The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-13
INFANT MARRIAGES.
A custom That Has Fallen Into De
served Desuetude.
From the London STANDARD.

carriage may Seen-and one repugnant TO
arr notions of that freedom of choice which
sbould be given to every reasonable mortal
inbs selection of partner for lfe-yet
+be system has largely prevailed in our own
and other countries. Despite the fact that
such a practice was the most hazardous lot
cary into which the future well-being and
han,iness of two lives could be cast, it was
nof only sanctioned but encouraged by the
Richest personages in the land. Indeed, so
iafe as the reign of James l., the disposal of
- voung orphan heiress lay with the mon
arcb on the throne, by whom it was gen
arallv deputed to some favorite possessed of
cons 70 whom the marriage might be i'm
~ortont. Matrimonial contracts of this
Kind we're curious anomaly, especially
rten it is remembered that at one time
"habes were often mated in the cradle,
hinged in the nursery, and brought to the
church porch with lollipops in their
,nontbs." Thus Eleanor, the ninth daugh-
Ter of Edward L., was only 4 days old when
her father arranged to esp use her to the
son and heir of Ohio, late Earl of Burgundy
and Artois, child in the custody of his
mother. the Duchess of Burgundy. Accord
;ncly after the little princess was a year
oId She was a spouse; but dying in her
sixth year, she never attained the position
arranged for her. But, as may be inn
agined, matrimony, under such peculiar
Circumstances, was frequently productive
of serious evils, numerous illustrations of
which are to be met with in the record of
mast years How, it was once argued, could
q man be supposed TO like girl who had
been imposed upon him when he was not in
truth master of his own acUions. And,
again. it was logically urged as senseless
| and unreasonable to give our children the
power of disposing of their persons forever,
Of an age when we will not let them dispose
of shilings without discretion and adj
vice. In defense of these infant mar
riages it was maintained that they gave
fathers an opportunity of preventing wives
or husbands being forced upon their child
ren after their death, especially at period
when society was so constituted as to neceS-
state such precautionary measures. Poor
lords. for instance. were oftentimes on the
lookout for their own family and on fav-
orable offer being made, did not scruple to
realize handsome profit by the sale to an
other. Then, again, such early marriage pre-
vented children from forming improper at
tachments, but rather furthered the parents
interests by uniting themselves with rich
and important families. Among some of
the well-known cases may be mentioned
that of Lady Frances Howard and Robert,
Ear of Essex, who married i'll the year 1906,
| when the lady was Is and her husband
barely ia marriage, however, which
proved the mischief of such premature
unions. Another noteworthy instance was
| the marriage of Sir George Downing and
| Mary Forester, which rendered the couple
| famous in the days of Queen Anne and
George !. AS soon as they had been married
/ the boy was sent abroad to complete his
education, and the wife returned home to
continue her studies, After three or four
wears had elapsed they naturally desired to
be free from one another; but there being
no cause to release them from the union
the law declined to help them. Shakespeare
aludes to the practice, for, when the subject
Of Juliets marriage is spoken of, the nurse
says: AT Lamma's Eve at night she shall
be IA, and Lady Capulet adds:
| Well, think of marriage now younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers; by my Count.
| was your mother much upon these years
That you are now maid. "
Lady Sarah Cadogan, daughter of Will
| lam, first earl of Cadogan, was married at
% years of age to Charles, second duke of
Richmond. 1t was commonly reported that
| the marriage was bargain to cancel
| gambling debt between their parents. The
| young Lord March was brought from col
lege, and the little lady from her nursery,
| for the ceremony. On seeing her he ex-
claimed "Surely, you are not going to
| marry me to that dowdy," but married he
was. Three years later he returned from
| abroad, and on his first visit to the theater
saw lady conspicuous for her beauty. On
| lDquiring her name, he discovered she was
| ''the reigning toast, Lady March" He
fastened to claim her, and their lifelong
| attachment to each other is much COM
mented upon by writers of the period. Sir
William Cope, in his work on Branchill,
mentions Elizabeth, daughter Of John
| Rogers, owner of that noble seat, as having
been married at the early age of II her boy
| husband, he adds, was mot older, if so oldn
| Evelyn, whose diary contains SO many curl
| Gus and interesting entries relative to the
| social events of his times, thus writes:
August l, 1921 was at the marriage of
Lord Arlington's only daughter IA sweet
child if ever there was any to the Duke of
Grafton, the Kings natural son by the
Duchess of Cleveland" and on Oct 16, 1879,
| he adds: ''Dined at the Countess of Sun
derland's and was this evening at the re-
| marriage of the Duchess of Grafton to the
Duke (hls majeSty's natural SOM, she being
| now II year old.n In the Pastor Letters"
too, rich in illustrations of the sordid spirit
Oh many of the old lovers and matchmakers.
may be found a characteristic draft of
Terms for proposed marriage contract, that
I'D not, however, result in wedlock, the
date of the proposal being about the middle
Of the fifteenth century. Philip STUDIES,
IN his "Anatomie of Abuses" after com
mendlng marriage, says: "There is per-
Mtted one great liberty therein-for little
infants III swaddling clothes are often mar
rleo by their ambitious parents and friends,
wnen they know neither good nor evil, and
.nls is the origin of much wickedness. And
besides this you shall have every saucy boy
~ a. 10 or 20 years of age, catch up a
woman without any fear of God at all.n
but, in spite of such remonstrances, the
practice continued, and abundance Of SINH
iar Instances might be easily given. In
more recent times the Duke of Bedford was
married In the year 1725 at the age of 10
sa event recorded by Lady Mary Wortley
Iohtague i'll one of her characteristic letters.
indeed, most of our English poets Of the
s " and eighteenth centuries speak
niteen" as the most charming age in
ioGhg ladies'. Once more, in the "Chrono-
loglcal Diary" appended to the "Histori-
1I register" for the year 1921, we find this
sslltry; June S.-Charles Powell, of Camar-
silen' OF about II years Of age, married to
slaughter of Sir Thomas Powell, age about
Iurning to foreign countries, the Hun
saiIans or the seventeenth century were
~ Lle.q9uTently in the habit Of betrothing their
euiluren while still in their cradles, and the
10 iar rlage was generally consummated at
NE NY very earliest possible time. In France.
s aIuer the old monarchical regime, parents
iecOed partners for their children, and in
cry many cases n marriape was ar