Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-25
ENGLAND NCITES MARRIAGE
Encouraging Wedlock for Recruits
Going to the Front.
FEAR TELLING DEATH RATE
CIerEymen waive Personal Mar
riage Fee and Are Asking that
Stamp Tax he Abolished in
Case of Soldiers,

(Correspondenoe OF the Associated Press.)
LONDON, Oct. 3.-Aroused by the posi-
tive steps taken by Germany and Aus
tria to protect themselves against a fall
ing birth rate and the telling death rate
incidental to the war. England is now en-
coureging the marriage Of recruits soon
to go on foreign service.
At the suggestion OF the Archbishop OF
Canterbury the diocesan bishops of the
Church OF England have made marked
decreases in the fees charged soldiers for
marriage licenses and clergymen through
out the island are waving their personal
fees
In Germany and Austria fees for mar
riages were waived entirely where SOL
diers and sailors were unable to pay and
in many cities clergymen married the
warriors and their sweethearts in large
companies where the hasty departure of
troops made It impossible for separate
ceremonies to be held.
Gold wedding rings were done away
with and iron rings substituted for the
ceremony Then the married women who
already had gold wedding rings offered
them MS contributions to the war fund
and replaced them with rings similar TO
those worn by the war brides.
War Brides Cheered.
German officials frankly discussed the
necessity for the marriage Of soldiers and
urged immediate ceremonies upon young
women as a patriotic duty. Tho war
brides we're cheered with much enthus-
iasm and the churches were crowded
when the large wedding parties spoke
the ceremony in concert.
Although the number Of women In Eng
land far exceeds that of men. the volun-
teer army is comparatively small here
and most OF the recruits are not trained
soldiers Immediately available for foreign
service Consequently there is not the
pressing demand for immediate marriages
here that existed on the continent. Still
the government realizes the terrible drain
the war will make on the virile manhood
OF Great Britain and Is quietly encour-
aging recruits to marry.
Would Waive Stamp Tax.
The archbishop Of Canterbury is en-
deavoring to have the government waive
the stamp fee of $3.50 which it imposes on
each marriage certificate and diocesan
bishops have reduced the marriage license
fee to $3.50 in the case of soldiers and
sailors of limited means. Formerly is
cost $40 to procure a marriage license
properly stamped by the government.
The cost Is now IS and the archbishop OF
Canterbury hopes TO have 1t lowered to
$3.50 through the withdrawal of the stamp
tax of the government. C1ergymen now
waive their personal fee in the case Of
soldiers.
German officials presented to the young
women of the empire the slight chance
they would have for matrimony after the
departure of their soldier sweethearts
and called attention to the pension paid
to war widows for the support of them
selves and their children.
Men of Young Age.
8 Nearly Joo,po0 recruits are CHARTERED in
camps scattered throughout England
This new army Of Kitchener's probably
will not be sent to the continent for al
least six months unless some unexpected
calamity arises. All the men in the army
who have not had previous military ex.
perience are less than Is years old and a
majority Of them are unmarried.
Many weddings are occurring daily al
the various camps and new recruints and
Their sweethearts are often much dis.
tressed to find that under the English
law one Ct the parties to a marriage
must have resided In the parish in which
they are married for at least fifteen DAYS
The archbishop OF Canterbury has sue.
sestea that this obstacle be removed by
statute. -