The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-09
IN A HURRY TO BE WED.

The state of matrimony, says the
New York Sun, has an open gate in
the basement of the City Hall. Every
week day from ten to four pilgrims
go gayly through. No passports are
required. The guards are not stern.
Indeed, they wear beguiling smiles.
To enter the welded state by this
route you follow the basement cor
ridor until you come to the signboard
bearing in golden letters the inscrip-
ton Marriage Room" Except for the
appropriate color of the whitewashed
walls there is nothing to indicate that
this might be a marriage room. 1t
subtly suggests a wine cellar, or even
place for underground conspiracies.
But there are smiles and laughter here.
On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thurs
days, the days which are most popu-
lar with Cupid for bringing his cap
tives to the City Hall, all the chairs
are occupied in the morning hours by
eXpectant couples, wedding guests and
witnesses. On Friday there are few
est. 1t apparently takes unusual cour-
age to be married on Friday. Tues
day is also avoided by Italians. Thurs
day seems to be regarded as the best
day of all for marrying.
n COuplC VI ClGIhS lIlONG dIlOIlS Tic
prospective bridegrooms, taking the
names for the certificates. An alder
man enters and seats himself at the
desk on the raised platform. 1t may
be any alderman who happens to be
in the building and feels like relieving
the waiting lovers of their suspense,
but it is usually Alderman Hamburger,
the marrying alderman" who within
a year and a half has fastened the
letters upon nearly 5000 couples.
He mods to a clerk, who glances at
a certificate with a name filled in and
calls out in a peremptory tone, as if
summoning a prisoner to the bar of
justice, William Barker" William
and his -about-to-b take their
places before the desk and the alder
mans scrutinizing eyes.
ANY witnesses? Well, bring them
fup." The witnesses hasten to the
platform. If none has been brought
along an attendant steps quickly into
the breach and gives the bride away
there is apt to be an extra fee in
this.
The alderman turns a penetrating
eye upon the lover and asks him If he
earns enough to support wife.
Twelve dollars a week? All right"
The ceremony goes on.
1t stops right here, however, if the
admits that his weekly income is less
than $40.
what, only seven a week? Don't
you think it would be hard shedding
| for two on that? Better wait awhile
Go and tell the boss you'd like to get
| married and want a raise. If he gives
| it to you, come back and I'll fix you
up
After the preliminary questioning
the alderman rises and repeats the
ceremony rapidly, ending with the
command:
Take hands. John, kiss your wife
John kisses her and makes room for
another couple. Fond husbands and
happy wives leave the marriage room
to face the world hand in hand at the
rate of about twenty-five pairs a day.
This is the average, but the number
varies under the influence of numerous
conditions. 1t is, In fact, a sort of ba-
rometer of the times. For example,
a strike of magnitude thins the daily
crowd in the marriage room.
The process of switching lives onto
new tracks is swift at the City Hall,
but some couples would have 1t swift
err.
Say, marry us up as quick as you
cam" exclaimed young man excit-
eddy the other day. We've just de-
cided to go to the races for a weddin'
trip. I see somethin' good in the first
race, but to make it we've got to catch
the 1:15 train to Brighton. l ought to
win out to-day, don't you think so?
After this it's all off between me and
the ponies. It's me for hard labor.
I've got a good job now, but the boss
let me off to-day to double up with
Annie here. We're goin' to have the
time of our lives, amt we, Annie? Call
off our names as quick as you can,
will you?'
In five minutes they were man and
wife.