Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-03-18

while the very strong bOnds OF ahec-
| ton that unite King Edward TO MS
wife and to his children are secret 10
no one who has enjoyed the opportun-
, ity of observing their attitude towards
one another.
No sovereign, with the exception OF
the chivalrous Emperor Frederick, mas
ever lavished so many honors upon
his consort as King Edward, and the
constant desire which he has SHOWN
since his accession to place his wife on
the same level of rank as himself, ana
| to give her an equal share OF the
sovereign honors. is without precedent
| in the history of Great Britain, and
: can only be explained by his affection
and devotion for his gracious consort.
| 1t would be invidious to compare the
married life of King Edward and
Queen Alexandra to that of other
F,uropean sovereigns now living. In
deed. the present Gar and Czarina.
the German Emperor and Empress and
the King and Queen of Italy present a
similar picture of domestic happiness
and matrimonial understanding. But
one need only recall the married life OF
J Napoleon III. and Empress Eugene, OF
old Emperor William and his consort,
Empress Augusta, of Gar Alexander
H. and Empress Marie, of the King
and Queen of SaXony, the late
King and Queen of Wurtemburg. the
| late King of the Netherlands and his
first wife. of the King and Queen Of
| Roumania and of King Leopald and
Queen Henriette of Belgium in order
| to show that home life, such as that
of King Edward and Queen Alexandra,
| with 39 years of unbroken and un-
| clouded married life behind them, is
the exception, rather than the rule,
among the reigning houses of Europe.
The romance in connection with the
| runaway marriage in Scotland of
| Richard Cecil, son of Lady Francis
Cecil, and younger brother of the heir
to the Marquisate Of Exeter, has
served to bring to light the fact that
there is only one way by means of
| which parents in England can prevent
son or daughter under age from max
| ing an undesirable marriage. 1t is to
settle a small sum of money in trust
| 1OT his vi HtT DtUtllt, anu lutD "
| make him or her a ward of the Court
of Chancer. The court will not accept
| the wardship of minors unless there is
property at stake, but once having ac-
cepted~ the wardship, it exercises a
lstern control over its wards, who. if
they marry without the consent of the
court, render themselves thereby guilty
tof contempt of court. The latter can
be punished at the discretion of the
court by imprisonment lasting days.
weeks, months, or even years, as the
! judge may see fit. In fact, it depends
entirely upon his discretion in the mat
ter. The court, if it has any notion
that ore of it's wards is about to marry
without its consent, is at liberty to
take any steps to prevent the union
from taking place. even to the extent
of arresting and imprisoning the par
| ties concerned and those who are aid
ing and abetting them in the enter
prise. 1t is solely by making their chill
dren wards Of chancery that parents
can prevent their children under age
from making undesirable marriages.
There is no other way. and Lady Fran
els Cecil's belief that, by forbidding
the banns of her sons marriage she
could. ipso facto, render the latter null
and void if subsequently celebrated,
turns out to be fallacy.
In France people &c to the other ex-
treme and grown-up men and women.
even 40 and so years ot age, if they
happen to still have either Of their par
ents living, are compelled to obtain
their permission to marry. In the
event of the parent de clning to con-
sent, the son or daughter desiring to
wed may make three legal demands
through the courts upon the parent for
the necessary permission. These. de-
mands must be made at the interval
of six months. The parent is thus
| given the opportunity of explaining tC
the courts whether there is any good
ground for the refusal of the consent
If the court holds that the ground is
sound, it absolutely forbids the match
which, if contracted after that, is ipsC
facto of no legal value. If, however
the parent makes no response to what
; is known as the "sommation re-
spectucuse' respectful demand), then
after the third demand has remained
unanswered, the court itself grants the
consent to the match. But unless al
these formalities have been gone
through with. marriages contracted by
| a French citizen, either in France OF
; abroad are not valid in the eyes O1
the French law without the writer
: sanction of the parents of the bride.
groom. and of those of the bride a:
.. I well. if she happens to be French.
Much the same condition of affair:
prevails in all other European coun
tries where the French Code Napoleon
forms the fundamental basis of the ma
tional Jurisprudence. In the case Of
the families of the reigning houses o.
Europe, of the Mediatized houses ant
even OF the great houses of the conti
mental nobility marriages, no matter
how contracted or solemnized, are mo-
: legal unless the consent of the head o.
the family is obtained. This rule only
applies to England in so far as thu
, reigning family is concerned. In th'
Kingdom of Scotland there is no suci
thing as court of chancery, anC
neither parents, guardians or court.
have the legal mower IN nreyent mar