ILL-ADVISED MARRIEGES.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14972, 20 May 1914, Page 7

ILL-ADVISED MARRIEGES.

SHOULD CLERGYMEN INTERTENE ?

AX AUCKLAND MINISTER'S VIE Wβ. (SPECIae TO "THE PRESS.") AUCKLAND. May 19. The comments cf Mr J/istice Cooper fjom the Supreme Court bench yesterday on the subject of hasty, ill-advised marriages, and suggesting that the evil in New Zealand might be lessened if fuller enquiries were made by ministers before celebrating marriages, prompted a 'Star"' interviewer to an opinion this morning from a number of reverend gentlemen on the suggestion.

The Rev. Howard Elliott, convener of the Public Morals Committee for the Ministers' Association, expressed himself very definitely on the subject when approached. "I have read Mr Justice Cooper's remarks with very great interest."' he began. "What a judge on- the Bench *ees and knows occasionally, some oi the ministers see and know, frequently. There are the very gravest reasons for some alterations in the sytem of granting licenses in this counhy. Only recently a young couple came .to be married. The woman, though only in her teens, was of a very questionable character. She had hidden the facts from her fiance, and he, thinking her to be a le-spectable and straightforward woman, was prepared and anxious to marry her. The Registrar i> not charged wita any dut- to juake enquiry as to the moral character of the circumstances surrounding any marriage. I.ILs duty is fcimply to issue a license if the requirements of the law are complied with when a license is issued. A person may come to n minister and ask to bo married. If the minister, for reasons wlrch be niny consider good and .sufficient.' declines to do so. another minister, knowing, less tlwn. the first one. is wai'.od upon ami he performs the ceremony. THE QUEENSLAND SYSTEM. "In' Queensland." said Mr Elliott, "the ministers have the power to forbid a mariage to kins mace for a certain length of time. They may invoke also the aid of the detectives to make enquiries if they are not satisfied, as 1 have done on more than one occasion myyself and thereby earned the gratitude in one instance of highly-placed parents in saving their daughter, from what would have been an untortunate marriage.

THE NEED OF SAFEGUARDS. "In this country the minister has no power, and no opportunity "of safeguarding either of the parties, further power might well bo .given to ministers -in the cases where, tho contracting parties-are utisuited, by reason of age. To illustrato this, recently, a man of 67 applied to mc to marry him to a woman of 28. The woman had sympathised with the man, lie had pressed his-suit, nnd she had consented to. marry him. When they waited upon mc I pointed out the disparity m t.ieir aces and impressed upon the woman that in five years' time she would probably have, to keep her husband, her children, and herself, since the had no property and was simply a wage-earner. I urged her to consider the matter very seriously before enterino- into a marriage, with the result that the marriage did not take place. The woman has since expressed her thanks to mc. , PITIABLE INSTANCES.

"There arc many pitiable instances, on the other hand, of hastily married couples who have had to repent at leisure. A man 'of ' sixty-five advertised in the -newspapers and got into communication with a young widow ot thirty years with one child, fohe was veryprepossessingj'and had her own name to the value ot ±.4000. Tho man advertised that he was aweU-'to-do farmer. He had had enquiries made as to the financial position ot the woman, while she .had .. accepted his statement ar.d the exhibition of a, couple of title deeds as being sufhcier..i> evidence of his position. Tho man aroused my suspicions, and I.made enquiries, to find that he was penniless, having only a slight interest in some Maori leases. He attempted to rush the marriage through, but 1 stated the facts to the woman. •The .license had been issued, and the woman was so agitated and confused that though I ottered her the license to tear up, she hesitated so long that the marriage took place. Tho result was that she • was taken to a home with only a bed, a table, and two boxes for furniture, and for a month she was badgered and bullied to hand over her moneys to her husband. He declined to work while she had so much money, and even refused to. buy food, the wife being obliged to buy what they required. After six weeks the woman left him, and she is now in a position as housekeeper. Her chances" of a happy marriage have been absolutely destroyed., "Other instances one can give where if the minister had the power to interdict the marriage for a pericd much misery might have been saved. There was a case heard in the Police Court on Friday last for separation and maintenance, which'was one of the most shocking and pitiable cases I have ever heard, while both magistrate and counsel- expressed the same opinion. The marriage took place at the Registrar's office. If any minister had been asked to celebrate that marriage he would have seen that there was a very grave reason for delay, and that even the prospect of a girl giving birth to an illegitimate child is not so terrible and appalling as the prospect c£ a girl being malted under circumstances most distressing, and with no prospect of a happy married life. AN UNHEALTHY TENDENCY. . "The growth of marriages at the Registrar's ofSce/ , added Mr Elliott, "indicates an appalling decadence in public opinion as to the sanctity and meaning ■ and importance of marriage. Until men and women regard it more seriously, and until more power is given into the hands of, ministers, whose only desire is to conserve the interests of both parties, and to "give them, as far as they possibly can. a fair opportunity fora happy life, these wretched marriages will continue to take place, and the Divorce Court will be more and more occupied."