Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-11-04
BIRTH RATE FALLING
THROUGH THE WAR
England, Germany and Austria
Offer inducements to Marry
To the Recruits and Extra At
fractions Are Offered the
Girls

(Corres. of The Associated Press.)
London, Oct. 3-Aroused by the pos
tive steps taken by Germany and Aus
tria to protect themselves against a
falling birth-rate and the telling death
rate incidental to the war, England
Is now encouraging the marriage of re-
cruits 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 throughout the island are
waving their personal fees.
In Germany and Austria fees for
marriages were waived entirely where
soldiers and sailors were unable to
pay and In many cities clergymen
married the warriors and their sweet
hearts in large companies where the
hasty departure Of troops made it i'm
possible for separate ceremonies to be
held.
Golden weddings rings were done
away with and iron rings substituted
for the ceremony. Then the married
women who already had gold wedding
rings offered them as contributions to
the war fund aAd replaced them with
rings similar q those worn by the war
brides.
German officials frankly discussed
the necessity for the marriage of SOL
diers and urged immediate ceremonies
upon young women as patriotic duty.
The war brides were cheered with
much enthusiasm and the churches
IaI xryln. tl1 To- .,a61 linn
parties spoke the ceremony in concert.
Although the number of women in
England far exceeds that of men, the
volunteer 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 encouraging re-
cruits to marry.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is
endeavorfng to have the government
waive the stamp fee of two dollars and
a half which it imposes on each mar
riage certificate and diocesan bishops
have reduced the marriage license fee
to two dollars and half In the case
of soldiers and sailors Of limited means.
Formerly 1t cost ten dollars to pro-
cure marriage license properly
stamped by the government. The cost
is now five dollars and the Archbishop
of Canterbury hopes to have 1t lowered
to two and a half dollars through the
x1ft rax mol ne fny "a of ho
government. Clergymen now waive
their personal fee In the case OF SOL
liers.
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 themselves and their child
rem.
Nearly half million recruits are
quartered in camps scattered through
out England. This new army of Kit
chener's probably will not be sent to
the continent for at least six months
unless some unexpected calamity
arises. All the men in the army who
have not had previous military exper-
fence are less than IS and a majority
OF them are unmarried.
Many weddings are occurring daily
at the various camps and new recruits
and their sWeethearts are often much
distressed to find that under the Eng
lish law one of the parties to a mar
rage must have resided in the parish
in which they are married for at least
fifteen days. The Archbishop of Can
terhury has suggested that this obsta-
Gle be removed by statute.