Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1902-11-22

A. Montefore Brice's recent article
In the London Mail uses the police
court records and the census returns
to warn the world against early mar
riage. Apparently Mr.. Brice thinks
that people who marry before they are
81 incur great dangers. Statistics from
Berlin have shown of late that d.
vorces are much more frequent among
those who marry early than among
those who marry late. OF course those
who marry early have more time in
which to get divorced. Even when
this fact has been reckoned with,
however, there still seems to the statis-
ticians to be reason to think that the
marriage of minors. Is in general a mis-
take. What Is true In Berlin appears
now to be true in London. The 'spir-
itual and scientific mating and mar
riage," which was suggested the other
| day at a woman's meeting in New
| York, seems often to be neglected in
| English affairs of the heart. The con-
sequence Of that neglect Is to be seen,
| thinks Mr.. Brice, in the large number
| of assertions to which the police court
records and the census returns bear
Witness The number of child mar
| riages Is In itself astonishing. In Lon
| don If one considers the total number
| Of marriages, As per cent are those
of male minors and 1876 per cent are
| those Of female minors. In the prov
inces 5.5 per cent are those of male
minors and Is per cent those of fe-
male minors. 1t appears, then, that
| the provinces are in this matter worse
than London and the women worse
than the men. In England and Wales
there are 56,39S married persons who
are under age. In London alone there
are 1900 such persons. On the night
| of the last census Of those wives
whose husbands were not living with
| them 742 were under age, and of those
husbands whose wives were not living
with them 1000 were under age. Also
of the $50 minors In prison 200 were
married. These things, together with
| many incidents that have come under
| his notice, have convinced Mr.. Brice
that the early marriage Is an inStitu
| ton which cannot too soon disappear.
That it is tending to disappear seems
! to be indicated by the history Of the
| last quarter of a century. In 1874
which was kind of banner year." or
high water mark" out Of every 1000
| husbands and wives 81 husbands and
! 227 wives were under age. Since that
| time there has been steady, uninter-
rupred progress. To-day out of every
| 900 husbands and wives there are
only 80 husbands and only 1853 wives
under age. The marriage age, 1t seems,
| is rising. Which may mean that peo-
pie are more sensible 1t may really
mean, however, that times are harder
| and food prices higher. Or it may
mean that the STANDARD of life" has
risen and men and women will not mar
ry unless they can be sure of a higher
| degree of physical comfort in thel
| homes. Any one, or all, of these
things may be true. The fact is clear.
| The explanation Is difficult. There is
one particularly disquieting element in
| the problem. Early marriages are
much more common among the poor
than among the rich. Now early mar
riages lead TO domestic unhappiness.
Should not the rich, therefore, be hap
pier domestically than the poor? But
are they? If not, where does the trou-
BILE come fn2 Is it the mere possession
of wealth and its opportunities that
makes the difference?