The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1894-04-02
cnlLp salpss lN soaToN.
she Law Psemits oarls to nSAszr as II
and Boys nt Is.

she LAW Psfmiss 0arls to MAszF as ~
and Boys ne 1s.
How many people know Aht It is
| lawful In Massachusetts foi ~ little
! girl Of l2 to become . bridef Who
would believe At first thought that
many little R1rb Tin short dresses
have been legally n1nrried n Boston.
several during the past year. and
that the law. even in the hands Ot
thou <htful and responsible oticials.
was powerless to prevent Il? Accord
| ing to N decision. which has never
been reversed. .marriage beEwsou
two in ants above the age Of 12 IN the
females and Il 81 She males fs valid
| without the consent of Their 9l4rents
or Ruardixns notwithstanding the
statutes which prohibit magistrates
and ministers, under . penRltf. OF
solemnizIng the marriage of female
under the ago OF 10 or q male under
the age Of II without the consent Of
parents or guardians" The theory OF
| protection which makes the consent
of parents or guardians necessary is
really N very Himsy protection for the
young and ignorant foreign girls
who are frequently sold into mar
ri0ge at tender age in Boston by
| parents who are not sufficiently
responsible for ths state to permit
them this privilege of dispOslng of
their daughters before their 19th
birthday. when girl of MassGchu-
setts is of age.
| Italians. Hebrews, Poles. Syrians,
Arabs of most ignorant classes man
unable to sign their names Ia their
own language and not understanding
| a question asked of them. appear in
/ the city registrars office seeking
licenses to marry girls who are to be
| mothers of the noxt generation of
American citizens. During one week
recently three men came into the
registrars ONCE for marriage IL
censes and gave Is years or less as
the age OF the bride. In each case
they were told to bring the girl. and
in one of the cases the fact that tho
girl was Is and had her guardians
consent to her marriage was estab-
lished through a trusted interpreter
This o.tcn happens when inquiry Is
instituted.
Talk about Grctna Green" said
the city registrar to a writer for the
Transcript '.It was difficult to geS
married in Gretna Green compared
with this city. Gretna Green was
hedged about and hard in comparl-
son to Boston. TRe laws as they
stand now hero would do very well
for country town where every body
knew every body else. but f0: city
with foreign population like OURS
we'll. thoughtfut people simply have
10 idea OF what 10 going on n this
matter. Any girl Of IL or over and
any boy OF II may te married with
consent. and tho marriage is legal
without consent II any clergyman or
justice of the pcaoe can be prevailed
upon to perform the ceremony.
whether they have a lico2so or not ;"
The records of 1873 show ff:J-
5ovca marriages Of girlso Of II or less,
three of these Te.o IS and ono q
child Of IA She was In the grammar
echool and wore short dreaEea.
/ When her teacher sent TO know Why
! she did not come to nchool it seemed
/ to her impossible to believe she was
married. Her parents had CON scntod: !:
The bridegrOoms OF the little mar
ried girls OF Massachusetts, are usual
ly meu double thai age. Boston wo-
mon have spent a good deal of
thought and time and money for the
child widows of India There IL
room for . good deal OF endeavor in
behalf OF The child brides Of Gasss-
chusctta.