The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-04-07
HUNDREDS THOUNAND
BOYS AND GIRLS MARRY
IN U. S. 100000 BECAME WIVES
AND HUSBANDS BEFORE
REACHING SIXTEEN.
REFORM CAMPAIGN is BEGUN
Report Shows Fourteen States Per-
NIT Children IL Years of Age to
Marry. Change of Laws and Meth
DDS of License Demanded.

init Smldren IL Years or age TO
Marry. Change of Laws and Meth
DDS of License Demanded.
Deprived of years of play, of school
ing and of association with boys and
girls of their own age, 100000 persons
in the United States today were mar
ried when they were less than 10 years
cid AT the time of the last national
census 1884 girls recorded as mar
ried were IS years old at the time the
census was taken Nearly 5000 others
were less than IS years old Also, 825
female children of IS or less were
either widowed or divorced.
In IA states in this country the law
permits boys and girls II years old to
marry, if their parents consent. The
minimum marriage age is IA years in
nine states, IS years in eight states,
10 years in II states, and Is in sim
gle state, New Hampshire. Only ten
states clearly fix the minimum age at
which marriage licenses may be OBJ
tanned
In the United States there are more
than 40 marriage market" towns,
where officials pride themselves on the
fact that boys and girls go there to
be married.
This is the gist of report by the
Russell Sage Foundation, in New
York city, which has just completed
marriage survey in 90 cities and
towns in % states in the union.
AS a result of this report what
promises to be the greatest child well
fare campaign in the history of the
country is getting under way. 1t will
have one purpose-to repeal child
marriage" laws in every state in which
they exist.
Blames Faulty Laws.
Faulty marriage laws and meth
DDS OF issuing marriage licenses are
blamed for this condition
Mrs. Marie Zelio was married when
she was IA. At 10 she was tried for
numbering another man. The jury
freed her. Now the woman, with her
husband and her fve-year-o child, is
going to begin life anew.
Don't marry too young. Be sure
you have your play" she warns
A woman in the south took her Is
year-old daughter from hospital Tor
the insane, saying she wished to have
the girls picture taken. Instead, she
married the girl to a man much her
senior. The law returned the girl to
the hospital short time later.
In New York city l5-year-old
wife was beaten by relatives OF her
husband because she skipped rope on
the sidewalk in front of her home, re-
fusing to go into the back yard to play.
She had been married at IA by
mother who wanted to be rid OF her.
A district attorney in Texas report
ed the marriage OF girl of II, with
the consent of her mother. The chllds
future husband swore that she was 10
wears old. AS he was found to have
another wife living. he was sent to
iail to serve long sentence on several
charges.
A child of Is in California applied
for a divorce A judge said she had
been married with her mothers con-
sent. to a man more than twice her
age.
A welfare society in the south re-
ports the marriage of two sisters, IS
and Il years old, to soldiers.
Marriage DId MOT Last.
OF 90 cases observed by the founda-
ton only 10 couples remained mar
ried. Divorce and annulment proceed
ings were filed in 20 cases, II couples
separated within a short time, and in
10 cases the young husband and wife
never lived together.
OF 240 child marriages cited as typi-
cal cases 100 had parental consent.
Four of the brides were only ii years
old were IL and l8 were Is years
old. The licenses for 129 of these mar
riages were illegally issued. In NUM-
Der of cases the bridegroom was four
or FIVE times older than the bride.
These are only few of the in
stances which came to light during
the survey. There were hundreds OF
others, some even more pitlable