyi welded life and the
birth OF son, the French youth of good
family sailed for France. Then his
father wrote to her a letter that has
gone the round of the press. 81 have
other designs for Henri than to marry
him to an adventures like you," he
said. "You have done your best to en-
trap this innocent. Know that you
have failed. Your marriage, not being
performed before the French Consul.
with the written consent of the boys
parents, is nc marriage. If you come
to France with the intention of making
trouble, we shall know how to protect
ourselves against blackmail, and you
and your lawyer may find yourselves
in prison, under the charge of con-
spiracy."
The girl writes to the papers, asking
what she shall do 1t is curious to note
that the advice of thousand CORES
pondents is to shoot the fellow" True,
the French law gives her no remedy,
while the French jury views with in
diligence all crimes known as passion
mel.
The spirit of French marriage breaths
through these two cases. Before the
proper functionary single word Is vi
tai; befor the irregular functioLary the
most solemn oaths are wasted, and no
signed and sealed acknowledgment
have power to brace them up.
NJ. Clemenceau while in hard luck
and exile took to wtfe-with every form
and ceremony proper in the United
States-the woman whose fortune aid
ed him to return and set him up again
in Paris. Years passed and he pros
pered. Now, prosperity to M. Clemen-
ceau meant the French joy of living,
which must be enlivened with mistress
es. AS long as he kept them in the
shade Nine. Clemencau, like a good
wife, held her peace; but he took to
driving them at his right hand out in
the sunlight of the Bots she protested
venemently. 1t was then he, exasper-
ated, broke the news to her: IF you
can't stand it." he said, you may pack
your trunk and go. You are not my
wife. l have no hold on you. The
ceremony, performed in America, has
no force In France" And so on-the
old story.
The first principle of the French law
of marriage is that the ceremony must
be performed before the proper funct
ionary of the French civil government.
This Is the MARIE of the arrondisse-
ment (ward) in which the bridegroom
legally is domiciled-or, in foreign
countries. the French Consul on whom
the emigre depends and to whom he
should Immediately have reported on
coming into that part Of the world.
.e,.., The Marriage Papers.
The French is a civilization In which
you cannot live without your papers,
The written consent of all four pa
rents. If any father or mother be
dead the certificate of such decease is
essential. If both the parents of one
party be dead the surviving grand
parents, If any, must give the written
consent And If there be no grand
parents the written consent of fam
lily council is requisite
Both parties must produce certifi-
Gates of birth, without which there
can be no marriage of French people
in France. If certificate be lost a
certified copy must be produced.
Should the woman me widow she
must present the death certificate of
her former husband 1t is the same
for widower. And if either party be
divorced certified abstract of the de-
cree Costing $500 must be submitted.
The next essential papers are the
acts of legal publication.
And the last one is the groom's GER
tificate of having satisfied the military
law, f. e.: he has served, been lawfully
excused, or, while still serving, has
permission to marry. All officers of
the army and navy must obtain the
written consent of the minister, which
reads not Ito marry" but 'to marry
So-and-So," in particular. Common
soldiers must be authorized TO marry
by the council of administration of
their corps. For these the permission
is obtained easily, but every officer
must show that the girl of his choice