Show y Ideal Age at Which to toWed Wed One of Great i Questions of Today t Jurists D Doctors Ministers Citizens s and Club Club- Club I I women Express Views on Momento Momentous Momen- Momen to tous us Problem t I 1 By y KAY HARMS Is there an ideal age for marriage Prominent jurists s doctors ministers citizens and clubb club club- b eti of Salt Lake seem to think all things being equal that there is an age at which the chances f fOr r living happily ever after are far greater than at any other p period of the normal life I Never before have marriage and divorce been univ universally subjected to such searching scrutiny as toda today never before has the problem of how to achieve a happy marriage apparently I concerned men and women as much as it does today never nee has there been a wider deeper discussion o of the general generals I s subject by the mass o of people Ob- Ob iaus proof o of this lies les in the dally daily the church sermon the and the courts ot of the country Putting marriage on a sane basis a 1 attempting to solve its problems problems lems tr from m that angle seems to be bethe bethe the latest endeavor ot of scientistS workers and other thinking men nen and women who who concern concern themselves them them- selves wIth human welfare and how howIt It can be bettered Graphs and charts are being made as guideposts guide gulde- posts and statistics are being compiled corn com piled from years ears of records NORMAL RISK Just as with insurance so with marriage there is a normal risk In happiness many believe Age is the determining factor the scientists ti ts claim Outside the zone wherein where where- in th the normal risk lie the zones ot of one to two two to five and five to ten anti and ten to one hundred times th normal risk And if your age nd the age of the person whom yo II are marrying marring falls alls outside the ideal zone one its it's apt to be just that much larder harder to make a go of your mar mar- age At least that's one interesting interest interest- ing theory of the thing The Ideal age About 29 for the room and 24 for the bride say thE deviations of tour four years ears of r ether elther side for the groom or of two years for tor the bride make nu appreciable difference Marriages g jn which is bride is under 21 o ot tho th groom under 24 become rapidly snore more dangerous as younger ales aces are re considered marriages in 11 Either party part is 19 or younger are ten to one hundred times as risky lis as are marriages of the Ideal age ag nd marrIages ot of persons over 8 S from two to five times time as likely to result In Ia domestic difficulties as asare are marrIages at the ideal age The are from the Journal of Social H Hygiene giene and are based on data collected from the del del- hia court of domestic relations and from OO license applications MISS WILLIAMS WILLIAMS' VIEWS Because her social service worK has has- brought her in such Intimate contact with domestIc situations which have enabled her to get at atthe the very erv root or of marital troubles trouble Miss K Kate te Williams now head ot of In Salt the Travelers Travelers' Aid society Lake and a member ot of the state board of education has some very views on this marriage and i pp ess business especially when child marriages are concerned Child ChUd marriages she explains are those contracted by persons under legal age perhaps you ou will sa say child marriages marriages mar mar- Why the theres there's fes fe's no such thing In Iii the United States Miss Williams Wil- Wil hams liams saId On the contrary more than two thirds of a million people In country toda today have j. j been child brIdes or have hae been t married to child brides the records show And by child bride Is meant one who Is less than 16 years old Only a small or of such brides are foreign most of them are white native of native parent parent- f iI age ge The happiest marriages Miss Williams holds are those contracted contract contract- ed d when the individuals are old i 1 enough nough for theIr personal character character- 1 to have become definitely developed de- de One ot of the chief reasons L that young marriages fall fail she is that the persons person's charges younger personalities not beIng formed at the time ot of theIr marriage develop In uns unsympathetic ways with the result that as they do become formed they ma may not become corn com My idea of the ideal age In black 1 and white figures is any time between between be- be tween 20 and 30 years of a age e. e Miss Williams saId It If men and women walt wait until later than that they are j I apt to become set in theIr ways and less adaptable to the InevItable I of marriage FAIL BY IGNORANCE fails faUs because people know so little ot of what It reallY means Miss 1 Williams continued ThIs is an age of edUcation and that means education for tor marriage r and parenthood as well as other thIngs Men understand as little as women omen the responsibilities entailed in being parents And on the parents par par- for that reason falls the blame or many child marrIages A desire de- de sire to escape from unhappiness In is one of the chief motives of f child marriages Failure on the part ot of parents to understand their children or to win their participatIon tIon in home plans and purposes purpose and faIlure even more fundamental when the is wIthout standards and the children are neglected are large factors In these distressing child chUd marriages The Ideal age for tor marrIage Is the one which nature has apparently provided the Very Rev Arthur W. W bishop of the EpIscopal dlo ese se of t. t Utah and Nevada evada bel be- be l ves 0 4 The maUng period b long to human JUe Ife as much as it does to any other kind of life Bishop Moulton said In human life however instinct is dIrected by th thE spirit and the Intellect Marriage 1 becomes a sacrament In the Christian Christian Chris Chris- tian church although It always alwa's has hasa a sacramental val value e Nowadays marriage appears to be delayed In some seine quarters due perhaps to the fact that more young men and women women wo- wo men are going to college There is a stampede toward the divorce courts today with no particular par par- effort on the part of lawyers lawers or judges to stop it Bishop Moulton affirmed DIVORCE TOO EASY I believe that one of the gre test causes of among the young people today Is the knowledge that thata a marriage which does not bring the kInd of happIness that was vas desired may be easily dissolved Many marriages are entered into without mature judgment and under the spell or of infatuation Uon rather rather than love These do donot not seem to endure The knowledge that WOmen have today th that t the they can cari easily support themselves probably has a great bearing on the divorce que question BIshop Moulton fees feels The speed or of livIng the manIa mahia for pleasure the weakness of reverence and the loosening of the foundations of religious re- re faith are all Important contrIbuting icon con factors he saId A man who has sat in hi judgment when young wIves and husbands have brought theIr troubles to hirn for adjudication dj offered his bIs opinions based on years ears of judicial experIence ence and observation The happiness ot of a young married mar mar- ned ried couple depends upon the girl Irl I believe Judge Jude ChrIs Mathison of oe the Third judi judicial ial distrIct said If the girl gets of oft on on the wrong track at the beginning o 0 the marriage a results A woman doesn't gener generally ha have e mu much h basIc common sense is about 35 and for that reason has to be doubly careful to preserve marital happi- happi ness A girl of 18 or 21 is Ig too young oung to accept the responsIbIlities of married life JUdge MathIson be- be From 23 to 26 is' is a fairly safe age for the gIrl while a man should marry as soon as h is ad able to assume the financIal financial finan- finan cIal responsibilities of marrIage beCause because be- be cause marriage is a stead influence ence he saId STABILITY ESSENTIAL The essential In a a. happy happ marriage mar mar- mor more Important than whether the couple are 18 or 80 Is whether Ot or not they have attained mental development balance and stability ot of character Judge l hison said There must be more than the mere carnal attraction There must be a spiritualism an Idealism In the marrIage Love LOe is a structure that must be with the years There Is too little real a affection n and too much superficIal attraction in modern marrIage And the greatest cause of dIvorce among young oung people A lack of money and incompatibility of ideals tastes and desIres Judge Mathison who is one ot of the most liberal of judges In divorce matters saId The ideal age for marriage Is certainly not before the man and woman have both education and experIence Dr John J. J Galligan city physician said said Certainly I Ido Ido do hot not believe In early marrIages By early marriages marriages' I mean those In which the brIde and groom are not old enough to have a sense ot of the responsibIlities or of the great Undertaking Under Under- taking they are assuming It i s shard hard to set a a. definite age boun- boun dary Some boys and girls at 20 have reached a balance that does not come to others as late as 30 I would riot not advocate marrIages younger than 20 because the parties to the contract as a general rule are not old enough or experienced enough to know their own minds their and decisions are nut DUt passing ones ones All thIngs being being- equal I would say the ideal age for a bride is around 23 or 4 24 and the groom about 27 to 30 OLDER THAN LAW The Institution ot of marriage Is so 80 much older than law that law must mOVe cautiously with respect to It it Dr holds The ideal minimum mini mini- I mum age IndIcated by science may maybe maybe be so far removed from the actual minimum still recognized by certain groups that progress toward the Ideal will have to be made gradually gradually grad grad- he saId When we turn to the ganic aspects of youthful marrIage we find ourselves in that field of endeavor In which the good admin admin- ot of existing law achIeves beneficent results and their made made- quate administration greatly delays socIal progress Dr Galligan said But the traditions and customs that form so large a part of our social lire life are shaped not only by social experIence deliberately applied with witha a view to the modification or of these they customs have been and will continue to be shaped by bl religIous beliefs by bi oC occupation n l s and industrial conditions b by housing hous- hous lug ing con conditions by We tile pioneer life ofa or of ora a ne ly settled settle country countr y f the exigencies exi- exi of war by the peaceful processes processes proc proc- esses of education and of organized organize pa play and last but not least by the Conquest conquet of that separateness in iii which many rural es have dwelt This conquest has come IAl Al I f q f j c p pL L. L J I t 1 ot i i z z t- t 4 I i Jt l a. a i iff Akl i v Ii I t i i V Y g tl t j. j o- o i. i i fr X 1 i Xi 1 rk e 3 I t I about through the means 0 ot the telephone railroad postal service and automobile andall antI and all of the he- hes s shaping aping a and d reshaping process ha has closer relation to marriage marriage mar mar- customs than is generally rec- rec he be Ideal age age r for r marriage Is certainly not under 20 0 to Ute the beliefs ot 01 George E. E Graham marriage license clerk of Salt Lake Alie cOUnty Mr Ur Graham has plenty iI nty of f I to base and upon for fr he pas been the blankS blankS' and asking the I necessary questIons of young youn cau pIes middle aged and nd old 1 couples fo for many years T TALKS L S ROM FROM EXPERIENCE To my wa way of when a aman aman man arid and a girl watt wait until they are re between 23 and 30 to get maried they generally stay marrIed and so Mr l By that time the they have got over oyer that read and willIng will will- wIld spirit they are ready ing to settle down they know their own mp s arid and realize the n serIousness seriousness serIous serIous- ness of or mad It If the they are younger their natural restlessnesS manliest's Itself and they resent and strain against the marriage ponds seems natural normal companionship corn com to an older couple Irk young people as as monotony In choosing a year as the Ideal age for lor a man to to marry Mr Gra- Gra ham barn put a personal application upon the question Well Vell I was was 26 26 he spId and as far as Im I'm concerned it ha has seemed to work worl out all right I But 1 two definite figures Well lets let's say say 21 for the girl and d I 23 for th the man A mother and the author ot of I numerous c. c charming arming books books- for tor girls and about girls Mrs Irs C C. C E. E Richards Richards Rich Rich- I ards contributed het he thoughts thoughts' on I this marrIage and happiness question question ques- ques I tion almost purely from the fern fern- fern I mine and for tor the the- feminIne side She does not believe In young ung mar mar- I i L 1 think a girl have edu education a- a i tion fIrst and then experience the time and chance to try tb out ier own lifa nd a J y A AE rE- rE rEa a OF F RIDE I 15 20 25 30 35 31 40 r 15 5 foi 4 ex f 1 4 c w. w f i if i- i 4 2 2 I f 1 ti 7 0 g G 6 rib it r o eJ L cN o 0 25 15 I I l e o 1 I f Ii o LOL lOf c- c AGE AE fOR FOP o 0 f- f 0 I to- to I ill LU IC I- I MAR I F 30 C fo 4 1 rI r- r i t.- t. S 1 c S 4 J 11 I d r c 35 S r Sc J li r. r I i c 1 ct I t I i t I I A Y I 1 I J Y J. J p t 1 i. i h. h ri W. W v. v p- p riff r if f 4 It I 1 j L i I Mrs Irs sa When girls are ale young oung their ideas are not definitely deft deft- formed Latex Later the they make malie wiser maria es Their judgment much dearer cIe The o re The ideal age ace for a girl to marry RIchards affirmed is H. H 4 because because be- be cause it has given her time to complete corn com her education to lave ave seen a little or of the formed her hr own judgment and to have put her acc accumulated ac- ac c cumulated experiences Into tice INTELLIGENCE GOVERNS GOVERNS A girl it at 4 is more apt to lether let her ri e govern ov rn her judg- judg meat in the patter or of love and marriage marriage mar mar- as her heart Mrs Richards s said id nv By thi thia she puts put thIngs on a saner firmer foundation Ion And the ideal age for the man At that tin tim when he has 13 an ane e economic start and hIs nt Is clear and sane lane Mrs Irs RIchards at- at That Tn-at i is generally when lie he is about 28 she added When n he beyond 30 h he gen gen- emily gets too critical too exact exact- lag demand too much and Is too set in his ways waJo's Extravagance At At this door does Mrs Ir Richards lay lav the blame Jor the preponderance of f the falling g young marla es Girls are unwilling to accent their responsibilities along with their Mrs Richards Richard charged e They are are- unwilling tado to ta todo do ts their m mothers beZore beton- them did shoulder houlder theIr share of the marus mar mar- us Hal burden There i jq too much t andIno enough life ThEre are arp too t distractions lq I du to marriages enterEd t to 11 hastily marria marriages eR con con- uit re regard ard or knowl- knowl edre or of a and d for theIr mates mate's tern tem But Mrs Richards added these theRe chars cannot lP hp laid at the or eli 1111 young oung The majority or of them are fine cleat thinking clean tint fair fl she RhO said WHEN ROMANCE ENDS When hen a J ha q got ot over her romantic romantic ro- ro mantic notions or of love and tIle the boy bay has a sense or of the responsibilities re- re or of then the tinie is 15 ripe t r the saying Yin ot of V I do dot a r t g. g o JUd Judge e. e r f i I V Ii t. f c j Ephraim Hanson who has also sa sat satin t tin in judgment In the Third 1 distri t ot of the state on domestic and marital trIals and nd tribulations I There Is no hard and fast faRt rule for |