Ordered Back To School

Family values in Lancaster, Pennsylvania — 1930s. She got herself a husband, so why does she need any of that fancy edumacation?

The Wilkes-Barre Record - Nov 21, 1935

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Posted By: Alex - Sun Dec 06, 2015
Category: Education | Marriage | 1930s

Comments

Another case of idiot politicians making knee-jerk laws without worrying about any impact on existing laws.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 12/06/15 at 10:05 AM

Expat: huh? The law is, you have to go to school until you're 18 - probably 16 in this case. What's so knee-jerk about applying that in this case as well? Having had sex is not an excuse for keeping the girl at home, or half the classes in Birmingham would be empty.

Posted by Richard Bos on 12/06/15 at 11:56 AM

Without a doubt the legal age of consent to marry is/was 15 or less BEFORE they made up the law about how old you had to be to drop out of school. So.... If the above is true then it's logical that the school drop out law makers didn't take the age of consent to marry into account.

I'll even bet (without looking) that you'll find similar situations like this in other states. Right now the minimum legal age in Mass., with parental consent, is 12! Can a 12yo legally drop out of school in Mass.? Click Here

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 12/06/15 at 12:08 PM

I'm afraid I don't see the connection between marriage and required education. To me, they're completely separate issues. It sounds, to me, that you're saying something like "I'm licensed by the state to spray pesticides, so I shouldn't have to take a driver's test."

Plenty of married people go to school. I knew a guy who married his high school sweetheart the week before he started his freshman year of college. By the time he graduated, he was on wife number three.

Posted by Phideaux on 12/06/15 at 02:00 PM

I see no point in forcing the girl to go to school once she is married. Sounds like she wants to go back, but it really should be up to her husband. Nowadays she could just home school herself.

Posted by RobK on 12/07/15 at 11:22 AM

@Phideaux: It's NOT between marriage & education it's all about the law granting adult privileges in the case of marriage but treating that same person as a minor in regards to education.

It's the same thing with (in my day) being of legal age to enter into a period of servitude where my life could be in grave danger vs my NOT being of legal age to drink, vote, or enter into most other types of legal contracts.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 12/07/15 at 11:38 AM

RobK: yeah, let the little lady stay in the kitchen where she belongs, eh?

Posted by Richard Bos on 12/11/15 at 05:18 AM

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