Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-02-27

, w from wear to year, the ratio of 1859 being
! 106 males to 100 females; the ratio of the last
five years being los to 100! 1t has been sug-
gested that among other causes for the excess
of males born was the excess of age Of the
male parent. This view, though combatted by
some, has received confederation. The slngu-
lar fact continues TO be illustrated by the near
equality in the children of foreign and of ma
tive parentage. The aggregate is is follows:
American, 1878; foreign, 1888; American
father and foreign mother, 1160; foreign faith
er and American mother, TAG; not stated,
1465. The foreign population Of Massachu-
sets, especially in the larger cities, is greatly
composed of that unthrifty aud improvident
class whom the multiplication of future re-
sponsibilties does not afflict, trusting the care
of their household gods 10 luck, or to that
Providence which takes care even of the spar
rows.
The registered marriages, though greatly
exceeding those of 1858, are still considerably
less than for the five years, 1913, inclusive.
The marriage rates are not Uniform through
the different seasons of the year-the last
three months of the year presenting the fullest
record The county of Suffolk shows the
highest marriage rate, where there was one
marriage to each 70 persons living, and Hamp.
shire county the lowest, where there was but
one marriage to each 151 persons living. The
connubial anomalies, which usually attract at
tention and excite gossip, are not unfrequent.
The great majority Of persons married were
between the ages of 20 and 80; the average
age being 28.4 years for men, and 24.6 for wo-
men. OF the men, however, only 1876 were
under 20, while 2474 brides were under that
age Of the women whose conjugal condition
is specified, 81 in 100 were brides for the first
time, and 81 in 100 of the men had not been
married before. Only in 100 of the bachel-
ors who were married, selected brides who had
been brides before, while IL in 100 maids were
wedlocked with widowers. Of the 10 widows
under 20 years of age, 9 married bachelors; of
the Sc widows between the ages of 20 and rs,
no less than IA were taken by bachelors.
The tables of ages show some singular dis
PARTIES. One blossom of IL years was mar
ried to a man of 81. One child of Is was
united with husband of 35. There were
470 girls married at less than Is years of age,
one of whom, as stated above, was of IL, of
| 10, A of IA, Al of 10, 129 of 16, and 2S5 of II
years. The boys under 20 years who were
married number 1876, of whom 8 were of 16,
| 8 of II, and IS of IS years. Two venerable
widowers, each over eighty years of age, were
| married during the year. One youth Of 16
was married to lady of "a one husband of So
to bride of II; one of So, for the fifth time,
to a maid of 10; one bachelor under so to
lady over 70, who was then married for the
first time, and one widower over 20 TO widow
of rs. Sixteen widowers were married for
the fourth time, and 2 for the fifth time; two
widows tried the experiment for the fourth
time.
The returns of the nativitics of persons
married shows that Suffolk is the only county
in which the foreign element predominates;
and here the purely American to the purely
foreign stand nearly in the proportion of 4 to
g. The city of Boston alone exhibits still
eate9Preponder OF foreign marriages.