Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-12-07
WHEN TO WE'D.
Opinions on the Subject by Eminen,

! public attention, .1iscIoses that q fruitful
| sourc" Of domestic trouble is the ease
| with which the marriage relation can be
! assumed. Licenses are not required in
| New York, and thure is no regulation by
statute concerning the age at Which per-
sons can be legally married. The gen
eral regulation is that Of the common
law which makes the age Of puberty to
be the manageable age. This peliol is
fixed at II years in the boy and IL it,
the girl. The only statutary regulation
in the state on the point makes the mar
rage of girl under II years voidable if
contracted without the consent of her
parents
! Whether or not there should be legis-
| lat'on prohibiting marriages at the ex-
| trenlely early aye that is now Lawful, and
whether al ,itional safeguards ought not
! to be thrown around the family re-
lat,ons by requiring persons seeking
natrimony to attest their eigi-
blity III all respects before licensing
officer, are the questions on which
! Tribune reporter has Obtained the Opiu-
ions Of I. number or the l,'asing Clergy
men Of New York and Brooklyn. The
| burden of their expression is the sur
! prise at the nature OF the law and of un-
| Qnali6ed opinion, that the legal age is
| much too young. They speak of uecep-
tions practiced On them by Runaway
| couples, Of the means to which they gen
crafty resort to prevent ilnposit1ons on
! themselves. and generally favor the es-
| ia adjustment Of i civl! bureau for )lcens-
! ing marriages which shall make close ex-
| animation under OATH az to the legal
| qualifications Of candidates.
EXPRESSIONS OF THE GLFRGY.
II do lot ihinK," suil tue Rev. DR..
| John Hail, THAT the tendency in this
country Is TO marry too young, but rath.
er that young men aud women o.ten
! wait too long III the brpe Of amasslAg
! wealth, before marrying. Moderately
| & rly marriages are ns a rlie, slHa tn
| 1ul sig IN q nation, | presume there are
| though, occasional mari ia5es Of boys
and girls in their teens which are ill-au-
| yised and Should be prevented OF pust-
poneG. Ii MI ministers thought alike,
such juvenile weddings would not take
pace
The Rev. DR.. William Taylor, pastor
Of the Broadway tabernacle wonld heart.
lily favor & law IL lklnx the mdrriayea)le
ages Eighteen and lHtntV.Cne years,
ard fixing penalties jor lta Violations,
Those ages are young enou-h for peO-
! pie to decide tor lite such al important
| step" said he, ana, for one, L VIII new
I marry people under age when
| know Y. think ! Was never deceived
! but once about tie aye Of persons Apply
| ing 10 be marie; :, and thea thew
we're SO mature looking bat did not
| have any lnlsglyiny about marrying
! them. The unsatisfactory stale Of he
! marriage laws has O zen struck Me tOrCi-
bly,. l should certainly favor u bnreuu
! for licensing pc ,p.e who wish to marty"
The Rev DR.. Thomas Arlnita e, pas
[ tor of the Fifth Avenue Bapti9J church,
manifested deep coucern III the subject.
AS to the legal rlalrIaG cable Ag.',' he
| said, Il think Il girl ought to be at least
! If and a young man IS. Even these
| differ as to the aye at wtl1ch they ma
| ture, and in eastern countries there is
more excuse for early betrothaIs and
! marriages than i:ere. In tins part of
the world weshou!I not permit the mar
! rying VI boys and girls uuler the aye Of
| IS. The Judgment is not ripened
! enoug Il at that age to warrant Il wise
! choice, and much different selection
| would often be made III q very few years
| .uter. There Is another reform needed,
| and that is the civil bureau to license
| marriages. Let persons 20 there first
| and satisfy the bureau of the fitness Of
! their proposed alliance, and then, II
! they wish to come to q minister, bring
! license with them "
Assistant Bishop Henry c. Potter,
| though busy with the affairs OF the do
cese, ioUn6 time TO say IN response to
! the reporter query that he should be
| perfectly willing TO be quoted as saving
! that IN his opinion the state }aws re-
| gar1iny uiArrlage stood very much in
! need OF revision.
is there any rule Of the Protestant
Episcopal chnrcl. AGAINST sucA extr3Ne
! ly early marrlagesT'
mo, there IS no cannOnlcal rules
against them, but | Ike most clergy
men, have been much averse TO marry
Ing people under age. 1t must strike
every one. 1t see MS to me that the law
allows marriage at 100 early an aye. [
did not know that this law ~as III force"
The Rev. DR. Howard Crosby sad he
had not Thought of the subject IN al its
bearings, but it struck MIN that ,f two
persons physically qualified to marry,
% matter how young, should apply
10 BE- married, that The law would not
have g. right to prevent their marriage.
He did not think there were many mar
rlageS contracted at the extreme early
age allowed by law. Rut such as there
were, he thought, could not be legally
prevented.
ut is great mistaken said tt o Rev.
Robert Collver, pator Of the church Of
"a eSsla. II vas not aware that people,
could marry at twelve aud fourteen. If
there Is law restricting the aye, it
should certainly he one with some ex-
cuse torit, making the age, say. sixteen
and eighteen, or at least fifteen aud six
teen. But lwou'l, rather than that,
nave It at eighteen an'l twenty oue, AMI
hen the laws Of minority and marriage
you'd not clash. l never marry Il young
elbow under eigh cen. aud hate to do it
even thea. Children are not tit o mar
rv, and at that age they are only chill
dren. 1t is not right; our marriage laws
| would marry young girls and bpya even
with their parents consen,. They: would
nave to get, my CONSENT b ter ttlat, aud
would not give it"
I'm twenty years." said the Rev DR..
w. +. Morgan, rector Of st. Thomas
church, II have never been asked to
marry any one under age, With perhaps
one exception. Ii any persons Of Ia
should ask me to marry them | should
seriously demonstrate with them.
10 II, think they are capable OF choOS-
ing life partner at that sse, and do
not how " Q ghtyianti im port
aMu are tue duties OF l,ie welded state.
/ ,hiuk the law might well be anenied
to prevent such early marriages, and [
ar. in hearty sym ,athy with any mover
ment to that end."@ i $ss ass .s, s..s 81
+ The Rs.v. Dir. Il r Booth, when spok-
en- TO about the mats er vi early marriages
Just before lie saltrd for Europe, sal Il
he had always held very dsclded views