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Show DERIVED FROM EARLY CUSTOM How Missouri Got Its Now Generally Used Nickname of the "Show-Me" "Show-Me" State. An early-day custom in Missouri regarding marriages is said to be responsible re-sponsible for the famous expression, "I'm from Missouri ; you've got to show me." A good many years ago the marriage laws In Missouri were so loose that any one could get married without answering answer-ing many questions. In 18.81 a law was passed making it a misdemeanor for a minister or a Justice to marry persons not haing a state license. It also set the age of marriageable women at eighteen. If the applicant for a license did not know the age of his bride-elect be had to show her to the license clerk and let him Judge her age. When the applicant went after the girl she naturally asked why she had to go along to get the license. When told that the law required her exhibition, she remarked re-marked : "Oh, you've got to show me?" This occurred many times during dur-ing the first year or so of the law's enforcement and became a byword. Thns Missouri became known as the "Show-Me" state. |