The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-05-15
LET Us MARRY.

Gen. Grant said "Let US have peace"
and we, from an equsIlyif not more patriot
ic motive say, Let US marry. Grants words
we're supposed to be the syllablod feelings |
of tho masses Of the American people, and |
if ours are not they should be.
While few hsIEcrazed men and women
some of whom can never hope to be mar.
r.ed, and the others unhappy because they
are-ara Cabling about what relations
married people should sustain toward each |
other, the obligation which rests upon eSery |
young man and woman to marry and take |
the consequences seems nowhere TO be ielt. |
We do not propose to attempt by syU0gism
aud other forms Of reasoning, to convince
unwilling young men and Directing young
women that it is their christian duty to
abandon their single state OF existence and
enter at once upon the. co operative plau,
for we know We should be confronted at
once with series Of Argumeutatye sort Of
questions by young men, which we could
not couscienuoasy aud satisfactorily an.
swc' without rejecting on.the better part
Of Eyes progeny, which would in turn
call forth scne bitterness from those whose
duty and delight it is to beguile our lives
with bright smiles and sweet cheer For, if
young men are allowed to say tlay can not
afford to marry aud thus aid about three
hundred per cent.,to their living expenses,
which will be necessary by reason Of the ex.
traysgance and aversion to domestic cares
OF the young women, the retOrt will quickly
follow that it is no such a thing, and that il
young men would leave Off drinking, smok.
excuses and designations, they could easily
provide for a respectable domestic estab
Hshment We, therefore, do not propose to
hazard the good influence Of this article by
allowing or giving occasion TO these Grim.
nations and determinations between people
who should be drawn together rather than
repealed from each other. We SIMPLY ray it
SIS the duty Of every respectable young man
and good girl to marry and Take upon them.
selves Jointly ali the responsibilities Of 50.
ctal eKistence,an If IA al honest attempt to
follow our advice or the desires Of their own
hearts they meet obstacles, it is theI
duty to overcome them in their own way
O1r present object is to cal the attention o.
young Americans Of both sexes To the follow
iul statistical article from New Yorl
J'urna., indicating the relative decline Of ID,
native American population, as shown l.
the maruafo and birth register kept for tn
cities OF New York and Brooklyn. an
leave them to the reflections which the liz
urrs orcibly and naturally suggest:
The Metropolitan marriage and birth req
'sirauon shows some Interesting facts con
corning the conuubial propeusites Of th
population Of Brooklyn and New ! ork. 4
n all reports from the metropolitan
authorities, the returns are Jumped and W
have to take the two cities together. Tn
registration Is by no means complete
Ol the officiating clergymen whether MARI
ages are registered or not. From the stati.
tcs given It would appear that the disincli
nation ID matrimony and maternity amoul
americans is not confined TO the New Eng
land states. OF the marriages registered m
New York over two thirds are of FOREIGN.
ors aud the registration ct births shows a
s'iiI greater proportion of children born ia
foreign parents. In 1865 the marriages OF
I',"9- persons were registered, of which
'2Ib are entered as foreigners and ( $50 a.
native born. The number Of births REQ.
lstered during the year was 1880: of
native pareutage 2,I6i, Of foreign parrn.
ta-e ,26h From this It would seem that
New York, like Massachusetts, is chiefly in.
deGted to its foreign born citizens for kerp.
ing up the population, and that the origipaI
American stock is in danger of dyinS out
Much has been said lately upon the subject
OF the dissemination OF American vni,pg
men TO marry aud assume family response
blues, aud the aversion Of the American
women to the cares Of maternity, but the
community has not yet been aroused To u
proper sense Of the rrovirr
sociaI eylI, nnd It's effects moral and phys.
cal. It Is delicate subject to discuss. and
can Only be treated aS u {. oral question.
Tor the pulpit rather than the
press since the only remedy is by arousiUg
Iei4ous sense Of responsibility for the
performance Of our duties in life, for which
men ana women must sacrifice their selfish
'o'e OF ease and indulgence.
The statistics further tend 10 show that
the Discrimination to marriage i. praater
among American men than among A,,ori-
eau women the latter marry more foreign
ers than the former do. The ages at which
people are most inclined to marry may be
Judged by these statistics The women
marry much younger than the men, as has
ever been the case, while the former keep
up the conuubial habit later in life. Be
tween the extreme ages Of seventy and
eighty years forty four persons were married
last year, Of whom forty three were men and
one woman. At the other extreme we find
only fifty six males under twenty getting
married against twelve hundred and fhy.
siA females. The greatest marrying aye
among women is between twenty and TWEEN.
ty,ttve, and among men between twenty five
And thirty. About tw0-thirGs of the whole
number OF women married were under TWEEN.
'y-hYe, beyond which the female prospect of
mhrimony seems 10 decline rapidly, though
some allowance IN such calculations should
De made, perhaps, for the natural inclination
'' we aides 10 keep in their teens as long
"S possible and forget few birthdays il
"-"'DS the statistical return.