Evening star., 1907-08-23
Law OF MIXED MARRIAGES
RISKS ENGLISH GIRLS RUN IN IN
TERNATIoNAL MATCHES.
Most of the "Old Countries" Hedge in
the Connubial Ceremonies With
Stern Rules.

From the London Express.
Only too often do English girls in their
ignorance contract marriages with foreign
ers with whom they have fallen in love,
and live to find that in the eyes of their
husbands countrymen they have. after all,
not been wives at all 1t would be diff
cult and lengthy task to arm the public
and particularly the ignorant parent ana
the unsuspecting girl against the dangers
of these mixed marriages. but In the space
/ have at my disposal l should ike TO
point out the salient facts to be ascertained
before such mixed marriages can be at all
reasonably safe. At first l may say that
generally all foreigners who marry English
girls in England can only do so legally by
the laws of their country when they have
first complied with all the requirements of
their own country in the matter OF an IN
tending marriage. And the chief of these
requirements are % that they should pub
lish in their country the notices of such in
tending marriage as required by law, ana
90 that they should obtain the consent OF
their parents to the marriage If they are
under a certain ase-which varies from
twenty-one to thirty
In Austria. after the intending bride
groom or bride is twenty-four years of age
no parental consent is necessary. But IL
the man is in any way still connected with
the military service he must have the con-
sent VI tIc
The Belgian Law.
In Belgium the law allows a Belgian to
marry foreigner abroad according to the
laws of that foreign country, but the mar
riage will not be valid in Belgium IL he Is
under twenty-one and has not obtained the
consent of his parents. If between the
ages of twenty and twenty-five he must
make a respectful and formal request
n n
object they may apply to a court of justice
and state their grounds for refusal, and
such refusal may be upheld. If the son or
daughter is twenty-five years of age no
consent is required.
In Denmark any person contracting
marriage. whether there or abroad, re-
quires the parental consent when under the
age or twenty-five, and wfdCwer must
not contract a second marriage within three
months ofs the death of his wife. The
usual publication must be made.
BY the law of France no man may con-
tract a marriage under the age of twenty
five without the consent of his parents.
From that age until he is thirty he will be
required, as in Belgium, to perform the
"acte respectueuX. and this act differs
from the Belgian in that he has to perform
1t three times over at monthly intervals.
and it is not until a month has elapsed
from the third formal request that he will
be allowed to contract valid marriage.
Orphans must not marry without the con-
sent of that continental monstrosity, the
family council. In all cases of a French
man marrying foreigner abroad the usual
of the commune in which he last had his
abode.
Consent Of German Parents.
In Germany consent of the father is re-
quired until the son is twenty-five and the
daughter twenty-four years Of age. and IL
either is an orphan the consent of the legal
r6iap 10 paedad Tho Of
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 advertise
ment in the domicile of foreigner though
IN this case declaration from foreign
local authorities that no impediment exists
Is accepted as an alternative. Any per-
son wishing to marry second time must
show that legal settlement has been
made on the children, if any, of the first
marriage
By Italian law an italian who marrles
foreigner abroad in compliance with the
laws of the foreign country is legally mar
ried. but here again it Is conditional on his
also complying with the requirements of
the Italian law. To marry without parental
consent a man must exceed twenty-five and
woman twenty-one years of age, and
they must publish the usual notices of the
marriage In the commune in Italy where
the Italian party was last domiciled.
Restraint on Widowers
In the Netherlands persons under twenty
one must not marry without the consent Of
the parents and between twenty-one and
twenty-five they must perform the acte
respectueux to which I have referred
Over twenty-five years of age neither con-
sent nor acte respectueuX is required In
Spain for civil marriage consent is required
until the man is twenty three and the
woman twenty-five; in Sweden and Norway
consent is not necessary after twenty-one,
but widowers must not remarry until six
months after the death of their wives, and
of marriage she is held to be his legal WIFE
In Russian law the marriage If between
male Russian and female foreigner, must
be celebrated in Russian church or by a
Russian priest and 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
that 1 would advise any young woman
contemplating marriage with Greek to
make him become naturaliZed Englishman
first
This, briefly, sums up the prelminaries
which the continental nations desderate
before recognizing mixed marriage.
There are in addition important considera-
tions affecting the remarriage Of divorced
persons, widowers and widows and there
are many minor points which would need
attention.