YOUNGER BRIDES.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19463, 9 November 1928, Page 18

YOUNGER BRIDES.

TENDENCY IN N.S.W. REMARKABLE FIGURES. (noK oxm owh cobbiscoxsest.) SYDNEY, November 1. Tho psychologist and the moralist will And much of interest in the latest marriage statistics of New South Wales, and tho majority will probably welcome tho sign that girls are once again evincing a desire to marry early. The figures for 1927, just completed, show - that marriage is not only more pop War, but the brideß have been much younger than was the fashion . during the preceding five or six years. Thus New South Wales has been keeping pace with England, where there has been a great increase in boy and girl marriages, recalling the trend of the mid-Victorian period. In view of a population increase of 52,000 during 1927 the greater number of marriages celebrated last year, compared with 1926, was not surprising. But it was surprising to find that more, tfrn" a third of the bridegrooms last year, and many more than half of the brides were below the age of. 24. Altogether, there were 20,052 marriages compared tvith 19,219 for the previous year. There was a great increase in the number of marriages by both men and women who had not attained. the age of 21, but the most popular ages appear to have been between 21 and 24. There were 6306 men and 7017 girls between those ages married in 1927—66 more men and 2958 more girls than those who came under the classification, between 25 and 29- years. Of course, there were some girls who carried the early marriage theory too far. At least some are bound to agree that that was so in the case of six girls who were married when they were 14 years of age. Then again, there were 59 girls who were married at 15, and 300 at 16. The tendency seems .to haye been for men to select younger brides, as there were fewer younger bridegrooms. There were 717 girls married at 17, and the numbers increased; until the 24 year period, when they commenced to recede. On the .other side of the picture it is interesting .to note that the eldest bride was a widow of 87 who married a bachelor/ aid .thd oldest bridegroom was 89. . Five bridegrooms in 1927 were , more than 80 years fourteen brides had seen more than seventy summers. Many matrimonial adventures- are hinted at in the prosaic uniformity, of the tabulated. figures. Last year , ofie divorced-man and one divorced woman rc-married at the age of 20.- Eight widowers and 29 widows re-married before they reached the age of .24, and one; widow of 18, three of 19, and one of. 20 were re-married* .-•■ •