The Washington bee., 1908-12-05
WILL NOT UNITE
PHYSICALLY UNFIT
Rev. DR.. Fl. s. Johnson's Strong
Utterances on Subject of
Ill-Advised Marriages.
POVERTY MARRIAGES DISAPpROVED
Boston Pastor DiScCurages Mating
on insufficient EaFnings.-ThOse
with Communicable Diseases, In
herited or Acquired, Should Re-
main Single.

Boston, Mass will refuse to
marry persons afflicted with con-
sumption or any hereditary or com
/ municable disease if / have personal
| knowledge of such ailments exist
| ing, and ! am also opposed to mar
/ rying divorced people, except in the
case of the innocent party" said
| Rev. DR.. Herbert S. Johnson, pastor
of the Warren Avenue Baptist
! Church, in this city.
: Il do not think il advisable to
marry young couples who are in poor
| circumstances. / believe, through
observation and &C sultation, that
| prospective bridegroom should
have an earning capacity of at least
! S15 a week before he should con-
| slider the matrimonial venture This
| statement, of course. does not ap-
ply in all cases, for there are always
; exceptions, but ! think the union of
: persons in the middle class in this
| country, who are in poor circum-
| stances, creates nothing but a hell
on earth.
when I made the statement some
time ago from the pulpit of my
| church that | would marry any cou-
| pie that wanted to get married II
| they did not have the marriage fee,
my remark was a facetiOus one, made
| half in jest and half in earnest, but
l will gladly perform the ceremony
for any unfortunate couple that
might have sinned, free of cost, if
! they apply to me and give evidence
! OF good faith It is a pitiable sight
| IN a large city to see a young girl
| carrying a babe on her arm without
a husband to show his love, or a
| father to provide for her and her
| offspring
II was, perhaps, led to make the
statement that I would marry all
such couples that applied to me
! through a case that came to me not
long ago. Our church is so situated
IN the heart of the city that practi-
| ability is our chief aim. became
interested in young gir who had
| sinned, and | appeared in court in
! her behalf. She was dressed in
/ mourning and carried her babe on
/ her arm. II developed that when
| her aged mother learned of the sin
| and disgrace of her daughter. she
| committed suicide by throwing her
| self into the river. And that is why
i i stand ready to help uplift the sin
| uers that are making a struggle to
| live an upright and honorable life,
| and our church will assist them in
/ every reasonable manner, such as
| finding employment for the husband,
| etc.
Now as to the marriage of young
| girls and fellows in meagre circum-
stances. There has been and is con-
stantly being brought to my atten-
tiOn cases of hasty marriages when
neither person is in a financial con-
dition to warrant their marriage
! Fifteen dollars a week is little
| enough to defray the expenses Of
a home with its furnishings, its doc
tors and nurses bills, the support
of children and the mite that should
be given to charity by all Christ
! ians. OF course, when | place the
weekly salary at SIS / refer only to
the middle classes, that is Irish-Am-
ericans, or those of Anglo-SaxOn ex-
traction, and so forth. / don't refer
to. the lower class of people from
Europe who can exist on much less.
And in regard to persons afflicted
/ with tuberculosis OF other diseases
of a hereditary nature to which man
and woman are subject, il is my be-
lief that a man OF woman unfortu-
! nate enough TO be effected with COM
municable diseases should be unseif-
! ish enough when they are aware OF
| these diseases existing to be content
/ TO merely love the man or woman
| and not ask one to have whole lives
| blasted. 1t is a terrible thing to
have children born into this world
with the taint of disease upon them
Yet there are a great many mar
riages in this country in the course
Of the year when one or the other
Of the contracting persons is a vic
! tim of some communicable sexual
| disease, and is the cause of much
misery and the loss to the United
/ States OF millions of dollars.
II will not marry persons whom I
know are afflicted thusly, and II
! there is any suspicion in my mind
/ will ask them frankly about the
matter. A man should be as unseIf-
ish and sacrificing in such matters
as the soldier or the fireman or the
hundreds of other heroes. and ii is
their duty to humanity as we'll as
TO their country that they east aside
all thoughts of marriage when they
know they are untitled TO become
husbands and fathers.
Il have steadfastIy refused to mar
ry divorced persons, unless In the
cases of the innocent persons. There
are innumerable cases of innocent
persons being divorced through no
fault of theirs and they should not