Show ELEVEN STATES SANCTION X OF GIRLS AT 12 united states childrens bureau gives some facts about marriage laws washington U D C dame rachel crowdy british sociologist recently said bald seven states in tills this country permit girls to marry at the age of twel gwehe i e the united states childrens bureau Is sorry but ashes wrong she should haie said eleven this was admitted regretfully by the bureau officials to be the actual state of affairs if the most recent Inform information atlon in their files Is accurate dame crowdy fornier former chief of the social questions section of the league of nations in a speech at philadelphia contrasted the child marriage laws of this country with those of india turkey and japan which she said set a sixteen year limit she said europeans were somewhat amused at the moral indignation americans exhibit against child marriages sanctioned in the orient marriage at yonn ages Is not cot common with us and it Is to be regretted that it Is legal was the comment on this of miss grace abbott chief 0 of the childrens bureau and as Is 13 always true of the united states lu in our 48 43 different jurisdictions we have examples of some of the best as well as some of the poorest from russell sage foundation studies nod and other sources the roster of states making 32 12 years tie the I 1 minimum marriage marria e age for girls follows louisiana and virginia died blied by statute florida maine rhode island tennessee fixed by judicial decision under common law colorado idaho maraland mississippi and new jersey in which it Is presumed the common law applies kentucky pennsylvania and new york which were in that same list six years ago raised the minimum age to fourteen sixteen and fourteen respectively the russell sage foundation study of 1925 on child marriages estimated women and girls then living n the united states began their married life as child brides |