Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-01-01

European Mayors Hurry Things Some,
but the Divorce Record Is
Held i'm America

he1O In America.
In the small town of Plougastei-Daou-
as. near Brest, according to tradition,
is customary for all marriages that
ire to be celebrated just before Lent
be grouped together at the same cere-
nony, which is followed by large pub
ic banquet at which one dish is placed
sefore every four persons and at which
able napkins are tabooed. The result
this grouping together of the we'd
1ngs of the neighborhood entails an
irduous day upon the officiating clergy
nd the local mayor, says the Chicago
tribune.
A year or two ago, for instance, the
bishop OF Quimper had &c couples to bless
me after another. and subsequently the
mayor had to read the articles of the
aVic code upon a like number of occa-
IONS. With respect to the civil cere-
nony, however, the mayors of France
perform prodigies of speed, and it is
doubtful If this one was occupied many
minutes over seven hours in performing
he duties that the law enacts
In the course of the merry. month of
day, 1902. the Mayor of Rouen set rec
'rd by marrying "a couples, one after
ne other, at an average rate of seven
minutes per. couple. Hardly was the
NIX dry on the marriage register, how
ever, when the mayor of Amiens
Knocked IS seconds off his municipal
)rother's figures; that is to say, he mar
led two dozen couples in two hours and
"A minutes.
When Miss Alice Sinclair, of Cincin-
lati. O., was mildly chaffed because,
when acting in the capacity of brides
maid, the sign of spinsterhood, the
:himble. was found in her portion of the
wedding cake. she promptly proved that
here was no truth in the superstition by
marrying. within three hours of acting
as bridesmaid the man to whom she was
engaged.
This was a fairly rapid marriage, but
It's progress was tortoiselike when COM
pared to the rapidity with which NJ
Duchemin, deputy mayor of Havre last
February performed the civil rites in the
Ease of 81 couples who requisitioned his
services on the twenty-first of the
month. Allowing an average of five min
utes and Is. seconds for each couple, this
athletic deputy mayor yoked the 81
copies securely together in the course Of
~ hours. What the ancient couple
whose ages totaled 1872 years thought of
the proceedings did not transpire, but in
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 1O:10 he proposed, at
f0:15 tit will be noted that she gave the
subject great consideration he was &C.
eepted, 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
graph. with the result that at 2:57, OF
with three minutes to perform it 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 pei
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
marveled.
Since that date, however, the IL min.
utes' record has been left far behind
Judge Nash, of New York, some little
time ago created record by disposing OF
% undefended cases in 230 minutes; and
in the course Of last summer Judge
Slower. of Kansas City. Mo-, further low
cred the record by divorcing IA couples
In 80 minutes.
The mayors of France will have to
look to their laurels, for, although they
are undoubtedly the champion
makers" the occupants of the Ameri-
can bench appear to be equaling their
fame in their capacity of breakers" OF
the matrimonial bond.