Des Arc weekly citizen., 1867-08-24
Marriage and Long Life.

Statistics, moralities and sentiments have all been brought forward in dis cussing the question as to the compar- ative health, happiness and duration of life of the married and unmarried. The verdict must be considered as given in favor of the married, but with reser- vation that the advantages arc not equally enjoyed by the two sexes. As far as regards the people of Scotland. the question seems to be concrasively answered in a paper read some months ago by Doctor James Stark, before the Royal Society of Edinbnrg. He begins by the remark-that nine years aver age of the deaths in Scotland, shows a higher ratio of deaths among males than among females at all ages, except in the early period of life, from ten to fifteen years.
 A more important inquiry, however, is the effect of marriage on male and female life. An Interesting answer to this question is brought by table pre- pared by Dr. Stark. It shows that at every age, from 20 to S5 years, the death rate of the married men is very much smaller than that of the unmarried. After the S5th year of life, the numbers are too small to justify any comparison. It appears from this table that out of 100000 unmarried men between 20 and p years of age, 1,l74 died during the year 1863; but that out of like num- Der of married men, only 597 died, or just half the number. In other words, between the age of 20 and 9 years, the death rate ofthe bachelors was exactly double that of married men.
 As the age increases, the difference between the death rates of the married and unmarried decreases but the decrease is slow and regular, showing a marked difference in favor of the married men at every five year period of life. Thus, at the age of from 25 to 30 years, when the number of married and unmarried men in Scotland, is nearly equal. of every 100000 bachelor, ,369 died during the year; but in an equal number of married men, only S65 died A similar difference, though in less degree, is found in married men during every i've year period, even to that between so and s5 wears of age. Here, then, we have the remarkable fact, proved from the statistics of a whole country, that the influence of marriage on duration of life of the male is of the most potent kind that, in fact, the bachelor life is much more destruc- tive to the male sex than the most unwholesome of trades, or than resi- denee in crowded locality where there is not the most distant attempt at sanitary arrangements of any kind.- Reckoning form the twentieth year of life, the mean age at death of married men was 59-12 years, whereas the mean age at death of bachelors was only 40 years, showing change of ls-l2 years longer life to the fcrmer over the latter of these two classes.
 In comparing the morality of the married and the unmarried women, it was found that the difference is trifling, for while, during the three periods of life, 15to 20, 20 to 25, and 25 to 30 years, the married died in higher propor- tion, it was the reverse during the next two periods of life, or from 30 to 35, and from 8 to 40 years, during peri cd in which nearly half of their children are born. From the 45th year of life to old age or 75 years, married women die in smaller proportions than the un- married.
 We leave it to the thoughtful reader to judge how far an explanation of the longer life of married men, as a class, may be explained by the growth of more regular habits, the practice of greater thrift and economy, and all the influences of homes of their own.- Philadelphia Ledger.