Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, September 12, 1919, Page 2

" RECORDS REVEAL QUEER CEREMORY Lawyer Unearths Interesting In- formation About “Smock Marriages.” WERE COMMON CENTURY AGO —— Brides Appeared in Scant Attire to Protect Husband From Liability for h. Debts—Various Expedients fo Preserve Modesty. Bangor, Malne—A Bangor lawyer attending court in the ancient town of Wiscasset, Lincoln county, recently went rummaging in the Colonial court records of the place and in the course of his reading came across the official registration of a “smock marriage.” Not knowing what a smock marriage was, the lawyer looked farther, and got considerable light upon a strange eustom prevalent in England a cen- tury or more ago and also to some ex- tent in the American colonies. Smock marriages were weddings ‘where the bride appeared dressed in a white sheet or chemise. The reason dor such a garb was the bellef that if = man marrled a woman who was In debt he could be held liable for her Indebtedness if he received with her any of her property; and also, that if 2 woman marrled a man who was in debt, his creditors could not take her property to satisfy their claims if he dad recelved nothing from her at marriage. In PEngland, says an antiquarian, here was at least one case where & dride was clothed in puris naturalibus ‘while the ceremony was being per- formed in the great church at Birming- Ham. The minister at first refused %0 Perform the ceremony, but, finding nothing in the rubric that would ex- <euge him, he finally married the pair. To carry out the law fully as the people understood it, the ceremony should always have been performed as & was in the church at Birmingham, tn ‘the case noted, but, modesty for- Mdding, various expedients were used o accomplish the desired end without ibe unpleasant features. Sometimes the bride stood In a «eloset and put her hand through a hole m the door; sometimes she stood be- Mnd a cloth screen and put her hand eut at one side; again, she wound sbout her a white sheet furnished by the bridegroom, and sometimes she stood in her chemise or smock. Event- wally, in Essex county at least, all im- modesty was avolded by the groom fumnishing all the clothes worn by the dride, retaining title to the same in fimself. This he did in the presence of ‘witnesses, that he might be able to prove the fact in case he was sued for any debts, she might have con- tracted. A marriage of this kind occurred at Bradford in 1773. and the following is 2 true copy of the record of the same: Bradford, Dec. ve 24, 1773. This may certifie whomsoever it may eoncarne that James Bailey of Brad- ford who was married to the widow Mary Bacon Nov. 22 last past by me ye subscriber then declared that he 100k said person without anything of estate and that Lydia the wife of Fliazer Burbank & Mary the wife of Fhomas Stickney and Margaret the wife of Caleb Burbank all of Rradford were witnesses that the clothes she then had on were of his providing and Testowed upon her. WILLIAM BALCH, Minister of ye Gospel. It is noted by the same writer that fn oll cases of smock marriages that have come to his notice the brides Bave been widows. It is thought that during the reign af George IIT there were many smock marriages in Maine, then a part of the province of Massachusetts Bay, chief- ¥y in the counties of Lincoln and York, or in the territory which is now so ¥nown. Practice Died Before Revolution. There is nothing to show that the practice outlived the revolution. In Maine, up to 1852, a _husband was lia- dle for debts of his wife contracted Pefore marringe, and no such subter- fuge as the smock marriage could re- Heve him. Smock marriages were frequently performed in Vermont about a century ago. They were entirely honorable to Both the participants, for they put wholly aside all considerations of #inancial and selfish interest. Accord- sog to tradition, they all turned out Thappily, and well they might. The principle involved in them may be said 10 have triumphed in our social life— the great majority of marriages being mow smock marriages in the sense that the parties are financially independent of each other. By the way, one of the earliest and strongest arguments for woman suf- frage was the necessity of relieving women from the financial bondage that they were under to their husbands 50 years ago. All that a woman had then practically belonged to her husband. “Wendell Phillips, in his address at the drst national woman suffrage conven- tlon, held at Worcester in October, 1881, called attention to a curious case that had lately occurred in this state. A man married a woman who had $50,000 of her own, inherited from her fatlier.. Dying about a year after his mariage, this man left a remarkably genarous and manly, will—he left these © 308000 to his wife, so long as shs Soyid remsin & widow! —_— e BELTRAMI GOUNTY FAIR SPBHTS PROGRAM (Continued from Page One) 2:20 2:35 2:45 3:00 3:15 3:30 3:45 4:00 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 5:15 5:30 10:00 11:00 1:00 1:15 1:30 1:40 2:00 2:10 3:25 3:40 3:50 4:00 “Shaft Bros. Comedy Hay Wagon. 1.00 Girls’ foot race, 50 yards, un- der 16 years .. Girls’ foot race, 50 yards, un- der 12 years .. Running race, farmers’ horses, third heat. Scotch Highlanders, Bagpipes and Dancing. Boys’ relay race, junior de- partment, 7th grade, Lincoln and Central schools. Free-for-all running horse race, first heat; best two out Drums, of three heats, half mile.......... 10.00 Boys’ bicycle race, free-for- all, half mile........coooeeroecenns 2.00 Tug-of-war, Farmers vs. Mer- Chants ..occoccecceeen cemesreecommesaneaes 10.00 Free-for-all, running horse race, second heat. Shetland pony. race, one heat, half mile ..oooomieiineeeeeeeee 5.00 Pony race, other than Shet- land, half mile .......ccccoomimenees 5.00 Free-for-all running horse race, third heat. Captain Webb, High Dive. 1.00 .50 .50 " 2.00 5.00 1.00 5.00 3.00 3.00 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Home Coming Day Morning Judging of exhibits. Inspecting of stock and exhibits. Afternoon 1.00 Parade to grounds by Military Band. Band will render selections between the different events. Boys’ foot race, 100 yards, un- der 16 years ........cccccoeeeeeneas $1.00 $0.50 $0.25 Farmer with largest family. Must appear before judges’ stand on track..........ccccoemiennens 5.00 Scotch Highlanders, Drums, Bagpipes and Dancing. Boys’ foot race, 75 yards, un- der 12 years ... 1.00 Ladies’ auto keg driving con- test, forward and backward around 5 kegs placed 30 feet apart. Race against time..... 5.00 Girls’ foot race, 50 yards, un- der 16 years ... Football game, Bemidji. high school vs. Bemidji high school alumni. . Girls’ foot race, 50 yards, un- der 12 years .......coomesieeecene. 1.00 i Farmer coming longest di tance to the fair by team. Entries to appear before judges’ stand on track......... Scotch Highlanders, Drums, Bagpipes and Dancing. Boys’ bicycle race, free-for-all, half mile ... 2.00 Farmers coming longest dis- tance to the fair by auto (tourists barred). Entries to appear before judges’ stand ontrack ..........oiismsemiiass 5.00 Stripped team race with wagon. Entrants must start in this race by taking off all straps and harness from team except bridle. They must have full regulation harness com- plete, with belly band, collar and hames separate. At least two entries. Entries to be passed by judges. At the word “Go” they start to harness and hitch team to wagon and drive .. 1.00 Shaft Bros. Comedy Hay Wagon. 5.00 .50 1.00 .50 THE BEMIDJI DAILY PIONEER PAGE TWO ; ‘ —____——-———————_-—‘———_—__——_—_—___—____—___—_————————-——————‘“ Chateau-Thierry was one of the glorious American vie- The enemy had been advancing he reached Chateau-Thierry—and the tories’ of the war. steadily until Americans. Good rations was one of the reasons for the staying power of the Americans, and one of the big items in those rations was bread. MOTHER'’S BREAD is the sort of loaf that supplies staying power for the peaceful “battles” of life. —here’s what a Round Oak Pipeless Furnace can do for you It will heat your home year after year with a generous volume of pure, warm, moist, ever-changing air, free from dust, gas and smoke. It will burn any and all fuels success- fully and economically. It will hold the It may be easily and quickly installed and ready for service in less than twenty-four hours from the time it is delivered to your home. The Americans at Chateau-Thierry HOME BAKERY FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 12, 1919 / e R R S fire over night without re-charging, even in zero weather. The System costs only one-fourth to one-third the price of steam or hot water, yet it responds more quickly. Its results are positive. Easily Installed o A e e e i~ once around the track. 4:15 bring his sack ... 4:25 stock cars. must enter. Five miles. 4:45 5.00 Boys’ sack race, each boy must i 1.00 .50 25 Automobile race, free-for-all, At least three cars 6.00 Captain Webb, High Dive. Star Tuberculosls Patient. James, age seven, is a patient at Sunnyside and came Into the city for tonsillotomy. While In one of the hospitals overnight James could not sleep because he missed his sleeping porch, so he called the nurse and pleaded his case (for air). The weather was gero and the nurse explained as much to James and thinking she had satisfied his mind she left him, but no sooner had she gone than James became restiess for his old haunts and called her. Again she refused to open the window and James, who is' a “star care taker,” proved his mettle; he threw his shoe through the window pane.—Indianap- olis News. Coat of Mail Tunics. There are in the smart shops some interesting tunics made of a fabric re- sembling coat of mail-—chain armor, really. ‘These tunics are worn ‘with skirts usually the same color but in & different fabric, one of the heavy silks. The fabric is in silver and gold, and the tunics are made- with short sleeves, a plain neckline and a narrow belt to hold in the ' waistlne a little. 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