The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1908-01-15
When Should Folks
Marry.

Edwin WaEtield. governor of Mary
land. told GLASS of sweet girl grad
uates recently at the commence.
ment of the Wilmington high
school. and ell the girls aud a good
many other folk raised their eyes
in wonder A reporter dropped in
upon the kindly governor the other
day to aek if he really meant what
he was reported to have said, and
If be did mean it, what were his
teasons for snch an opinitn
BY ourious ohanoe. while wait
ing until HE Exoellenoy should be
.tsleisure. the reporters attention
was attracted to w. L Tsylor'a il
lustration in current magaaine
L5ngfellow's q poem. the Old Olook
IN ,hs S,airs.' II was charming
picture of bride descending Q
staircase, and was accompanied by
the lines:
From that chamber, clothed In white,
The bride came forth on her wedding
night.
Here was an artist's ideal of a
bride. How old was sheP The
beautiful development of figure in
tue qusint wedding gown, the so
renity of brow beneath the misty
veil, the prayer book of meditation
in her hand, all bespoke a woman
over 20 years OF age. rather than o.
girl in her teens-she might even
be 26
Aud just then the governor ap-
peared a little surpriOed and amuOed
at being called from affairs of state
TO pAsS judgment upon affairs of
the heart.
"Well, you know, that was only
remark made in spirit of play
fulness and quite without premedl-
lation," he said, land somewhat
misquoted as we'll. What l really
did cay in reference to .mntrimony
in my address to the young lady
graduates of the Wilmington high
school wac: My advice to you is
not to marry too early. II asked
the age when you should marry, /
should say 26. That was the age
of Mrs Warfiold when l married
her and have said to my daugh-
ters that should not give my con.
sent to their marrying until they
arrive at that age Esae remark
was on the spur of the moment"
Still, one's unpremeditated ut
terances are usually the orystalliza-
ton of d d,finite conviction, Gov
ernor, and why did you say 262
And why do you disspProve of
early marrisgesP"
The Governor paused and laid
aside his previous lightness of
manuer. "Seriously speaking,"
lie said, "I do think that many
lives are made failures by persons
marrying before their characters
have been formed. You know
whom fret we love we rarely we'd
This is very true saying. Young
people are impressionable and ro-
mantio, and il left to their own
free will are apt to rush into matri-
mony without properly considering
the grave responsibilities of mar
ried life. Many GASES have como
under my observation where youth
ful and hastY marriages. have re
sulted in unhappiness. discomfort
and lives of drudgery. The old
saying Marry in haste and repent
at leisure proves too often true
Young men and women should re-
member that the romantic attach
ments of youth are not generally
lasting.
II would not wish to be regard
ed az laying down ironolad rules
concerning the exact ago whom a
girl should marry; it might be at
%, "a, 25 or 26 yesrs--it all dc
peuds upon the physical and men
tai development of tho girl. /
meant rather to indicate that girl
should not marry until che wac
over 2l and of an age to oompre
bend tho responsibility of the mar
riage state and to make an intel,
ligent ohoioe of the man whose
oompanionship will be either Q
help or hindranoe to her life.
"Thero are many serious ques.
tions to be considered in deciding
upon this most important step
Health. heredity, environment
taste. aooial tendencies, all should