Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-09-06
Marriaseabie Ages I'm Europe.

Reports from the British representa-
tiyes abroad, showing the earliest ages
at which marriage can be legally So
lemnized in each of the states of the
continent of Europe, have been pre-
sented to the House of Commons, in
pursuance of their address dated June
Is, 1874. In Austria the age of discre-
ton, both for males and females, is
fourteen, and this period of life must
be reached on both sides before a mar
rage can be valid. In Hungary, how
ever, the marriage ceremonies are en-
tirely ecclesiastical, and males of the
Roman Catholic confession cannot
contract marriage until they have COM
pleted their fourteenth year, nor fe
males till they are twelve years of age.
The Orthodox Greek Church follows
the same rule; but Prouestants consi-
der males under the age of Is and fe-
males under the age of 10 unable to
contract valid marriages. In Clslel-
thania. Jews are subject to the civil
law but in Hungary there is no re-
striction as to the age at which they
may marry. In Russia, IS years for
males and 16 for females are the peri
ods of life at which marriages may be
legally contracted. In Turkey there
is no general law on the subject of
manageable ages. The Italian law
fixes IS years for males and - years for
females as the earliest time of life at
which marriages may be solemnlzed.
Prussia, by the statute of December,
1872, sanctions marriage IN the case of
males on the completion of their eigh
teenth year, and the fourteenth year
in the case of females, no exception
being allowed in these provisions. The
law in France states the earliest age at
which marriages can be contracted to
be eighteen years in the case of males
and fifteen in the case of females, but
powers of dispensatiOn are served by
the code. Under the old monarchy,
boys could marry at the age of four
teen. and girls at twelve; as under an
cient Roman and even Athenian law.
The Belgian code is the same as the
French in determining the ages OF
eighteen and fifteen severally as those
at which men and women may marry,
and in having a right of dispensatiOn.
In Greece, males cannot marry before
fourteen years of age, nor females be-
fore twelve, while in the lonian Is
lands, sixteen and fourteen years are
respectively the legal ages. A bill has
been, or is about to be, introduced into
the Athenian Chamber, appointing tif-
teen as the earliest age for males, and
twelve the earliest for females. By the
law of June, 1870, the legal ages of
marriage in Spain is fourteen for males
and twelve for females. Its the same
in Portugal, with this qualification,
that minOrs-that is. persons of either
sex under twenty-One years of age
cannot contract marriage without con-
sent of their parents. In SaXOny the
legal age for the marriage of males is
IS, for females 16 years. According
TO the amended paragraph of the new
German civil marriage bill the ages
would be respectively twelve and six
teen, instead of eighteen and fourteen,
as in the draft of the bill. In ROuma
MIA the legal age of marriage is eigh-
teen years in the case of males and tif-
teen in that of females. THERE'S much
variation of the marriage law in Swift
zerland as TO the ages of contracting
parties, which in some cantons is as
high as twenty years for males and sew
enteen for females, and in others as
low as fourteen for males and twelve
for females. Consent of parents is
also required up 10 twenty fiveyear in
Uri, in Schatfhouse, IN Appenzell, in
Tessin, and in Geneva.