The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-03-31
Miscellaneous
aa4.lI.I
When to Marry.

What Tie English Government has been Do
ing--iSome Interesting Satisfies.
The British government some time ago is
sued series of rather novel instructions to
representatives on the continent OF Europe
Although unusual in character, it was ex-
ceedingly simple, being nothing more than
an order TO collect information as to the car
liest age at which marriages can be cele-
brated according to law in the various
States. The work was done, aud the sew
eral reports have just been published in the
form of parliamentary paper. Without
any reference to the quality of usefulness
which the information may possess, it is GER
tainly curious. 1t would seem that the laws
upon this subject are not all laws which
have grown up from common origin in re-
mote times, but rather that they had been
made independently in the several nations,
and have been modelled, or at any rate often
king this remark we do not lose sight of
what may be said about the customs in Ro-
man, Byzantine, and Greek days, but judge
merely 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 or Roman church
but if they have been brought up as Pro-
testants, they must wait till they are re-
spectively eighteen and fifteen; whereas, in
Austria, persons are minors until they at
ta;, tho ,f o,.l tbo,,
not marry before that time without the for
NAL consent of both their parents. There
is no restriction on the ground of religion,
however, although children of both sexes
under fourteen are forbidden to contract
marriages. In Denmark a man may not
marry under twenty, nor a girl under six
teen but in the other part of Scandinavia a
man must be twenty-one. In Belgium and
France, eighteen and fifteen are the respec-
tive limits and in Bavaria there are not less
than four laws in operation, each having re-
ference to particular district. The ages
fixed by these range from twelve to four
teen for girls, and fourteen to eighteen for
boys--for so in truth we must call them.
About two or three and twenty years ago,
a law was passed in Hesse Darmstadt pro-
hibiting males from marrying before they
had attained the age of twenty-five, but
this has since been amended, and twenty
one is now the limit. In Switzerland there
is no uniformity at all, each canton appar-
emily having gone its own way in this busi-
ness. 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 dis.
tricts where the old canon laws are still re-
spected. In two cantons, people may mar
ry at any age, latter their first communion"
In Greece, the ages are eighteen and fifteen;
so they are in Roumania; 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 affinities of the Lapps, that in Lap
land boys may marry at seventeen, and
girls at fourteen, provided they have sat
tanned the requisite knowledge ofthe Christ
ian religion"
1t does not appear that climate has had
anything to do with the framing of marriage
laws. But the Church has. 1t was the OBJ
ject of the early Church to promote early
marriages, partly, no doubt, on the ground
of mortality, but partly also for other rea-
sons, which we need not attempt to enumer-
ate. This influence still prevails in certain
localities. Since the growth of the civil
authority, there has been an evident tenden-
cy to extend the restricted period when mar
riage cannot be legally solemnized, and this
is due partly in some places to sanitary con-
siderations, and in others to the supposed
requirements of the military service. We
do not find that any attention has beeu paid
to this in the parliamentary paper we have
referred to, but it is matter of history in
some countries, and it has been attributed
to it.
We imagine that these returns are only
preliminary to others of a much more COM
plex nature which are to follow. They bear,
of course, directly upon the long-vexed
question of the advantages or otherwise of
early marriages. These, again, are mainly
of twofold characterize healthiness of
the offspring and the frequency of divorces.
But they are highly important Statistics
regarding theconsequences of intermarriage
between blood relations are copious enough,
but we know nothing certainly of the effects
of age. 1t is a question worthy of consider
alton whether there is not in this country
large fund of information upon the subject,
which, with very little trouble, could be
made available. We believe there is, and
if the conjecture be correct, there seems to
be no reason why that information should
not be collected.