Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-07-28
WHEN SHOULD
A PERSON
MARRY ?
(Inter- Mountain Republican,

(Tnter. Mountain Republican,
One evening recently, in little
company of men and women, none il
a position of peril, the question of the
proper age for marrying was discuss
eA One Of those persons held that
man should marry at "a or earlier, and
to a woman few years his junior.
| Against that position it was contended
that no man should mat'ry before he
was 80, at least, and that a woman
had no right nor duty in hymeneal
bonds under 20 years of age.
No attempt will be made here to de-
eide the question-even as to theory
involved. And of course none of us
will ever see the day when agel for
marriage will be fixed by legal regu-
lations in practice. But one may offer
the argument in favor of the darly
marriage that young people seem to
be more pliable in their natures, more
Adjustable to each other. There seems
| less likelihood of their clashing If
they unite their lives when the habits
and fancies of either are fixed as they
will be by the maturE years The
chief motive in life--maricd and sim
gle-is happiness. The avoidance of
disputes, with their heartaches and
their periods of permanent disaffection
is desirable thing. 1t seems more
| difficult for a man of 80 to yield in any
of the compromises which must be
made in every association, in evey
friendship, than it would be for a
! younger man. The older he gets the
more "set' he will be in his ways. The
less willingly Will he concede that his
wife may be right about some of the
, points, which she, on her part, regards
as necessary or imperative.
But the opposer of early marriage
has ST. ong point in the statement
that neither man nor woman is prop
erly matured either in body or mind
for the duties and responsibilities of
mauded life if they assume them at
20 or "a. Neither is at that age quail
fed to maka Judgment as to the men
tai and physical and spiritual qualities
of the other. Neither can weigh i'm
partially the slightest attribute. Meth
etA can d clearly the defects Of thu
| other. And there are defects in both
of them. Neither can conclude that
the chances Of marriage with the other
are in favor of happiness. And these
are all important matters that should
be decided and decided right before
the final step is taken. Before the
fancy is given charge of the case, and
permitted to paint the other with all
the colors of radiant perfection.
Once the choice is made, no matter
what the age may be, that perfect In
fatuation should come, and should re-
main till death do them part.
Shakespeare was married at 10. His
wife was a little older; and they did
not live happily. In fact, they did
not live together at all after the first
few Years. Ben johnson married at
l2l; Franklin at "a; Mozart was 20;
Dante Kepler. Samuel johnson, Ed
mund Burke. Sir Walter Scott at 20;
Byron, Washington and Bonaparte
married at 81; Nelson at 20; Busns at
30; Chaucer, Hogarth and Peel S2j
Wordsworth and Davey 33; Aristotle
SO; Sir William Jones and Young SIj
Wilberforce 3s; Luther 42j Addison
A; Wesley and Young At; Swift AZ;
Button 55; Old Parr the last time l2O.
Gossip has not told us in all cases
whether theso lived "happy ever af'
ter;" but we know that Byron was In
constant; that the immortal George
auarreled with his wife; that Bona
pa-te put aside the woman he weided
when he was only 27-and she was
little Older. We know that Nelson new
er rested content in the rule OF his
home-as, indeed, he could not very
well do, sailor and hero as he was.
And we know that the marriage OF
Burns was loss an incident in his life
than some previous alliances which