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Show BANNS WON T HELP Bj Rev. A. l. Skaggs A GIRL ought to be at least 18. a hoy 21 before marrying All. people should take time to study life before going to the altar. Cut if these young people are set on getting married let them. There is no way of stopping them. 1 don't believe publishing banns for two or three weeks would help things, either. 1 do not Delcv in marrying people of different races. The Lord put a mark on Cain, according accord-ing to the Good Book, and 77e put a mnrk on Ham. too. So the Lord doesn't want these people to marry and mix with white people. m i:v Service. VANCOUVER, Wash. "Marryln' parsons" there are In every section. sec-tion. But The Rev. A. D Skaggs, with a record of making 12.3S6 hearts beat as 6193. lays claim to the title of " marrylnpest parson" in America. The Rev. Skagga has just retired as a minister of the Christian church, after 54 years' service In Missouri. Kansas, Oregon and Washington. Ills record for marriages averages lit or nearly ten a month, two a week, during dur-ing that length of time. "if they're going to marry, you can't stop them." said The Rev. BkaggS "As long as it is legal I marry' them." SIGN DRAW s OTJPIil S And now that he Is out of tne ministry', the "marrylngst parson" Intends In-tends to set stll! greater records for matrimonial ceremonies. He has en-gaged en-gaged a cottage just across the street from the local courthouse, the Gretna Green to which eloping couples tlee from all over the Pacific northwest. A sign. "Rev. A. D. Skaggs" drawn to his little parlor scores of the transient tran-sient wooers who came here to wei. Last year, he performed t'SO marriages. marri-ages. In most cases, these couples are 'aine, or accompanied by but nn ' ' friend. In that event Mrs BkaggS j takes a hand In the ceremony by be- i coming one of the witnesses. "The man Is usually the more ner-j j vous." says The Rev. Skaggs. "Some poor fellows get so frightened they ; don't know what they are saying. "The womrn. though, are the cool i ones. They usually make tho arV rangomento with me for the wedding. M)Ml. PAl WO PEE. "The average matrimonial fee paid me has been $5. Some men. ihouprh 1 have paid $10 r more while other grooms have walked out without giving anything. But I marry them whether they pay a fee or not." But marriages are not the minister's minis-ter's only claim to greatness. He has , baptized 7293 people to date, while In the early days of the missionary ministry min-istry In the west he was so much In demand for funerals that ho became I khbwn as the "bury ing parson." oo |