Sketcher.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 387, 8 October 1903, Page 7

Sketcher.

CHILD MIRRI AGE?. \ »VS>ATBLY the Kmsian Government; Hglpjß haß undertaken the tremendous." ~ 'MM task of attempting to stop child ; : "nurriagea in Tnrkeatan and-the; • adjoining countries in Asia under' flriei7 ':■'•;; Basaian dominion, It has heen custo- , mury for Mahometan girla to marry ; bttween the agea of 10 and 12 years, but - ordera have been issued now that ho Mahometan shall marry under" 14. Thia ..;'...: action of the Government has been brought about by the reports of the > sian official's in Turkestan, who Bay that .75 par cent, of the girla wbo marry under 12 die before they are 20 The Tartar, and Mahometan chiefs are much incensed over the new order of things, aB all of \j them seek to obtain brides aa young as possible. The custom of child marriage is rapidly passing away in all countries. In Turkestan girls are considered marriageable between 10 and 15. although it is common for girls only 9 years old to marry. The mother, or sister, or some female relative of the man who wants a wife, after having found what appears to be a suitable match, or, at all events, a girl who pleases the man himself, goes to the girl's family and discusses the advantages of the marriage. The match maker is at once asked hew much kalim will be given, and she, in her turn, is anxious to know the amcunt of the dowry, as it is desried that the kalim and dowry be nearly equal. It is commonly believed that the kalim, or money given by the husband, gees to the father of the wife, and that it is in the nature of purchase money, but this view is declared by many travellers to be incorrect. They Bay that the kalhn is given to the wife herself, and it remains her property, bo that, in case of divorce from her husband, she may have something to fall back upon. When the friend of the young man haa carefully looked at the bride and found out all about her, she returns to the man and telle him about the appearance and manners of his future wife. The man is then allowed to look at ler without her veil, but only on giving his solemn word that he looks at her with the intention of marrying her, and not out of idle curiosity. By Mussulman law every man is allowed to have four wives at one time, but more than this he cannot legally possess without divorcing one he has alreudy. The wife is obliged to obey her husband in all things, and to avoid everything that is uapltasant to him, and cannot, without hiß consent, make any contracts. She has, however, a right to food, clothing, lodging and servants, and to money for those expenses which are usual among persons of her rank. She is obliged to preserve her beauty as far as she can, and to try and please her husband; and for thia purpose she is allowed by law to use various cosmetics. The wife may be divorced by. her husband whenever he chooses, without his being required to give - any reasons whatever. In India, among many of the tribes, especially the Hindus, child marriage is an old established custom. Marrying means simply the buying of a young girl. Her fatber names as high a price as he thinka he can in reason ask, and then he and the man who wishes to marry the girl haggle for days, until ah agreemen 4 is reached, Of course, there is no court' ship, and the bride elect, being only a child, has no voice in the matter whatever, Her future husband and her father settle the thing to suit themselves. If, after the marriage, the bridegroom does not pay the agreed upon price to his father-in-law, the wife must return to her father until her husband has succeeded in r&ising the money. la some of the countries where child marriage prevails the custom is defended en the ground that the women in those climates fade so quickly that they are old and hideously ugly before they reach the a«e of 30. But this would seem to be because have the cares of married life and motherhood thrust upon them at such*an extremely early age that they become old women when they ahould be just budding into womanhood.