Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-09-28

OW that he has Joined in matrimony 495
N couples-near to a thousand men and
women, boys and girls, lovers and sweet
neartS-At is but natural that Rev. A. T. spald-
ing should have his own ideas concerning the
Psychology of the marriage ceremony
For Instance, he will tell you that the bride is
serene and the groom is perturbed, as they
sand at the altar, for no other reason than that
they wear new and Respondent clothes, a cir
cumstance which affects men and women diff
ferently. 1t is not because they are thinking
Of the ceremony itself and its seriousness, he
thinks
Now that you think of it, the conclusion of
Dr. spaldins is but natural
And having seen so many couples, and so
much Of mating he believes in love at first
sight, and having seen laughable situations
grow out Of the conventional ceremony, he has
devised a marriage ritual of his own. After a
man has married nearly a thousand persons
ne does and believes these things by right. It
is but natural that DIR. Spalding should have
the interesting ideas he has concerning love and
marriage
1t Is but natural, too, that so many persons
should have turned to DR.. Spalding for his serv-
Ices in this great event of their lives. He
greets you at the door of his home at No. 400
CORTLAND street, with serene, kindly, courtly
manner, that in itself impresses you as a sort Of
blessing all you married couples You very
easily come TO believe that his interest in your
affair is surprising and that he will never for
f,s.
He never does. He has material aid to his
memory in a little book, in which he has kept
an accurate record of the marriages he has per-
formed from the first, in 1854, down to this
good day. They are all there, with the names,
ages, and sometimes a little family history Of
the couples and the amount of the bride
groom's gift
There are stories and stories in that book.
For one, there is Marriage No. 495, the very
last in the book, which is that of the daughter
of Dr. Spalding's boyhood sweetheart.
These things he showed a reporter for The
Sunday American yesterday, talking all the
while Of his experiences and observations. 1t
was an interesting conversation, this talk of
Love and Marriage, what it means, and how it
is a divine thing.
The good gentleman is a sincere advocate Of
matrimony, and he patted the reporter with a
kind and fatherly pat, on the shoulder and told
him there was nothing better he could do than
to get married
He has learned all these things from his ex-
perience as pastor of the leading Baptist
churches in Philadelphia, Louisville, Mobile,
Galveston and Atlanta. Here he was pastor
of the Second Baptist Church good many
years ago.
1t is in every section that he has done serv-
ice in welding the tie that binds and he has
found the tie and the manner of binding about
the same everywhere.
There is no difference between young men
and young women anywhere" he said. "They
are as ardent lovers and as eager for marriage
in one section as In the other.
And generally speaking, they are alike in
most ways. 1t is always the woman who is
calm and self possessed at the altar, and always
the man who is embarrassed and nervous, and
who is always telling to cut it short
why? I have my own theory. It's because
of clothes.
did you ever see a woman who was embar-
raised or who lacked confidence in herself when