Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-04-18
MInIsters nd MarrIage.

Ministers and Marriage.
We gave room in yesterdays Every
Evening 10 the statement of Rev L. l..
Barrett, pastor Of Wesley NJ f. Church,
Dover, in reply TO an editorial comment
made by this paper upon a marriage cere-
mony which he had performed for an
eloping couple from Baltimore, composed
Of a young man Of % years and young
girl whose age is stated in the Baltimore
papes 20 be only IA years In this state
ment, Mr.. Barrett iustifes his part in the
transaction on the ground that he had
asked the questions'required by law, and
that if the girl is under age he had been
deceived by the false answers made by
her.
Il is true, as Mr.. Barrett states, that
Every Evening was not, at the time of
making its comments, fully informed of
the circumstances attending the marriage
Of this clipping couple. Nor can we say
that we have been greatly enlightened by
Mr. Barrott's statement. His justifi-
cation is, in effect, that he asked the girl
her age, and that she lied by informing
him that she was Is years old, the limit
at which a woman may be married under
the laws of Delaware without the consent
OF parent or guardian. That he made
further inquiries in relation to the situa-
tion does not appear.
And yet we must crave pardon for the
suggestion that tho case, on the surface,
appears TO have been one which demanded
more rigid investigation than Rev. Mr.
Barrett, according to his statement, ap-
pears TO have made. He does not say he
made any inquiries as to why this couple
should have come from Baltimore to
Dover for the purpose of getting married.
He does not say that this girl Of IA years
had the appearance of a woman of Is
years II is true that some girls mature
at very tender years, and can pass them
selves off as young women with no danger
of detection unless confronted with the
official register Of birth, but it will not be
denied that such girls are the exception,
not the rule. If Rev. Mr. Barrett accepted
tho girls false statement, and gave no
heed to her Juvenile appearance-as-
suming that she looked the girl and not
the woman-is the lie which she told 10
be accepted as a sufficient justification
for the performance of the marriage cere-
mony without any inquiry into other
circumstances that might have attended
the appearance of tho eloping couple be-
fore him We leave the answer Of this
question to Mr.. Barrett.
The laws of Delaware, unfortunately
arc not notorious for the safeguards with
which they surround the exceedingly
serious and solemn contract of marriage
They forbid the union of parties bound
by close family relations. They forbid
the intermarriago of whites and negroes
or mulattoes. In relation TO the age re-
striction, the law says: "a marriage, il
the male be under p years or the female
be under the age of rs years, shall not be
soiemnized without the consent of the
father or II there be no father, the mother
or guardian of the party under such age,
and any person knowingly and wilfully
solomniSing such marriage without such
consent shall be liable in damages to the
party aggnoved.'
10 will be seen, from perusal of thil
section Of the statute that a minister maS
be absolNed from the legal consequence
OF marrying a person under age without
the consent Of parent or guardian, wher
he is made the victim of deception Mani
testify, therefore the thing for the ministe
10 do is to avoid being deceived wheneve
there is any reason to believe that de
ccption is attempted, and il would seen
that in eases of doubt the safer plan woulc
he 70 refuse 20 perform the ceremony
We leave it TO Mr.. Barrett to say hi
exercised more than the ordinary forma
precautions in this case, or whether ther
was an entire absence Of any circum
stances that would suggest the prophet,
Of precaution.
The story is told Of a minister new {,
this city who was asked, q few days ago
Il he had performed any marriages, an,
whose reply was. al have married on,
couple and refused to marry another.
We congratulate this minister upon hi
record. If We have more refussls, in
stead Of ceremonies. Wilmington may b.
relieved Of the disreputable notonety thl
city has achieved through the eviden
willingness Of some OF her preachers Q,
perform the sacred ceremony Of marriag
regardless of conditions or consequences