Evening journal., 1915-02-01

u4RyIANDS MALODOROTS MARRIAGE MILL.
~u1NCE the nalodorous marriage mill set up in
- Elkton Md, following the enactment Of the Corn
lev Marriage law by tho relaware Legislature, we
have persistenty and consistently denounced it as
disgrace 10 Cecil county to the State of Maryland
and 10 American society We are pleased to note tna4
at last one Cecil county newspaper the Elkton Wms
has come out emphatically against the mill ana
in the absence OF adverse legislation, placed the
responsibility for its scandalous existence fairly and
souarely up TO those preachers whose activities make
IL financial success for themselves. The Whg says;
There seems to be pretty general agreement amongst
the people in this community that the reputation WnI0n
has come 20 Elkon as a matrimonial Factory lb no.
desirable reputation there is much comment to the
effect that something ought 10 be done ABOUT IT, pu.
here Is the rub Nothing be done about IT, except
thai which is done by the Of public opinion OF
nv the individual Of the preachers themselves
Tho law ,ndor which this thing is proceeding and by
which II is probated is State law. II cannot 1e
altered so to apply TO this county alone II can ony
found in broaching the matter TO members or ne la'e
Legislature last winter, that they did not IN the ieasl
understand appreciate resent the condition Whch we
are facing daily. in this community. Hence tne ulm-
cntv n not the impossbility Of accomplishing any
thing in a legislative The only nope IN our our
judgment of a better cohuluoh OIL l"hs'' "'' T ~
community itself.
When we first expressed disgust in these col
umns with the conduct of our Elkon ministers
as the marrying business one Oh tneSo , 20
called upon in office for general 1scussoh u
the subject There was no mnchg OF Noius III M oui ,
cussion. Zach man spoke his mlhu quilo .oviy d. " @
our preacher friend finally wanted TO know Wnat d, .
to do about itY' To Whcn we anhWtlcu
Nothing, but what we have ana are uolis ee p ,D
lie sentiment against such conduct as mas
lied preachers There Is no'ning elso W. we
can do. The law permits you 10 marry lhe9o PSopio
indscrminately and frank 90 say that see Itue
hope of securing any change in the law IN the near
future al any rate But the law does not require you
marry these people and neither the law anything
else iustifes in soliciting the business OF maIylnH
them ON The other hand you acting within the
limits of the civil and can by law estop you
The only thing that stop you is your own sense
if roenect Of respect for your ministerial position
for fbo
ministry am frank to say to you tnat' IN my Juus
ment those Of preachers who are known 10 DC 81,
gagged in this scramble for the marrying business ar
doing rreparabe harm 70 yourselves as minister
and TO the churches with which you are connected
If your recognition of this fact does not bring you
reform YOUR conduct then / of nothing that can
In other words, it resolves itself into question
q individual conduct" ,,.,, .,,o
because it states the case exactly as we Sc It,
There can be 90 question that the people oil TINS CON
munity disguised with the whole business loarl ~
one here and there who is financially influenced IN NJ
judgment) There can be no question that IneIe 10 u
u legal remedy the matter. what thon remains uu
an appeal to the preachers themselves? And that az
peal ought not to be in vain NO preacher, II @ Mou
l. seem should be willing to outrage ana deiy he mol'
sense of whole community in which he lives an
labors. - - aoa
This indiscrimnate marrying business, arc disposed
resent our utterances give them fair warning 'h
what we have said in these columns is not crcuI
of ,anco 10 what we have relrained from Saying
,s could go into details that we believe would revolt
40 o,i oe ovcrv rrht-thinking man and woman I'm th
Oh Cor any) community We don't want to do SO. %
Id we Give fair warning that going to do so, "a
l. less there is a change here very soon The people
g this community arc back OF us IN demand l1S' SOU SOU
of mo nracticcs of some of preachers shall stop
and stop at once.
D. That editorial breathes the proper spirit 1t shou
nc serve as a ralyng cry for the decent-mnded men al
iu women of Cecil county who heartily tired of ha
'' ing the name of the county seat made reproach
lo national by-word There is doubt that the peoI
Of Cecil county have the remedy in their own han
o. and that they should apply it to every money-gruooi
IL omarrying parson" who closes his ear to public p
~ test.