New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-03-28
When TO .sTnrry,

The British government some time ago L.
sued a series of rather novel instructions to
| its representatives on the continent Of Eu-
| rope. Although unusual in character, it was
exceedingly simple, being nothing moro
| than an order to collect information as to
| the earliest age at which marriages can be
| celebrated according to law in the various
| States. The work was done, and the several
reports have just been published III the form
| of q parliamentary paper. Without any
reference to the quality of usefulness which
| the Information may possess, it is certainly
curious 1t would seem>that the laws upon
| this subject are not all laws which have
| grown up from common origin III remote
| times, but rather that they have been made
| independently in the several nations, and
| have been modelled, or at any rate often III
| tluenced by ecclesiastical rulers. In making
| this remark we do not lose sight of what
| may be said about the customs in Roman,
Byzantine and Greek days, but judge mere.
| ~ from facts as they are now.
In Hungary, males may marry at four
teen, and females at twelve, provided they
belong to either the Greek OF Roman
Church; but if they have been brought up
in the heresies of Professionalism. they must
wait till they are respectively eighteen and
fifteen; whereas, in Austria, persons are
! minors until they attain the age of twenty
four, and they must not marry before that
time without the formal consent of beth
their parents. There is no restriction on
the ground of religion, however, although
children of both sexes under fourteen are
forbidden to contract marriage. In Den
mark a man may not marry under twenty,
nor a girl under sixteen; out in the other
parts ct Scandinavia man must be twenty
one. In Belgium and France, eighteen aud
fifteen are the respective limits, and in Ba-
varia there are no less than four laws in
operation, each having reference to par
ticular district. The ages fixed by these
range from twelve to fifteen for girls, and
fourteen to eighteen for boys-for SO in
truth we must call them. About two or
three and twenty years ago law was
passed in Hesse-Darmstadt prohibiting
males from marrying before they had at
tanned the age of twenty-five, but this has
since been amended, and twenty-one is now
the limit. In Switzerland there is no uni
fOrmity at all, each canton apparently
The ages appointed there range from
twelve to seventeen for girls, and |
fourteen to twenty for the other sex
the lower ages being always found to
obtain in those districts where the old |
canon laws are still respected. In two |
cantons, people may marry at any age,
latter their first communion" In Greece, |
the ages are eighteen and fifteen; 50 they
are in ROunania; but in Russia they are |
eighteen and sixteen. In Turkey there are !
no laws upon the subject at all; but it is |
worthy Of note, remembering the social |
aftinltles of the Lapps, that in Lapland |
boys marry at seventeen, and girls at four |
teen, provided they have attained the |
requisite knowledge OF Christian religion"
II does not appear that climate has had |
anything to do with the fraIniD of marriage |
laws. But the Church has. 1t was the
object CT the early Church to promote early |
marriages. partly, no doubt, on the ground |
Of morality, but partly also for Other rea-
sons which we need not attempt to enume-
rate: This influence still prevaisin certain
localities. Since the growth of the civil |
authority there has been an evident ten
deCcy to extend the restricted period when
marriage can not be legally solemnized, and
this Is due partly and il some places to
sanitary considerations, and in others to
the supposed requirements of the military
service. We do not find that any attention
has been paid to this il the parliamentary
paper we have referred to, but it is q matter
OF history IN some countries, and it has
probably exercised more influence than has
been attributed to it.
We imagine that these returns are only
preliminary to others of much more CON.
pick nature which are to follow. They
bear of course. directly upon tho long
vexed question of the advantages or other
wise OF early marriages. These, again, are
LIdluiF oI tWOloiu Cnafacter-tD6 nealtDl- |
ness OF the offspring and the frequency Of
divorces Bat they are highly important.
Statistics regarding the consequences of
between blood relations are
copious enough, but we know nothing
certainly of the effects of age. IL is q ques-
ton worthy of consideration whether there
is not in this country large fund of infor.
nation upon the subject, which, with very
little trouble, could be made available. We
mud $hn -
correct, there seems to be no reason WHY
that information should not be collected
Ne,c York Times
List OF passengers sailed per steamship
Yazoo, Captain Barrett, for Philadelphia
via Havana:
For Philadelphia. G. Case. Frank L.
Moore, +. Durham, w. Seaton, Miss II.
Johnston. NJ. Peasant.