South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-03-06
BY LoRETTO IORDEN.


What tragic examinations Of prom
Using romances lie behind failure Of
marriage certificates 20 be recorded
FOR those 20 whom licenses 20 wed
have been issued
what strange interventions Of fate
have blasted the fond hopes and
urposes OF the licensed2z
What imprinted stories Of sorroW-
hg some ones left waitin' at the
pehurch" might be barred could the
mystery Of these unrecOrdcd certid-
Gates be solved?
All. but there's the rub,
There ia no law compelling any
bne 20 use a license once il mas been
obtained. So the mystery. in specI-
fic cases. must remain ursolved.
The fact remains however, that
stuned away somewhere In pigeon
holes Of desks. I'm attics. In pockets
or in hope chests. lie hundreds OF
embossed papers. bearing official
seals. emitting couples 10 the rights
Of embarkisg upon tho seas of
Df matrimony Oh, perhaps. flames
Of torch or CRATE, long since have
converted these once-cherished pa
bers into ashes.
Seek DeIinquents' Reasons.
Out Of the 400 or more marriage
licenses issued I'm 81 Joseph county
last year, however. only &c were not
returned with the prescribed mar
rage certificates within a reasonable
time. Cards were sent to these
couples 70 jog their memories. and
~ the IS all but ten were returned
or accounted for. In some instances
tho ministers either forgot or neg
fec.ed TO return them, some went out
Of the state 10 be married, while
possibly two or three were lost in
the mails. Generally. Indiana mar
- rage licenses are not recognized in
Michigan and other states. and vice
versa
Indecisiveness is the paramount
reason why they are not used after
having been obtained. i'm the belief
Of Wilbur VI. Warner. county clerk
for St Joseph county. At the 18th
hour the maid or he man decides
that perhaps. after all. their affec-
lions have been misplaced. that
Jack or Jim has more money or
Gweodolyn or Harriet is better look
ing
some Think License Enough.
A few licenses were issued 70
couples one or both Of whom had
just recently been divorced. Their
desire to avoid publicity caused
rhom 10 wait until a later date ~
have the ceremony performed. after
they had procured the license; an
IL
censes were not returned sooner.
In most European countries f. is
customary TO have either a civil or
religious ceremony performed, in
some countries both are compulsory.
This fact led some Of the foreigners
in South BEND 10 believe that after
they had obtained the license no
other ceremony was obligatory. TIC
was necessary to notify them to 80
10 a minister or Justice of the peace
and be married.
Most Of the ministers IN South
BEND aver that they have never ex-
perienced having couple close
their nerve" at tho "11th hour BY
<~ne time they get around to me-" said
ono minister. "their minds are pretty
well made up"
Ministers Tell Amusing Tales.
Ministers and Justices of the peace
however. with pardonable omission
OF names. relate amusing and pa
thetic incidents they have observed
IN their roles OF knot tiers"
4 young couple came TO a vel
known South Bend minister to h'
married The young woman aske-
FOR a room that sine might change e,
her wedding costume. A box she
carried contained flowers fashioned
into a stir design commonly assO
ciated with funerals. After thu
ceremony. the bride changed 70 he
street costume. put the flowers bacl
in the box. and carried IL away.
At least this couple paid the min
Eroorn's fee TO the minister wa
The man said that his bride had
number Of debts which nc wanted I,