The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1927-08-06
Marriage Demands
Maturity Of Mind
And Of Body
BY Beatrice Fairfax

81 AuehUl-e9 0n etAo lNOUACAADO y
Love and Marriage
uIHAT is the best age to marry7
Ny correspondence proves
that this question IL being con.
eidered thoughtfuiiy BY modern
1ounE people.
Time was when the answer
4 - the question according to
accepted standards was: Marry
young!''
And by young was meant very,
very young.
Shakespeare. who mirrcred the
customs Of 800 years ago. has
Lady Capulet admontshing her
is.year-old daughter, Juliet, Ia
''Romeo and Juliet:
well. think Of marriage now:
younger than you
Here in Verona. ladies Of esteem.
Are already mothers. BY my
count
: was your mother. much upon
these years
That you are now q maid. =
Truly times have changed since
then! ],
The 13-year-old girl of today is
comparatively mere infant. At
IS. q modern girl is still busily
growing up. On the other hand,
women used to be aged at 80.
while now at IS many a woman
IS effulgent with youthful beauty.
The period of childhood and
youth has extended for boys. also.
AT Is. the modern young man is
Just emerging from the view
points and tastes of boyhood and
may be referred to as boy. In
other centuries, the average man
Of rs was middle-aged, with his
children growing up about him.
Marriage to be successful calls
Tor reserves of vitality and
strength, as well as mental quail
ties, which can only be acquired
with the years. For very young
girls and boys to marry, before
their mental and physical stamina
ts established. Is likely to blight
health and happiness and mean
inferior children. For this rea.
son, so-called child marriages are
condemned by authorities and by
al thinking people.
Let us suppose hat Jack at 10
and Jill at Is are attracted to
each other by the good looks
they share. They elope under the
sway OF this strong primitive al.
traction and are married without
realizing In the least the full sig.
nificarce of what they have un.
dertaken.
What IL the result? Jack gives
M his ambition for college and
takes Job. He has no chance
20 succeed because It takes all he
can earn and more to support Jill
and the babies that soon arrive.
His marriage makes him a slave
tied forever to a poor Job, with
courage and ambition sapped by
rear OF the wolf that Is forever
bowling at the door.
jill misses the fun and admira-
ton she was just beginning to
1enJoy when she gave 1t ali I'm
and married Jack. She feels BIT.
terly that she has missed the fun
o. being young. Her youthful
Almost childish spirit-breaks
under the lonely monotony OF
nouseWork, caring for babies and
poverty.
Had these two waited a few
years. remaining merely good
friends meantime. they would
have learned how utterly uncon.
genial they were aside from a
slight attraction caused BY
youthful good looks and CONT.
Kuity.
The slender shoulders of the
very young are not strong
enough to bear well the burdens
Of marriage.
Youth is the time to marry.
Springtime is mating time and
springtime is youth.
But youth and age have won
0erful new meanings today.
At 30 i girl 10 in the prime
Of her youth. aC an age when
she instinctively looks for love
and her mate. At 25 a young
man is usually sufficiently set.
tied in tastes to know the type
OF girl he can really find COM
panionable throughout the years
the adorable girl who will be
his pride and joy always as head
Of his home, his helpmate. He is
ntill romantic, the blood runs
warm through his veins, he can
thrill to the touch Of hand
and dream OF q sweet face. But
he has outgrown the crude tact.
lessness and ignorance Of human
and feminine nature that charac-
terize the very young boy.
Considering all things, 1t is
fairly safe to state that the best
time to marry Is any time you
tall In love after you are fully.
grown up mentally and physi-
cally provided the man who wins
your heart Is suitable as your