CO129-250 - Acting Governor Barker - 1891 [6-8] — Page 199

196

strong expressions in his

minute. io

sary

that

letter

my

crived a spirit of defiance for the law is to have entirely misconceived it and us. Whe

respect the low and

yield obedience

and

to it in every possible way, require our people to do the same. When it is possible that the requireurents of the Marriage

Ordinance can be in

any way

fulfilled we refiue to marry, until Key

are complied with; but there are cases, in which we must bey God rather than men, and when we must administer the Sacrament

of Matrimony, licence or no licence,

Registrar. Such -

Registar or

Are

few

cases

there are and

of

and far between, but

a

always

will be such.

cncrse we are quite prepared to

take the

peral consequences with

which His Excellency

kindly

threatens

6

Kreatens us. We are well assured

however that the first time a

priest was punished for disobedience to the Marriage

conscientions

the last.

how or

why

f

Ordinance on -

ando, ever ld be

grounds.

cannot understand

it is that when wi

India and the Straits Settlements

there is a

law in force which provides abundantly for every requirements of marriage and at the same time leaves all reli

all religious Godies free to observe their own rules and discipline, the same or a

similar law cannot be untroduced

here. There is absolutely nothing in

the circumstances

renders a law that is

arra

of Hongkong that

good useful in Singapore unsuitable - here. The circumstances of the two

regards the marriage -question absolutely alike.

Colonice are as

May