Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 17, 1893. Marriages on Earth.

Manawatu Herald, 17 January 1893, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, JAN. 17, 1893. Marriages on Earth.

It is written in " The Marriage Act 1880 " that the consent of a father, if resident within v the colony, and the guardians, if the father be dead, or the mother if guardians are not appointed, is required for the mamage of persons of either sex if under twenty one years of age. At first sight it appears as though the above restrictions were fair and equitable but from circumstances brought to our notice it appears that the enforcement of this clause may be the means of much hardship being inflicted upon those whom the Act appeai'3 to hava overlooked. The clause is direct in its instructions to the Registrars that, without the consent being produced, no girl under twenty one years of age can be lawfully married. It must be patent to every reader of a newspaper that cases upon oases occur in which the fact of a father having deserted his family, comes to light, and that the mother is unable to say for certain where he is residing A daughter of hers is thus prevented from marrying until she is twenty one. It has occurred before now that the deserted mother has made other arrangements which are not viewed favourably, and has perhaps placed her daughters out to service, leaving them to take care of themselves. These girls have lost the whereabouts of their father, and may be, also of their mother, but they cannot truthfully declare that their parents are not in the colony. Does this tend to morality? We think not, and that some amendment needs making in the Act so that a girl who has had herself to maintain could show good cause why she should be allowed to do as she thought best. We are not, as yet, prepared to grant this freedom to girls residing with any parent, but do certainly urge it for those who are practically alone. Our laws are supposed to be framed for the use of both rich and poor, though they do not often work out so, and in this Marriage Act we may probably be dhected to the clause following the one we have reviewed which sets out in case any parent or guardian shall unreasonably or from undue motives refuse their consent to a proper marriage, then it shall b 6 lawful for any person to apply by petition to a Judge of the Supreme Court, and if he is satisfied he can grant consent ! The clause helps no one who cannot find her parents, but thus curabrouslyj helps, if the parents are found and they object ! What can a girl do when she knows not their whereabouts ? She must wait, or assert that she is twenty-one years of age 1 It is clearly improbable that those who are more likely to be in the position we have suggested would have money to set up a petition to a J tidge, and they have thus no help. Again we ask is this a wise way to treat our girls ? At the age of sixteeu the law presumes they understand right from wrong and are of sufficient age to consent to certain acts ; it ssema a fairly reasonable argument that if they understand the right and wrong of an act. of immorality they should be old enough to understand whether it was advisable to take the serious

step of matrimony. At any rate it it.pponr.'S particularly unwise to condemn immorality and to erect such a difficult fence to acting morally. It is worth very serious consideration,