Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-31
go rarely that they are practically nil.

so rarely that they are practically nil.
Washington will always be a mecca
for the honeymoon couples of June
There are kindly matrons IN nearby cities
who make a practice of organizing honey.
moon parties and bring the newlyweds-
to-be to this city in carload lots. Yes
ried in. in June.
It's curious the way couples want te
confide their troubles to the marriage
license clerk. Most of them seem t.
think that they must placate great an6
awful government through him. or some
thing will happen to them. And some OF
them have, an idea that the city, state anG
nation have Joined hands in supplying
free marriages.
There was the case of the darby Lem
uel. Lemuel was one of those magnih-
cent institutions who believe In the sur
vival of the fttest-with the compliment
tary assumption that the first person sin.
gular is always the f1ttest to survive.
Lemuel ambled into the marriage license
Office one day wearing his workaday
clothes.
Does 1 get my license heah?" Lemue
wanted to know.
You do" responded the clerk.
Den" said Lemuel with dignity, you
kin make it out TO me-"
He unhesitatingly gave answers to the
various form questions propounded to
him. ,And when this was concluded he
reached for the paper which he had
signed.
Not yet" said the clerk gently mot
yet You must take the oath and pay
the dollar"
Take de OATH" said Lemuel dazedly.
Man, what kind of oath is dat?'
have stated is the truth
And den." said Lemuel in q panied
voice. after l take dat oath l gotta
pay dollar besides?"
TT is the law" said the marriage IL
cense clerk solemnly.
Lemuel turned toward the door.
IT reckon I'll wait till next yeah" he
stated. Il didn't reckon when / cum
to get married you white folks would
make me do all de wo'k.''
But Lemuel was wrong. He didn't
wait until next year. He came next
day And at the outside door Of the
courthouse the voice Of his future bride
could be heard as she dragged him to-
ward the Office. And these were her soft
sentiments:
Now, you trifiin' no-account- you all
gimme dat dollah en- I'll pay TO de Ii
cense. And IL you don't TAX dat oath
right I'll bus you when get OUTSIDE
sho's I nve"'
how he came to learn Lemuefs name.
DO you believe in Suffrage he asked.
Lemuers bride-to-be released her griI
on his sleeve for a moment and he stood
submissively at attention.
How is dat, subj" she wanted te
know.
DO you think that women should
vote?'
"'Deed. suh.'' she responded. II think
dey ought to do something with desc
trif1in' men what promises someth1n er
den falls down on de job"
So the Observer drifted into the mar
rage license office and saw Lemuel ODE
diently take the oath-after his future
spouse had deliberately laid down the
dollar
When ruralites-and some urbanites. fol-
that matter-visit the marriage license
office en- masse, the preparation OF thu
license becomes misery to the two par
ties most acutely concerned. There l;
always some first
friend who insists upon preparing thu
license for them. answering question,
and indicating his keen doubt as to thu
/ accuracy Of the answers.
The marriage license clerks Office i!
not the only one which breaks into thu
paean6 OF JOY "hen the merry mOntI
of marriages arrives. In his tour tn,
Observer found an army of people who
rejoiced with the clerk.
| There was the apartment house man
! the furnish-your- house observation-disclosures
| dolar-a-month man and the automobile
man. Automobiles? Certainly. And tina
| heads to another strange phase of tn,
summer madness. Couples have a pro
pensity to elope in June. There are nj
statistics showing the ratio OF Opponents
but the automobile man-who is fairl!
reliable, except where his own business
is concerned-stated positively that HI
rented more machines to couples wit
were preparing to depart on informa
weddings in June than in any othe
month.
People" said he. who live out o
| Washington will elope to Washington
And people. who live In Washington vii
elope out of Washington"
What is your theory" inquired tn
| Observer.
| "A return" said the automobile man
! "of romance. The ghosts of ancient gal
lants who rode away with their maiden
| return to earth during this time Of yea
and spread their influence like a cap
| over the shoulders of many young people
But Of course the average young maj
Inv TO- 1~l.