The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 22, 1899, Page 27

THE SUNDAY CALL 235 N | CHIEF JUSTi ble couple that is pos: license and the necessary ppear before him in his offi- 1 Brown of Santa Rosa—better thern-born friends look at all llke a a hardened conscience, but that be is clearly proven by officlal those who know and like him best to acknowledge that the ac- mad® against him is sus- accusation is y and deliberate- y less than 625 he law first gave him the ) the marrying business on er person, it is sald, of ty on the coast who has ich to add to the happiness or e wreichedness of his fellow-beings as this same Brown. Others re be | ifornia, and many of them, y the votes of their townsmen are enabled to repeat the words constituting & marriage ceremony in a way that makes them binding upon the consenting par- ties, but none there are, say vainglorious Santa Rosans, who have repeated those words 8o many times and madé such a good job of the affair In 8o large a ma jority of the cases as he. Major Brown has been a Justice of the RN of ralny nights and made to pronounce damp and solitary couples “man and wife” to the castanetlike accompaniment of his own chattering teeth. He has married brides dressed in un- pretentious calico and brides resplendent in —uite satin cut en train, mistlike vells and glittering jewels. Prospective hus- bands have appeared before hum arrayed in hickory shirts and well-worn overalis held up by single suspenders and others have arrayed themselves in all the glory of full-dress attire in preparation for the solemnly inquisitorial ordeal, -the mere thought of which as an impcnding certainty has been known to cause the sturdiest knec- to shake and the stoutest hearts to quail He has ..stened to the . marriage Vows of pem/ sons of all ages, .rom’" bashful and blushmg? youth to white-haired.’ and decrepit a g (Peace in Santa Rosa for nearly thirty-six years, and he bids fair to occupy that position for thir- ¢y-six years longer should fate grant him so long a lease of life anc health. It & was in 1854 that he first assumed the dignity @¢ dutfes of his present office, and neither the vexed questions of reconstruction, the panics incident (o the resumption of specie payments, the demonetization of silver, the tariff muddles nor the 16 to 1 mysteries have disturbed the calm current of his offictal life. Politics cuts no figure whatever in this veteran official’'s nomination, candidacy and election, since those three things are foregone conclusions whenever municipal affairs come to the front in Santa Rosa. It s as a “marrying man,” however, And as for nation- that the Judge is best known, for the alities there is fame of his achievements in this special 5carcely a country line has spread far and wide throughouy, mfl;‘;fia shlm that the State and attracted to = e his office scores of xeltoine. couples who, evi= F‘lflnw o t.h‘:qa of- dently bellev- matel- ing that el iy e oalat of his tica \i. JOHN BROWN R - 5 makes perfect,” seem to feel that or her carcer. Ethloplans, Indlans and his special brand of matrimony must Mongolians have appeared here and thers spossess particular and most desir- in the continuous double procession which able virtues. To be exact, Judge Brown has been filing slowly and steadily by him has married up to date 621 more or less ever since he first made a “hit” in the happy pairs, and he has not only become special role to which fate early assigned inguished on account of the number of him. has repeated the brief ceremony ~ Most of his clients he has married only united so mamy destinies, but Once; a few it has been his privilege also because of the fact that in the pur- to marry twice, and one couple—evidently suance of this avocation he experi- true of h. rt though uncertain as to dis- enced far more of adventure and excite- Position and variable as to ideas—he has ment than usually falls to the lot of a T rried no 1 than three times, two peaceful official. A pleasing lack of com. divorces and as many subsequent recon- monplace sameness and wearying monot- Cciliations making the extra work and ony has charactcrized his exploits in the €Xtra pay for the genial Justice, matrimo: In the matter of fees the Judge has met Jewil with almost as much variety as he has in At Rt the applications for his services. The congratulator: 5 s auestion of recompen-- having always were such that mere verbal good wishes been delic:tely left by him to the . seemed sufficient for the oc own highest happiness. He has married people in season and out asion and his Dbiased decision of the newly manufao- tured husband, the offerings left upon the shrine of Cupld have been of divers kinds 2 - Ut and values. It is said that one happy by fj‘f Eeason He has married them In man- emparrassed individual pressed woan. mt stons, in cottages. in his own office and Gonapianes. & foe e = under the starry canopy of heaven. He e ¥ nickel, Hluboriiig the while because of his c. fuston under the slightly c-roneous Impression that the plece of money which he presented with many effusive thanks represented just that same number of dollars, Lonely two-bit pieces have occasionally most 1nad§quatel rewarded his efforts te increase the world's bal has married them on the high road and on the high seas. He has joined happy hearts at high noon beneath floral bridal bells and sur- rounded by crowds of admiring friends, and he has beer roused irom his peaceful slumbers and routed out of his warm and comfortable bed on the chilliest kind Cali a peep and am e to tel tle unwelcomse life with the . girl instead of & t week and I had be present at the ttended with g a8 the na- tional disay would admit, for you know the birth of this third daughter to the imperial couple is looked upon by a , Who are superstitious the Russia 3 to a degree, as a di- eaven. 10fficially expressed to the two weeks' old nity, whose birth put the royal household In an eclipse. The guests did not have to be told that lamentations were still echoing through the land, for en with the tenderness, the personal re. d for the little lassfe and the most ceremonious toasts for her health and happiness and that of the empire every pne was conscious of an invisible pall, be- fornia Girl at a Royal Russian Baptism cause the celebration was for ‘only & irl.”” ‘Because this latest addition to the Rus- sian household was not a boy the ser- vices were at the cathedral at Peterhof. They were grand and impressive and two hours long, and after the custom of all the religious ceremonies of the Greek church we stood every minute of the time. I thought I was in the fairy land of my story books when the golden carriage, drawn by six white horses with gold ca- parisoned harness and all sorts of festive trappings jingled along to the gorgeous church. Before it reached the door the bit of a pink baby, lost in laces and fine raiment, was hailed and saluted and an- nounced as “her imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Marije.” And then the little royal lady, resting on golden pillows in sflvery robes and sur- rounded by pink satin and uncomfortable yards of exquisite lace, was taken into the church. There were malds in waitng and guards of honor, and the most obse- quious homage on all sides. The baptism was by immersion. The blllows of satin and lace were removed seen anything more Imposing and the baby was dipped three times In Congratulations were offered to the Em- a large golden basin. Even if the babe peror and the Empress mother and then was royal born, she was very human, and there was a luncheon in the grand pala acted like any other normal. child, Tt was here that I saw Mrs. Cph ‘1"‘ screamed when she was taken from the magne Tower, the wife of the ot soft, warm things and put into the Water. States Embassador’ You will romormees Archbishop Janisheff, assisted by other her as pretty Nellla Smith of Sen o clergy, performed the rites. Forty spon- cisco. The rank of Embus&dorn ln;:(i sors stood for the royal infant. The Em- Mr. Tower and his wife at the '.ablp with press Dowager, mother of the EmPeror, the Emperor and Empress. Mep ?r was one of these, and the others Were it hetween two Grand Dukes and o members of the royal household, uncles by far the handsomest gown & hay Siid and aunts of “her imperial Highness,” ginco T have b and members of other royal European - nc° I have been in Europe. The.pett- coat was of yellow satin, upon which was tamilles. a ppligued the rarest lace, outlined in cut After the baptism there was a thanks- giee) §ng turquoises. Over this swept five giving service, a grand Te Deum, which yards of court train of ‘was participated in by all the members of zatln. Upon this the mé“i"&'&"’;fiwlfl"'fi the synod. The magnificent church, with trimming was carried as on the petti- its splendid paintings and cloth, finely coat, and 1t appeared again on the cor- decorated, was aglow with candles, and as 538% which was low, and the daintiest the long procession, headed by the Arch- gggf(ec;;?;k?era l'ficedi:'rfioxfs";l:c'u-%: P bishop in his mjter and flowing white like of which the Empress Eugenie might vestments, and the other clergy, followed have coveted as an addition to her famed b¥ all the members of the gen nobility casket. She looked—only a bit more ma- of the empire, passed from the church of tronly—just as she did before she left the palace I thought that I bad never Califo: five twenty-dollar gold pleces testified to a man’s enthusiastic appreciation of the blessing conferred upon him. More than once it has been the bride herself who has attended to the monetary part of the affalr, and on several occasions both bride and groom have ignored the little formality of payment entirely, evidently belleving that ‘““there is no happiness llke making others happy,” and that the Judge was more in thelr debt than otherwise. Notwi the weight of re- sponsibility which rests upon his shoulders already, Judge Brown is always ready to say “‘next!” Justice Brown Tying the Matrimonial Knot. Christening of “ Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess [arie.”