The Washington times., 1901-08-18
ROAD TO MARRIAGE EASY.
No Difficulty in Securing Licenses
in the District.
A Record Case ut City Hall, Where
the Permit Was Applied For, Is
sued and the Ceremony Performed
All Inside of Five Minutes.

sued and the Ceremony Performed
All Inside of Five Minutes.
The circumstances attending the pro-
curing of "a license to marry, in the DIS
trict are not so tedious and by no
means as embarrassing to the aFph-
cant. as in the great majority OF large
cities throughout the country. III
Washington, when the person VINO Is
DESTROYS of entering into the natrl-
monial state reaches the City Han
wherein is the office of the Clerk oil the
Supreme Court of the District, VINO IS
sues all licenses he finds little or no
hipdrance in his or her way.
A couple who came all the wayifrom
Danville, Va, yesterday to be married
in the Capital of the nation, succeeded
in accomplishing their object in less
than five minutes after entering the
City Hall. When the two young peo-
pie stepped up to TIE marriage license
counter and asked for a license there
happened to be a minister ot the gospei
also in waiting to transact some ousl-
ness with the license clerk. Having
procured the license, the prospective
groom made known his desire to have
the nuptial knot tied at once. The clerk,
knowing of the presence of the minis
ter. informed the parties and suggested
that they request him to perform the
ceremony. They did so, and the MINIS
ter consenting, then and there made the
man and maid husband and wife.
In other cities, however, the process
of procuring a license to marry is not
so easy In most of the large cities the
applicant for a license has to answer
multiplicity of questions relative to ms
age. nativity. residence, and similar
queries in relation to the other per-
son. The initiatory examination is con-
Quoted by one clerk, who, having had
all the questions answered satisfac-
torily, passes the applicant on to an
other official, who requires the appli-
cant to make oath TO the truth of his
or her answers to the questions pro-
pounded by the head of the marriage
license bureau. This having been done
the ECKER Of the license is forwarded
to another official, who issues the de-
sired document.
Under these circumstances the pro-
curing of q license must be very en-
barrassing, particularly if the other"
person is waiting all the time in an
ante-room anxiously watching for the
announcement of the result of the APP
plication. To say the least of 1t the
greater part of the embarrassment
which is the long wait, is generally not
met with by applicants for licenses at
the City Hall There are -ether embar-
easements, however, which are encoun-
tered, and which are no doubt as try
ing on the nerves of the applicant.
Usually, when man goes TO the City
Hall to procure license and is unac-
companied by the woman who is to be
the other party to the contract, he
transacts his business and HES himself
away very quickly. When he is accom-
panied by the bride-elect. however, the
circumstances are different. Very often
it develops that the prospective groom
does not know either the full name or
the age OF his intended bride, and when
he is questioned on these points by the
marriage license clerk he has to apply
to the young woman to supply the in
formation.
Sometimes the bride-elect, accom-
panied by few of her friends, goes
to the City Hall to procure the license.
Under these circumstances generally
each member of the party has some
thing TO say in reference to the matter,
either in the way of commenting on the
age of the brlde-elect or in assisting 10
furnish the full name Of the other
person to the contract.
The greatest trouble the marriage Ii
cense clerk experiences, however, is In
turning down applicants who en-
deavor to secure licenses for females
under eighteen years old, the age limit
prescribed by law. When taken I'M
awares the applicant sometimes ad-
mits that the female for whom the Ii
cense is asked is under the legal age.
When informed that a license will not
be issued to a woman under eighteen
years of age the applicant then sud
denly discovers that he might be mis-
taken and suggests that the young wo-
man looks like she is over that age.
This, however, does not satisfy the
clerk, who refuses to issue the license.
In a case of this kind, however, some
of the friends of the parties are
generally found who are willing to
make oath that the female is of legal
age and the license is finally secured.