The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-01
MARRIAGE. ALSO DIVORCE
Curious Laws Of Many Countries q
These Subjects.
BRITISH PARLIAMENT RHPoRr
A Compilation Which shows That Status0
Books Arc Sy No Means - Dali -
They Are Generally Repre-.
sented to BE.

nave just Deen presented TO the br1t19h
parliament on marriage and divorce u
foreign countries and In the colonies a
the instance of Henniker Heaton ex-
nioit singular diversities Of opinion
among legislatures on some points, ana
at the same time singular unanimity o.
others.
The minimum age at which marriage
is lawful varies very much. In Eng
!and 1t Is IA for the male and ~ for the
female, when with the consent Of the
parents or guardians. but after 21 both
sexes are free of control. Newfound.
land. Mexico. Natal. South Australia,
Cape OF Good Hope and the Argentine
Republic appear to be the only ones
whose laws agree with those OF Eng
land on this. point. In New Zealand,
Tasmania and New South Wales there
Is no statutory age for marriage Of
minors. In Switzerland and the Meth.
erlands 1t Is 1S and 10 for the sexes
respectively, but while majority 10 at
tained In Switzerland at 20. IN the
Netherlands 1. Is not reached until %.
Greece permits boys and girls Of II
and II to get married. and majority II
reached four years later, but adults
above 80 are prohibited. The same pe0-
hibition exists in Russia, where Is and
16, and In the Trans-Caucasus where. .16
and 13 are the lowest limits. France,
Italy. Luxembourg, Belgium and Rou-
mania agree in prohibiting marriage
under IS and Is Except by dispensatlon
from the highest authority, and in hx-
ing the majority At Is and q. In Aus.
tria minors may be married at II ana
majority Is reached att24. In Bavaria
and Wurtemburg Il is rs and - and
marriage may not'take place before 20
and Is, as is the law also in,Denmark
and Germany. In Chile marriage II
lawful at puberty. and while in Brasil
1t Is illegal under 16 and H. It may take
place earlier to avoid criminal sen
tence In Spain the limit Is IA and IL.
or legal puberty. and both are OF age
at. 20; nevertheless q daughter IL for
bidden to leave the paternal roof with
out her parents consent until she ID 70.
In the United States there are always
three parties to q inarriage-"thesman.
the woman and the state" The lowest
ages for marriage with consent Is 1A
and 12 in twenty-one states, IL and IL
in nine states, 18 and IL in six, II and IL
in four, 16 and IA in three, 10 and IL IN
two and q and 18 in the same number.
For marriage without parental consent
the ages are for males and females Il
and IS In twenty-eight states. as IN Eng
land in seven states, and Il ID, IL 10
and Is IL in one state each. Eleven
states forbid first cousins to marry ana
states and forbidden in others.
Other chief prohibitions, besides those
arising from insufficient age. relate to
excess of age, to religious differences,
blood affinity, spiritual or canonical af-
finlty, affinity by adoption, physical or
mental incomDetency and difference OF
color. In Servia men over go and wo-
men over so are prohibited from enter
ing into marriage. In most countries
widows are not allowed to remarry un-
til the expiration Of ten months after
the death of the husband, and In one.
the widower must not remarry within
three months of his wife's death, end
In another, not under six. In SerVfn-
idiots, cripples, maniacs. deaf and
dumb, school pupils. guardians with
their wards, those very Ill or suffering
from hereditary disease, and widows OF
priests and deacons may not marry. In
Greece q man must not marry the be-
trothed of his brother. In Brazil uncles
and nieces, nephews and aunts may
marry together, and in Belgium also
by royal permission on advice Of the
Minister Of Justice. Marriage with a
deceased wife's sister is legal In West
ern Australia, Queensland, Victoria.
New Zealand, South Australia. Tas-
mania, New South wales and Cape OF
Good Hope, and between brothers and
sisters in law in Brazil and Sweden, and
by dispensation In Belgium.
Marriages are void between white
and negro, white and Indian and white
and Mongolian, In Nevada and Oregon;
and between white and African or Chi
nese in Utah. The prohibition between
white and negro exists n at least
twenty-three of the states. In North
Carolina they are void between negroes
Nd Tn vnidahla from
many causes, as insanity, consent OBJ
tained by force or fraud: and in many
states where contracted under age
without consent" Forced marriage
is punishable In Arkansas by death to
the male participant. In the United
States, South Carolina alone grants no
divorce.
CAUSES FOR DIVORCE.
The habitual use of opium or some
similar drug, felony, infamous crime.
long imprisonment cruelty. intolerable
indlgnity to the person, habitual man
ifestations Of hatred and violent and
ungovernable temper are each and all
sufficient causes for divorce in most OF
the states. Three grant divorce IL hus-
band or wife join the Shakers; one II
the husband Is vagrant, and three
If the parties have lived separate from
four to five years In Illinois the court
can divorce at discretion or where 1t
decides it impossible for the couple to
live together in peace and happiness.
In Austro- Hungary Greek Orientals"
may be divorced because of "irreconcil-
able hatred" and Protestants from ''in-
superable aversion" The latter is also
effective in Germany should there be
no issue Of the marriage. Defamation
Of character and quarrelsomeneSS are
sufficient grounds in France and Ger
many, and Frenchman may be di-
vorced for ill-treating his mother-in-
law or step-children, for calling his wife
opprobrious names before her children,
such as "Canaille," of for falsely ac-
cusing her Of theft or some other grave
crime and for a. variety Of other rea-
sons. Marriage between a Christian
and a heathen is prohibited in Greece,
and woman can be divorced for con-
ceallng from her husband a conspiracy
against the king, fer stopping all night
against the husbands wish at any
house other than her parents, or for
attending without his knowledge or
consent, at races. theaters or shooting
expeditions or for having attended
against his wish at banquets or for
bathing in the company Of men.
In some countries-Belgium and Rou-
mania, for eXample-nO wife can be di-
vorced after forty-tive years of age or
twenty years of married life. In the
latter country divorce may be obtained
by mutual consent IL the husband and
wife are not less than 25 and "a respec-
lively, and have been less than two
years married, In which case neither
can remarry until three years have
elapsed. In Russia no one may marry
a fourth time. Members of the Greek
and Roman Catholic churches must not
marry non-Chrlstians nor Protestants
heathens Change of religion from
Christian to Mohemmedan entities to
divorce in SaXony.
Loss of civil rights, with deporta-
tion, dissolves marriage in Russia un-
less the innocent party accompany the