The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-15
OBJECT TO BEING
MARRIED BY WOMEN
Few of the f65 Dominles of
Chicago Asked TO Per-
form Ceremony.

The marriage service performed by
woman is not success in Chicago.
There are indications that it fills no
long felt want for woman preacher
to assume under the law the privileges
OF uniting couples in marriage, and if
any reason must be given, there are
indications Of her sticking for the
elimination of "obey" as at the bot
tom of it.
Mrs. Celia Parker Woolley, whose
nome is at 1876 FOrty-fourth street, has
performed five or six marriage cere-
monies, but it was while she had a
Unitarian charge at Elgin. Since she
came to Chicago she has been in the
position of a supply, and In that posi-
ton In her church she has not been
called upon by Cupid. Just why Mrs.
Woolley might not be popular with the
bridegroom on such an occasion is dis
tinctly set forth in her opinions of that
ceremonial form involving the promise
to obey
Il always left the word out" said
Mrs. WOolley, decisively. TT had no
place in the ceremony, anyhow. 1t is
a story told outright where it is used
and replied to in the ceremony. In the
hrst place there is no reason why
woman should obey her husband, and
al bAlC 1ACAI II Is d certainty IIdI SQ6
VIII not do so. But even leaving it out
of the form i used, in at least two cases
the young men concerned were mem
DerS OF my church and were more than
willing to come to me. 1t was a novel
ty in Elgin that a woman should be
privileged to perform marriage services
and the county clerk in issuing licenses
to people from the country, especially,
often directed them to come to me
Tor the marriage contract
Opposes Giving Away Bride.
Il had no robes for the pulpit Sim
ply gown of black silk was worn
and at these church weddings I wore
this costume. While l have felt some
of the poetry of the Episcopal cere-
mony, seeing 1t as a spectator, I have
always felt the absurdity Of the giving
away Of the bride. When the law,
through its licensing of the parties to
marry, has passed upon the question,
there is nothing more for either of the
parents or any of the near relatives to
do.
This reminds me of a woman friend
In the ministry who went farther than
ever l thought of doing on this poi1lt
To make the giving away form as ri
diculous as possible, she insisted that
the parents Of the young man should
appear and give him away. It was
an unexpected move on her part for
all concerned, and when in using the
word obey, as applying to the bride,
she asked the same promise of the
groom, the ceremony came almost too
close to comedy to be relished as even
legal"
While Mrs. Adlai T. Ewing was in
the posttion of an ordained minister in
the Christian Science church, in Chi
cago, several weddings were celebrated
by her. They were of the church for
the most part, and in being called to
1T, it was as pastor only. Since the Of
flee Of women preachers has been
abolished in that church, the ceremony
of marriage goes to the men of the de-
nomination.
Mrs. Ursula GestfeId, as an inde-
pendent preacher, has never been called
upon to UfHctate at a wedding, though
her position would entitle her to it un-
der the law. She is one of the few
women at the present time in Chicago
who are active in the pulpit.
Mrs. Vandelia Varnum Thomas, wife
of DR.. Hiram w. Thomas, founder of
the Peoples church in Chicago, is a
regularly ordained minister into that
church. She and DIR. Thomas have
been spending the winter in Florida,
and her friends have no knowledge Of
her having performed a marriage cere-
mony.
Women "Clergymen" Number 1865.
According to the reports of the last
United States census, there are 165
women 'clergymen" in this city. Just
where they may be in hiding with
reference to the 22,122 marriage Ii
censes issued by License Clerk Sal
monsOn for 1903 is far more than Mr.
Salmonson can account for
Il don't recall but one ceremony per-
formed in Chicago by a woman" he
said. THAT was several years ago,
too, and the preacher was simply a
spiritualist. Perhaps she didn't even
see the couple when she married them
it may have been done in spirit at
long range. In fact, the weddings that
women are concerned in here seem to
be those in which the women are par
ties Of the first part.
Under the law, however, even a
spiritualist reader is entitled to the
privilege of marrying a couple provided
with the proper license. A man doesn't
have to be described as a full minister
of the gospel to have the same privi-
lege, either. Fol instance, there are
M. M. Mangasarian and William M.
Salter. Members of an orthdox church
might say they are not preachers of
the Word, and yet each of them may
perform marriage services as mora