In most of the States, the common law requires that the male be fourteen and the female twelve years of age, before the marriage can take place. In certain States, seventeen for males and fourteen for females; in others, the age for males is eighteen, for females, fourteen.

Formerly in certain Eastern States, parties intending to marry were required by statute to record a notice of such intent with the town clerk for three weeks, at the expiration of which time, if no objection was interposed, the clerk was authorized to give a certificate to that effect, and the clergyman or magistrate was empowered to perform the ceremony. In various States, the law requires that parties intending marriage shall

Marriage

-State of

previously obtain from the city or town clerk, a certificate of their respective names, occupations, ages, birth-places, and residences upon receipt of which, any clergyman or magistrate is authorized to perform the ceremony.

In several States of the Union, the consent of the parents or guardians is required, before the proper officer can issue a license, if the male be under twenty-one years, or the female under eighteen

In some of the States, a license to marry must first be procured of the city, town, or county clerk, empowering the clergyman or magistrate to marry the contracting parties, which is worded as follows:

The people of the State of...

License.

-County of

and M.

day of....

hereby certify that on I joined in Marriage,

agreeable to the

., A. D., 187.......

,

187.

The Ceremony.

The license procured, the ceremony of marriage may take place wherever it best suits the convenience of the parties marrying, and may be performed by a clergyman, justice of the supreme court, judge of an inferior court, justice. of the peace, or police justice; one or more witnesses being present to testify to the marriage. The clergyman or magistrate may visit the candidates for matrimony at a private residence, hotel, hall, church, or other place; or the parties may call upon the clergyman at his residence, or visit the magistrate in his office, where the rite may be performed. When the ceremony is conducted by the magistrate, the following is the usual form.

Form of Marriage.

(The man and woman rising, the justice will say to the man :) "Will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance, in the holy cstate of Matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as you both shall live?"

(Then addressing the woman, the justice will say :)

"Will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance, in the holy estate of Matrimony, to love, honor, and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others keep thee only unto him so long as you both shall live?"

(The parties answering in the affirmative, the justice will then instruct them to join hands, and say :)

"By the act of joining hands you take upon yourselves the relation of husband and wife, and solemnly promise and engage, in the pres

The form used by clergymen is essentially the same, though the wording may vary slightly to suit the occasion and conform to the rites of the church under which the parties marry.

The marriage license is returned by the magistrate or clergyman to the clerk that granted it, for record. At the time of procuring the license, however, the bridegroom or other person should obtain a blank marriage certificate, usually furnished by the clerk, which should be filled by the clergyman or magistrate at the close of the ceremony, certifying to the marriage of the parties; which certificate should be always preserved by the husband and wife, as proof of marriage, if necessary, when they have removed to other parts of the country. The following is the form of the marriage certificate:

SIDE from the entertainments of guests at the residence of the bride, the expenses of the marriage are entirely borne by the groom, who is understood to be the winner of the prize. If the parties marrying are wealthy and of undoubted standing and respectability in society, they can appropriately celebrate the nuptial ceremony in an expensive manner, the occasion being taken by the relatives and friends as an opportunity for the making of every description of present to the bride and groom. If, however, the parties move in the humbler walks of life, an expensive bridal tour, and very great display at the wedding, are not advisable. It is much better for the newly wedded couple to commence life in a manner so plaiu and modest that succeeding years cannot fail to steadily increase their wealth and give them better opportunities. People always more highly respect those persons who steadily go upward, no matter how slowly, than those that attempt a display beyond their ability honestly to maintain.

To legally marry in the United States, only a few incidental expenses are really necessary. Of these, the license costs, in different States, from one to two dollars, and the magistrate, for performing the ceremony, is allowed by law to charge two dollars. While no law regulates the price, it is customary to quietly present the clergyman five dollars or more, according to the ability and liberality of the groom. In giving notice of the marriage to the newspaper, it is

courtesy always to enclose, with the same, a dollar bill.

The wording of the marriage notice will depend upon circumstances. If the parties have a large circle of acquaintances, to whom they desire to offer an apology for not having invited. them to the wedding, they will announce, with the notice, that no general invitation was extended, thus:

MARRIED.

LEONARD REYNOLDS. In this city, at the residence of the bride's father, January 1, 1873, by the Rev. Chas. G. Robinson, rector of Christ Church, Mr. Theron D. Leonard and Mrs. A. B. Reynolds, daughter of Wm. Fairbanks, Esq., all of Philadelphia. No cards.

Other marriage notices, according to circumstances, will read as follows:

In this city, by the Rev. H. A. Henderson, CHARLES H. WILLIAMS and MYRA B. COOLEY, both of Chicago.

On Tuesday, the 7th inst., by the Rev. Dr. Belmont, at the residence of the bride's uncle, Harvey Baker, Esq., Cyrus E. Maynard, of New York, and Miss Lizzie H. Wentworth, of Cleveland, Ohio.

On Thursday, January 20th, at the residence of Mr. Asa Sprague, 144 Mayberry St., Anton D. Miller, of St. Joseph, Mich., and Harriet A. Sprague, of this city.

St. Joseph papers please copy.

At the Leland House, Springfield, Ill., January 30, by the Rev. J. L. Stoddard, Stephen M. Byron, of Detroit, Mich., and Carrie D. Paine, of Springfield, Ill.

On the evening of the 30th, at the Revere House, by Winfield Gardner, Miss Emma Brown to William Wedgewood, all of this city.

In this city, on Monday, at the residence of the bride's father, Mr. H. A. Waldron and Miss Agnes E. Willett.

The ceremonies took place at the residence of Henry Willett, Esq., on Beverly Place, yesterday morning at nine o'clock, only a select company of friends being present. The happy couple departed at once on their wedding tour, with New York as their main point of destination. Their visit will be protracted until the middle of next month, when, upon their return, Mr. Waldron will assume the secretaryship of the Great Western

Mutual Insurance Company, of this city, to which position he

has been recently called by the directors of the Company.

URING LIFE, a carefully prepared record of the family, which should be arranged by the head of the household, is of great convenience for reference. This register should contain the name, birth, marriage, and death

of each member of the family. It may be kept in the Bible, on a paper prepared especially for the purpose, suitable for framing, or in any manner whereby the same may be preserved. It may also contain brief biographical sketches of members of the family.

BIOGRAPHY

N preparing the register, care should be

taken to give the names of the family in full, the town and state where each was born, and date of birth; the state and town where each died, and date of death; town and state where each married, and date, together with the name of the officiating clergyman, or magistrate, and of one or more witnesses to the marriage. In proving claims to pensions, or heirship to estates, this is frequently of great importance. Observe carefully the form of record shown on the opposite page.

CHILDREN.

UARDIANS and parents are also recommended to prepare in a book of blank pages, made for the purpose, a biographical sketch of each child under their charge, noting peculiarities of birth, attending physician, color of hair, eyes, &c., when born; strength of constitution, subsequent disposition, age at which the child first walks, talks, reads, writes, first attends school, and so on upwards until the child is able to take up the record itself.

HE child's record should be made very full and explicit for many reasons, the principal being that it may be of great service to the future biographer of the child; while the physiologist may draw an important lesson by a comparison between the habits of infancy and those of mature years. This record will certainly be a matter of value to the family, and like the infantpicture, it will be of especial interest to the man and woman as a daguerreotype of their early years.