The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1908-01-03
new YORK BRIDES-TO-BE
WAIT LONG FOR LICENSES
Privacy No Accommodations They Are Made Butts of Coarse
Jokes-Bureau Makes Marriage Joke Opening New Indus
try for Hoboken.

EHher count my love vows broken.
or else take me 10 Iioboken;
For I'll i've and die maiden ere the
License Line I'll brave.
Tragedy of the Marriage License Law.
New York, Jan. s.-Yesterday came the
FIRST real test OF the new marriage IL
cense law. The results are summed UP
in the incident of a dainty little woman
who, after standing in tho lower cor
rIdor OF the city hall for three quarters
of an hour, the butt OF score Oh coarse
jests, while her pretty face gre" eriin-
son and her eyes flashed nre. sudoeniy
seized her escort by the arm ana, win tue
tears alistening on her cheeks. cried:
please please get me out OF mere OF
cllall cry out. II is brutal!'
Seeking to pacify the wrougnt-up
woman as they almost rushed from the
building. the young man said:
1--WE will go somewhere ana DE HaIrieu
where the law doesn't make II Joke
There will be- Mysteries and fainting at
,ha marriage license bureau before the
end is reached. Only a small percentage
of women have the strength OF nerve TO
stand in line for hours at "A time at the
side Of the man whose very presence
stamps the most sacred of relations while
a gaping crowd looks on. smiles knowing
Iy and derislvely and gives vent 10
double-ended jests.
For several hours al a stretch yesterday
the line wound from the main corridor or
city hall around to the city clerks room
80 feet away All sorts and conditions or
men and women were In the line Inc
clerks at the other end did their best, but
ut best it is slow work alling out the
certificates which entitle the man and the
woman TO be made one
STAND IN LINE ONE HOUR.
BY actual count just one hour elapsed
from the time that one blushing couple
took a stand at the end cT the line until
they finally stood before the clerk In the
stuSy little office. What that means 10
a sensitive woman may be imagined by
man who will fancy himself standing in
the line on the same mission bent.
There Is no privacy, there are no ac-
Oommodations. There you must stand
n q hallway eight feet broad lined up
two by two, like people waiting TO buy
tickets for the circus. And all the while
the city hall hangers-on gather In knots
and point their fingers at the prettier girls
on the lne pun their bad cigars and
make life miserable for those whose sole
offence Is desire to obey the Scriptural
Injunction.
The old theory was that the best In
terests of the State were served by maxi
ing marriage as easy as possible. But
the learned legislators have now put
reverse English on this maxim. A conun-
drum was propounded In city hall yes-
terday which perfectly hit on the situa-
ton.
"why is a marriage license lsw7" was
the conundrum.
And the answer given was. Because
the harder the fewer"
mo more" said a philosophical OBJ
server, will a man be able to complain
that he married In haste. From the time
he takes his place at the foot of the line
he has lots OF time to consider before
he gets TO the license clerk"
This marriage line Is as hard for the
men as II Is for the women. II is ten
times worse than the bread line.
Consider how the bridegroom suffers
who has but TO walk from the chancel
to the altar rail. stand there Ave min
utes and keep his legs from Juggling as
he makes the return trip. and then fancy
his feelings standing for an hour at her
side waiting to undergo a cross-examina-
ton that Is only slightly less severe than
that to which Jerome subjects an expert
chemist at the annual Thaw trial.
Four couples left in disgust before they
got anywhere near the head OF the line
Beyond a doubt there will be more Of
this. Save for those who are case har-
dened marriage will become unpopular in
New York. and then there will follow
what came about in Philadelphia when a
marriage license law was passed.
Across the Delaware River from Phila-
delphia Is the city of Camden. And the
ministers OF that city let II become known
that they would marry all who came
their way, regardless OF any license. The
young couples iocked to Camden. The
competition became brisk. The marry
ing parsons employed hackmen, and at
oil hours OF the day and night seven or
eight hackmen lined up at the ferry
houses. and when couple appeared that
seemed to be on marriage bent, they were