The progress., 1904-02-06
SOME QUICK IlARRIA0x&


In the small town OF PIOugastel-Daou'
las, near Brest, according to tradition
1t is customary for all marriages that
are to be celebrated just before Lent
to be grouped together. At the same cere-
mOny, which Is followed by large pub
lie banquet at which one dish is placed
before every four persons and at which
table napkins are tab0oed. The result
Of this grouping together Of the we'd
dings Of the neighborhood entails an
arduous day upon the ofiiciating clergy
and the local mayor, says the Chicago
Tribune.
A year or two ago, for instance, the
bishop OF Quimper had 66 couples to bless
one after another, and subsequently the
mayor had to read the articles of the
civic code upon like number Of occa-
sions. With respect to the civil cere-
mony, however. the mayors Of France
perform prodigies of speed, and 1t is
doubtful II this one was occupied many
minutes over seven hours in performing
the duties that the law enacts.
In the course of the merry month Of
May, 1902, the Mayor of Rouen set q rec
ord by marrying "a couples, one after
the other. at an average rate Of seven
minutes per couple. Hardly was tine
ink dry on the marriage register, how
ever, when the mayor of Amiens
knocked 35 seconds of his municipal
brothers figures; that is to say, he mar.
ried two dozen couples in two hours and
"a minutes
When Miss Alice Sinclair, df Cincin-
natl, O., was mildly chaffed because,
when acting in the capacity OF brides
maid, the sign OF spinsterhobd, the
thimbie, was found in her portion Of the
wedding cake, she promptly proved that
there was no truth in the superstition by
marrying within three hours Of acting
as bridesmaid the man to whom she was
engaged.
This was fairly rapid marriage, but
its progress was tortoiselike when COM
pared to the rapidity with which M.
Duchemin, deputy mayor of Havre, last
February performed the civil rites in the
case of 81 couples who reQuisitiOned his
services on the twenty-first Of the
month. Allowing an average Of five min
utes and 10 seconds for each couple, this
athletic deputy mayor yoked the 81
copies securely together In the course OF
Az hours What the ancient cou1e
whose ages totaled 1872 years thought Y
the proceedings did not transpire. but
all probability they left the municipality
building in dazed condition.
Some few months ago Miss Fanny
Wood, young woman Of 81 summers,
met her future husband In New Jersey
at ten o'clock; at 1910 he proposed. at
1915 Ut will be noted that she gave the
subject great consideration he was ac-
cepted, and at 1929 the wedding cere-
mony was performed by local clergy
man.
A bridegroom discovered on arriving
at the parish church at Great Chester
ford, Essex, that he had left the mar
riage license behind. Recourse was
thereupon Immediately had to the tele-
graph, with the result that at 2:57, or
with three minutes to perform 1t In, the
ceremony was begun, and before the
church clock struck three all the es-
sential portion Of the service had been
duly gone through.
Judging from some recent efforts of
the New York supreme court, the old
fashioned saying that begins with
marry in haste" will have to be ended
in the future by the words divorce per
express" Four years ago, when Mrs.
Rose Silversteen filed her petition for
divorce, completed her testimony, and
was granted a decree in II minutes, in
elusive of all the proceedings, the world
Since that date, however, the II min
utes' record has been left far behind.
Judge Nash, of New York, some little
time ago created record by disposing Of
% undefended eases in 230 minutes; and
In tho course of last summer Judge
Slower, of Kansas City, Mo-, further low
cred the record by divorcing IA couples
in 30 minutes.
The mayors of France will have to
ook to their laurels, for. although they
are undoubtedly the champion
makers" the occupants of the Ameri.
,an bench appear to be equaling their
lame in their capacity of breakers" of
the matrimonial bond.