Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-27
DIVORCE A BARR|EE.
PREVENTS CELEBRATION OF Nur-
r1AL EVENT N WASHINGTON.
PLIGHT OF VIRGINIA COUPLE.
Or. rtt,er,- creed WIN Not rcrmi'
Him to Join in siatrimenS
Compile Either of Whom Has Been
p,,orcca unless Tic Know. All
About tho Case.
PREVENTS CELEBRATION OF NUT
PLIGHT OF VIRGINIA COUPLE.
Or. rttrer,- creed VIII Not Permit
About the Cnsc.

washington is poor Gretna Greer,
-ar Divorces Nothing IN The District
aw., interferes with The rcmaTTlaSc OF
aeoole who have tried the game and
found 4, q failure, but the ministers OF
Ills city have Soycotted divorced people,
and divorced man or woman who de-
.ircs Il, take a second leap into ;natrimon5'
i ,l,is CITY must conceal the former mar
-isre or have The l-not tied in a justice S
.,ficn saws Tn, Washington Post of yesteT-
lay.
4 Young vfrsinian who came to WASH
ngton Wednesday with a handsome grass
s!dow. whom he had selected for a life
partner. felt the effects OF the ministerial
combine and wore out much shoe leather
irving 10 find q minister who would not
oaik at making il possible for the young
woman to take a second chance in the
matrimonial lottery.
Under the new law the prospective
bridegroom must find minister who Will
perform the ceremony. and the clerk Of
the district court issues the license d.
rectiy 10 that minister. Having been
Informed Of this provision Of the law the
young Nireinian paid visit to t.Ie home
of DR. A w. Pitzer. pastor of Central
Presbyterian church. and asked him to
perform the ceremony. II was TO be a
Christmas wedding. Dr., Pitzer had 10
engagements which would prevent him
from tying the knot but there were
some gu sstions which he submitted to the
virSfnian before he consented to under
take the task.
DR. PITZER,S MIRAGE CODE.
HAS either of you ever been married
before?" was the first question.
The young man confessed that the wo-
man he was to marry had been married
once.
Tier former husband is still living. is
he?'' DR.. PitZer asked.
Yes"
Good day have decided that I will
never marry any more divorced people
unless / know their history perfectly,
and am convinced that the person who
Is to remarry is the innocent party to
decree grained for adultery
The Nirginian's call at the home of
DR.. ". NJ. Ferguson, pastor of Wesley
Methodist church. produced no better re-
suits. All moved smoothly until the
young man remarked to DR.. Ferguson
that he supposed it would make no diff
ference If his wife had been divorced.
1t made all the difference in the world TO
DIR. Ferguson. He was the point of
asking the young fellow about former
marriages when the confession was made.
and stated in very few words that he
did not make a practice of marrying d-
vorced people.
Il will reinarry two people who have
been divorced and want to Try matrirnony
again, and will marry a MN or woman
who has secured a divorce on the ground
If aduite Y. but ] have console. tious scru-
pies agai isl remarrying divorced people,
VAS the pastors reply.
HIS PLEA NO AVAIL.
The Nisginian's plea that he had come
a long distance TO be married and had
planned for long while to be married
IN Christmas Gid not move Dr. Fergu-
son. he believes That ihe marriage cere-
money is religious. as well as a civil
service and says that he will throw all
he safeguards possible about the entrance
nto marriage tics.
II the Young Nirginian had called on
ministers of other denominations it is
ikeiy tt. he. would have received an
s@-ers Sit lar TO those given by the two
pastors named Washington clergynen
II all d. nominations haze held confer
cnces &C 'cerning the prevalence of d. !
ycrce al many ;of them have oeci9ad /
that the! VIII do all in their power to :
throw ms re restrictions about ratrimonv /
and disc ,ulage the care,essenss with |
which people assume and throw off mat
rimonial bonds
Although no formal organization of |
ministers has entered into an agreement i
lot TO so. ernnize the marriage OF divorced |
persons. he sentiment against such ac- !
lion is so strong among the local pastors /
hat a 70 ky road lies before the man or
Goman with past who seeks TO marry |
~ Washington. The embargo against di- /
FORCES exists among pastors of all de-
nominations. Catholic c1ergymen have !
always refused to celebrate the marriage |
Of divorced persons The rules of the !
Episcopal Church are almost as strict, /
and the ministers of other sects are now
aking the same stand
ALL OF THE SAME MIND.
In mos churches there are no specific
laws pre- "nting pastors from uniting di- !
sorced p trsons in matrinory. Ministers
IRE ALTO: ed to act according to the die
:ates OF their consciences and the con-
sciences of Washington ministers ali
Ieem to rive the same dictstion. Metho-
list. Bs ptist. and Presbyterian pastors
hold tht same views. Ministers are not |
authorized to administer an oath to per-
IONS setting matrin ony, and consequent
Y do not feel certain that true ans
Eers aye given to all questions asked.
The ms rriage license does not Indicate
The fors Ter marriage OF applicants, so di-
FORCED persons may easily deceive the
local ps stors. and have their union SOL
smnized without the delay which will be
provoked by a suggestion OF divorce.