74 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



the defendant and his family ; furniture and household 

 furnishings belonging to defendant and his family to 

 the value of $600 ; also certain personalty exclusive of 

 the foregoing and homestead not exceeding 1GO acres; 

 house and buildings occupied by the defendant, also 

 the lot or lots on which same is situate according to the 

 registered plan, to the extent of $1,500; defendant is 

 entitled to his choice from a greater number of articles 

 from the same class. 



British Columbia. Personal property of debtor to 

 the value of $500 is exempt from execution. No goods 

 or personalty, however, is exempt from seizure in respect 

 to debts contracted in regard to the identical goods. 

 The stock in trade of a merchant is not exempt from 

 seizure although vmder $500 and they can be sold to 

 satisfy a judgment. Registered homesteads are exempt 

 from execution to the value of $2,500. 



MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE LAWS. 



Marriage Licenses. Required in all the 

 States and Territories except Idaho, New 

 Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, 

 Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. 



Marriage, Prohibition of. Marriages between 

 whites and persons of liegro descent are pro- 

 hibited and punishable in Alabama, Arizona, 

 Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, In- 

 diana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Mis- 

 souri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, 

 Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, 

 Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia. 



Marriages between whites and Indians are 

 void in Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina. Or- 

 egon, and South Carolina. 



Marriages between whites and Chinese are 

 void in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. 



The marriage of first cousins is forbidden in 

 Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, 

 Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, 

 North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, 

 South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming, 

 and in some of them is declared incestuous and 

 void, and marriage with step-relatives is for- 

 bidden in all the States, except California, 

 Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, 

 Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, 

 North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, ancl Wis- 

 consin. 



Marriage, Age to Contract, Without Consent 

 of Parents. In all the States which have 

 laws on this subject 21 years is the age for 

 males, and for females 21 years in Connecticut, 

 Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, 

 Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, 

 Virginia, West Virginia, and .Wyoming, and 

 18 in all the other States having laws, except 

 Maryland, in which it is 16 years. 



Marriages, Voidable. Marriages are void- 

 able in nearly all the States when contracted 

 under the age of consent to cohabit. 



Divorce Laws. 



Alabama. Divorce may be obtained for the follow- 

 ing causes: Impotency, adultery, desertion for two 

 years, habitual drunkenness, imprisonment for two 

 years and continued cruelty. An allowance must be 

 made by the court, out of the husband's estate, for the 



support of the wife pending suit; also an allowance 

 when the decree is made. The custody of minor chil- 

 dren may be given to either parent, in the discretion of 

 the court. 



Arizona. Divorce may be granted for the violation 

 of the marriage vow ; physical incapacity ; willful deser- 

 tion for six months ; habitual drunkenness ; conviction 

 for felony; cruelty; failure by husband to provide for 

 six months. 



Arkansas. Divorce may be granted for impotency, 

 bigamy, adultery, conviction of felony, habitual drunk- 

 enness, willful desertion for one year, cruel and barba- 

 rous treatment. Plaintiff must reside in the State one 

 year before bringing suit. Court may allow alimony to 

 the wife. 



California. Divorces are granted for adultery, ex- 

 treme cruelty, conviction of felony, willful desertion, 

 neglect or habitual intemperance continued for one 

 year. No divorce can be granted by default. 



Colorado. Divorces may be granted for adultery, 

 impotency, bigamy, willful desertion for one year, habit- 

 ual drunkenness for two years, extreme crue'lty or con- 

 viction for felony or infamous crime. One year's 

 residence in the sa';e is required before bringing suit, 

 except where the offense was committed in the State 

 or while one or both of the parties resided there. 



Connecticut. Absolute divorce may be granted by 

 the Superior Court for adultery, fraud, duress or force 

 in obtaining the marriage, willful desertion for three 

 years, seven years' absence without being heard of, habit- 

 ual intemperance, intolerable cruelty, sentence to im- 

 prisonment for life, the commission of any crime 

 punishable by imprisonment in the State penitentiary 

 and any such misconduct as permanently destroys the 

 happiness of the petitioner and defeats the purposes of 

 the marriage relation. Three years' residence in the 

 State is necessary before filing a petition. Either party 

 may marry again after divorce, and the court may 

 change the wife's name and make order for alimony 

 and custody of the children. 



North and South Dakota. Divorce may be granted 

 for violation of the marriage vow ; willful desertion; 

 conviction for felony ; cruelty and physical incapacity. 



Delaware. Divorce may be granted by the Superior 

 Court for adultery, impotency at the time of marriage, 

 habitual drunkenness, extreme cruelty, desertion for 

 three years or conviction of crime sufficient to consti- 

 tute a felony. In the case of marriage by fraud or for 

 want of age, the wife being less than sixteen, the hus- 

 band being less than eighteen, at the time of marriage, 

 absolute divorce or divorce from bed and board may oe 

 granted, at the discretion of the court. The wife re- 

 ceives all her real estate and such other allowance and 

 alimony as the court mav decree where the husband is 

 proved to be in fault. Willful neglect of the husband to 

 provide the necessities of life also forms sufficient 

 grounds for divorce. 



District of Columbia. Divorce may be granted 

 for violation of the marriage vow; physical incapacity ; 

 willful desertion for two years; habitual drunkenness ; 

 conviction for felony; cruelty; insanity or idiocy at 

 time of marriage. 



Florida. Applicants for divorce must have resided 

 two years within the State. Absolute divorces may be 

 granted only by the Circuit Courts. Adultery, impo- 

 tency, bigamv, extreme cruelty, habitual intemperance 

 or desertion for one year are sufficient causes. Alimony 

 may be granted to the wife by the courtSj and provision 

 f or'a division of property when a decree is granted. 



Georgia. Grounds for total divorce are as follows: 

 Marriage within the prohibited degrees of affinity or 

 consanguinity; mental or physical incapacity at the 

 time or marriage, force, menace, duress or fraud in ob- 

 taining it ; adultery, willful desertion by either party 

 for three years ; cruel treatment by, or habitual intoxi- 

 cation of either party ; or sentence to the penitentiary 

 for two years or over for any offense involving moral 

 turpitude. No total divorce may be granted except bv 

 the concurrent verdict of two juries, rendered at dif- 

 ferent times of court; and when a divorce is granted. 

 the jury rendering the final verdict determines the rights 

 and disabilities of the parties. 



Idaho. Divorce may be granted for violation of the 

 marriage vow; willful desertion for one year; habitual 

 drunkenness ; conviction for felony ; cruelty ; failure of 

 husband to provide ior one year ; insanity and confine- 

 ment in an asylum six years. 



Illinois. Divorce may be granted, where complain- 

 ant has been a resident of the State for one year, for im- 

 potency, bigamy, adultery, desertion or drunkenness for 



