MARRYING TEN THOUSAND COUPLES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 54, 22 February 1908, Page 4

MARRYING TEN THOUSAND COUPLES

A CHAT WITH THK MAN WHO HAS DO.\L IT. To have married ID.DHU couple, and yet lived to (ell the tale is a feat which might make any man vain. Hut the Rev. Alfred Harrison Burroughs. 01 Brinton. in the United States, is not conceited about his remarkable achievement, though he does think that perhaps it marks a .record iu that particular

:Mr. liurroughs i- a man of about •ixty-live. hale and upright, with a

white Ward and a ino-t benevolent -mill' which ha. .1 ui.Uilfifiil and -nothing i'H'ik-i on tho-o limiil bridegrooms who are a litllo anxious K's]je< tiny ill.' «-i>,l,.ni Hi' Ihr .tip they aio taking. Til,' writer recently had the plca.ure of meeting Mr. Hurrough.. itinl the ' M.u----i-ving l>ar-nn." a- lie i- called in hi- i.v.n state, was quite willing to talk about I lie thiill-aml- "I" couples lie tlslal pill nil the mail to li:ipi'ine.-t- or the rover-c Mr. liurrough. i- probably the oniv ,■ n-i,ii in the world whu entirely ile-|--n.i- I'nr a living mi Ihe fees he receives from the couples he marries, lie that it i- a good thing the bridegroomhand Ollt the fee. "Oil the -pol." w ~lhor\vi-0 tllcv llliuht Hot tcel di-pu- -I to p,iv for wh.il ultimately prove. anytiling hut a blowing. - Vi.u might not believe it." .Mr. I!ur-

r:.ii"h. -aid. -but on two occa.ioti. I have had men come back to me afi-r I hid joined them to what appiarcd !■-. ■i" very nice ami plcn-unt voung holies anl demand the fee. hack. And perhaps y.. u would tind it still harder to Wlicv that on ii irea-ion I did return tinI'nedolhu fee lo a In i(U-<rri>oiii who appeared to b." in a -tarving coiiliiiou. ■A. a matter of fad he told inc that it I would jii.t hand him the live dollari,m a couple of week, lie believed that would ode him over until he obtained a mli. and I hadn't the heart- to refuse him. lu a month he paid me a .econd vi-it and the live dollar bill at the same time, for luck had turned, and he and hi. wile were happy and comfortable lea don't know lion pleased 1 felt f. think tint the voting man was straight. I,„ it doi'.n'v look well for a hridceieom. however hard up he may be to try and :! i-; back hi. marriage fee.

Much of m.v work.'' roniinucl Mv. liiin-iinuli-. "i- taken up bv j>h-«<-)i.iLr •hum'.-.ills' «i the various hotel-. '<<> mam-' couple- \i-it llii— town t.) attend iin- theatre, and liv lilt' time they haw li:„i a liii iif -upper they discover tint the la-1 train has gone to their litth 1 habitation, and I hey will have to remain in the city, uf course, it put- tin- givl in an awkward pri'd'uamcut. anil I in' la-l way out of the ditlicultv i- iat th.'in to'get married. Ami nine timeout of ten they do gel married, an : I'm lite iiiiiii that marries tlit'in. •■ lint so many of the-e coupler, g.'t married through losing tlic last Iraiii Unit I am beginning to get a bit suspicions tliat it is soin"limps a plot on tin' part of tlic would-be lieiieili-'i, wlio lias possibly has ,omc dilliciilty in getting hi- iiaiiece to name tlic day. And .American girl- arc not averse l.i these little adventures,, and they think it -o 'smart ' of their lovers to stiggc-t a marriage mi the spot that as a rule tlii'v agree to tin' very sensciblc proposals. •' 1 never waste time in it-king howold the bride i- of whether her pnrents are agreeable to the Wilding. That's i,.,i iny iill'aii'. My duty is to main' anyone who wants to W nmrricd. an 1 if it is a runaway match then il is '.he business of the bridegroom to got „ut of his <,„•,! dillicnltics. Why. only a few «tvks ago a voting "'an drove up to the parsonage'in a straw waggon and asked if I was sufliciently di-engaged t» mane him. and a said. 'Certainly, provided' von will produce the bride.' for I couldn't see anvone with him even in the cavt. He -aid that was alt light, and "ning up to the waggon he brought out from'alie straw, where -lie had lain cmiplctelv hidden, the prettiest little bride von' ever saw. She was so dainty ami fresh and youthful that 1 quite envied the young fellow. -I m i„|,! have suggested that she i was a little too youthful, but then . ai'i'iicd that it was no all'air of miiic and so I married them. I gave them a I IHtle advice, but when I learned thai tb.'.v bad been engaged for three yea,'and had gone to the -ame -cliool I tln,ii"lil thin<i„ were pretty straight and nave them 'my blessing. The bride"in.iiii turned out to be a prosperous young farmer, and I have met him several times since and hi- face always weal's the 'smile that won't come oil'.' so I don't think there i- any chance of hi- demanding back again the ten dollars which he paid me a- fee. -Sonic ot Ilnve wedding- which I olii ciaie at are due to my own initiative. „„■ | a „, alwav- lookiii!: out for prospeciive couple-.' I iiiMivi.iMy I'"'''! th" |t ,,.,.un.-r train- that cine into my city. which divides Virginia (nun Tennessee. In Virginia the marriage laws are pretty but in Tennessee anyone who ha- a voice to make the ii'ipted can get ma tried. My parsonage is in the latter State, and. as a conseipicnce. it is a favourite Mecca for runaway couples. "Hut there are other parsons—ami -ome who are not parsons- in my city | who are verv readv to perform the nnivI riagc ceremony, s,', 1 have to be up ami looking after 'mv own interests. That is whv I am gcnorallv to be seen at the station when a pa-engcr train conies in. for I can spot a prospective couple as .pticklv a- a cat call -ee a mouse. SouK-lime- I make a mi-take, nl curse. ,■„,. ,i„. b,-l of ,u are not infallible, but .. plca-ani word always puts thingrwhl and little embarrassment is felt. "■• \uioii- the lIUIIMI coU|.le- I have married l can recall one bride that r married four times, another one thai bad been divorced three time,, a groom whom I bad married, wl blamed a divorce, and then relumed i" me to b.remarried to the -ame girl. of ca-h give a little parly at a near-by hotel, and oil the-c occa-i.,n- I am always invited and greatly enjoy the en leriainnieni. The big-..-! I received was one of .""."lid..is, and the -iT.alh-l ten cent-. In -ome iii-taiu'„-I haw performed ib" "ori'iimny lor nolhi„„, on! no( ..Hen. for ' believe if » man eaniiol produce a few dollars to palm- hi- wedding, then he ..tight not lo .„d marriel. And I alwav - Id! then, ~ when I am r :-"" t■' l'"'"-''.! mv hoi,-] e-lly-eiriinl le