Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1844-05-25
Husband and Wife.
TRUTH AND PoIHT IN A COMIC GARD.

aHd inquire, nrst, now marriage may DC maue, |
which will be interesting to lovers secondly,
how marriage may be dissolved. which will be
interesting to unhappy couples; and lastly,
what are the legal effects Of marriage, which
will be interesting to those who have extrava-
giant wives for whose debts the husband are IL
able.
To make marriage three things are requi- !
red first, that the parties will marry Sc !
condiy. that they can. and ihiijly, that they do
though to us it seems that # they do, it matters
little whether they will, and If they will it is
OF little consequence whether they can for il
they do, they do ; and i: they will, they must
because where there is will there is a way,
and therefore they can if they choose, aud if
they don't it is because they wont, which brings
US TO the conclusion, that il they do, it is absurd
to speculate upon whether they will or can
marry.
1t has been laid down very clearly in all the
books, that in general all persons are able to
marry unless they are unable, and the fine old
constitutional maxim, that ga man may not mar
ry his grandmother ought to be written in let
ters of gold over every domestic hearth III the
British dominions There are some legal disa.
blities to a marriage, such as the slight impe-
diment of being married already; and one or
to require dwelling on.
ifa fathers heart should happen to be par
iicu'ary ninty, child under age has no reme-
dy, bat a stony guardian may be macadamised
by the Court of Chancery; that is to say,
marriage to which he objects may be ordered to
take place in spite of him. Another incapacity
is want of reason in either of the parties but
if want ofresson really prevented marriage
from taking place, there would be an end TO
half the matches that are entered into.
a considerable deal of the sentiment attach
ing to love affair has been smashed by the 9th
and 9Th of William w., c. IS, explained by the
Isl of Victoria, C. 22--for one act is always un.
lnteliglble until another act is passed to say
what il means This statue enables pair OF
ardent lovers 10 rush TO the Office of the super
intendant register, instead of to Gretna Green !;
and there is no doubt that if Remeo could have
avalled himself of the wholesome section in the
, act alluded to, Juliet need not have paid pre-
mature vis, to the 'eomb Of all the Capuets.
Marriages could net formerly only be dissol-
we'd by death or divorce but the new poor law
! puts an end 10 the union between man and wife
| directly they enter into aparochial union. Di-
yorce, except IN the instance just alluded 10. is
| luxury confined only to those who can afford
/ to pay for it and husband is compelled 10 al
| low money-calIed alimoney--to the wife he
seeks to be divorced from. Marriages, it 10 said,
are made in Heaven, but unless the Office Of the
registrar be little paradise, we don't sec how
& marriage made before that functionary car
come under the pategory alluded to.
A husband and wife are one in law--thougt
there is often anything but unity in other mat
ters. A man cannet enter into legal agree
r,.nt with his wife. But they often enter in
TO todisagreements, which are thoroughly mutual
! If the wife be in debt before marriage, the hus
band, in making love to the lady, has been dc
tua.ly courtIng the cognovts she may have en-
! ter"d INTO; and Il the wife is under an oblgu
uon fer winch she might be legally attached
the husband finds hmseIfthe victim of an un
fortunate attachment A wife cannot be sne
"nho1; the husband, unless he is dead IN law
an'' law is really enough TO be the death Of an
one, A husband or a wife cannot be wtnes
for or against one another, though wife some
times leaves evidence of the bad taete Of III
husband in electing her.
p wife cannot execute deed which is pei
haps, the reason why Shakespeare, who was
f rst rate lawyer, made Macbeth do the deed
which Lady Macbeth would have done so nuc
batte7, had not deed done by a woman bee
void to all intents and purposes.
By the old law, husband might give hi
wife moderate correction but il is declared i
black and white that he may not beat her blac
and blue, though the civil law allowed any ma
on whom woman had bestowed her hand Z
bestow his fists upon her at his own direction
The common people, who are much attached I
the common law, s,lll exert the privilege c
beating their wives and woman III tue 10"
er ranks OF lite, ifshe falls in love with man
is liable, after marriage, TO be good deal siruc
BY hlm.
Such are the chief legal effects of marriage
e from which it is evident, says Brown, the Law
{ regards the fair sex with peculiar favor bu
: Smith maintains that such politeness on IN
H.. /. - e., kva