The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-30
Law OF MINED MARRIAGES.
Gases In Which Legality OF Unions with
Foreigners Is Questioned.


Only too often do English girls in their
ignorance contract marriages with for
eigners with whom they nave fallen in love.
and live to find that in the eyes OF their
husbands oountrymen they have, after
all, not been wives at all. IL would be a
difficult n a lengthy task to arm the pub
lilo and particularly the ignorant parent
and the unsuspecting girl against the dan
gers Of these mixed marriages, says a cor
respondent Of the London Express, but
in the space l have at my dispoSa l should
like to point out the salient facts to be
ascertained before such mixed marriages
can be at all reasonably safe. And first l
may say that generally all foreigners who
marry English girls in England can only
do so legally by the avs Of their country
when they lave first complied with all the
requirements Of their own country in the
matter of ar intending marriage. And
the chief OF these requirements are Q)
that they should publish in their country
the notices of such intending marriage as
required by law, inc (2) that they should
obtain the consent OF their parents to the
marriage IL they are under a certain age
which varies from Fl to 30.
In Austria, after the intending BRIDE
groom or bride is "a years Of age, no pa
rental consent is necessary. But if the
man is in any way still connected with the
military service he must nave the consent
Of the military authorities.
In Belgium the law allows a Belgian to
marry a foreigner abroad according to
the laws Of hat foreign country, but the
marriage will not be valid in Belgium il
he is under 81 and has not obtained the
consent of his parents. II between the
ages of Fl Inc rs he must make a respect
full and formal request for his parents
advice, and if the parents object they
may apply to a court Of justice and state
their grounds for refusal, and such refusal
may be upheld. II the son or daughter
be rs wears Of age no consent is required.
In Denmark any person contracting a
marriage, whether there or abroad, re-
ouires the parental consent when under
the age OF rs. and a widower must not con-
tract a second marriage within three months
Of the death of his wife. The usual publ
cation must be made.
Bv the law Of France no man may con-
tract a marriage under the age Of rs with
out the consent of his parents. From that
age until he is 80 he will be required, as in
Belgium, to perform the "acte respectu-
eux," and this act differs from the Belgian
in that he has to perform il three times
over at monthly intervals, and it is not I'M
til a month has elapsed from the third for
NAL request that he will be llowed to con-
tract a valid marriage. Orphans must not
marry without the consent OF hat Cont
mental monstrosity, the family council.
In all cases OF a Frenchman marrying a
foreigner abroad the usual notifications
must be posted at the Marie of the COM
mune in which he last had his abode.
In Germany consent of the father is re-
quired until the son ia rs and the daughter
"a years of age, and il either is an orphan
the consent of the legal guardian is needed
The publication of an intended marriage
of a person abroad must be made in the
place where he last dwelt in Germany two
weeks before the marriage and it must
also be made by advertisement in the domi-
cile of a foreigner, though in this case a
declaration from foreign local authorities
that no impediment exists ia accepted as
an alternative. Amy person wishing 20
marry a second time must show that a legal
settlement has beer la on the children,
il any, OF the first marriage.
By Italian law an Italian who marries a
foreigner abroad in compliance with the
laws Of the foreign country is legally mar
ried, but here again il is conditional on his
also complying with the requirements OF
the Italian law. To marry without parental
consent a man must exceed IS and a woman
81 years OF age, and they must publish the
usual notices OF the marriage in the COM
mune in Italy where the Italian party was
last domiciled.
In the Netherlands persons under Fl must
not marry without the consent Of the par
ents and between II and rs they must per-
form the dcte respectueuL to which / have
referred. i've rs years Of age neither con-
sent nor dcte respectueuL is required. In
Spain for civil marriage consent Is required
until the man is % and the woman rs; in
Sweden and Norway consent Is not neces-
sary after FL, but widowers must not re-
marry until six months after the death of
their wives, and II a man seduces a woman
under promise OF marriage she is held TO be
his legal wife.
In Russian law the marriage, il between a
male Russian and a female foreigner, must
be- celebrated in a Russian church or by a
Russian priest and an undertaking must be
given that the children will be brought up in
the Russo-Greek faith; while in Greece the
law is so unfriendly to mixed marriages hat
I would advise any young woman contem-
plating marriage with a Greek 10 make him
become a naturalized Englishman first.
This, briefly, sums up the preliminaries
which the Continental nAtions desiderate
before recognizing a mixed marriage.
There are in addition important considera-
tions affecting the remarriage OF divorced
persons, widowers n widows, and there
are many minor points which would need
attention.