The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1871-06-21
BE STATS TICS OF HYMEN


scted by the temper aud wishes of the
eople. This first fact about marriage
d not only prosaic but humiliating
hail not these people choose compan-
Sns for life, and listen to the clerical
M hat God hath joined together let no
an put asunder, at such time as they
|ay mutually agree upon? BY no means.
He law says they shall do neither of
3tese things; aud The popularity of this
N is that it caunot be violated. Further
ore. all who desire it will not be per
Fitted to marry What is to be said of
,ch immitigable tyranny as this? Not
larry when we choose, or whom we
hoose! Not to be consulted as to wheth-
we shall marry or not! What is life
sorth if these things are to be decided
&ithout our knowledge or consent? Not
buch, perhaps; but we might just as we'll
Barn the disagrreable fact at once and
nbmit to it Nature is fond Of cheats,
Spd plays her charlataury irrespective
a persons
3"Mcn are the sport Of circumstances, when
n The circumstances seem the sport Of men,"
rospero, aud that Puck is, after all,
.othin: brt the persopificd price of corn.
these illusions aud Authorizations are
esults of the operations Of law aud we
apuot disturb them, though we pile
'brmula on formula, aud equation upon
guation, until the revolving earth Is
sght as feather, compared with TIE
Height of the argument. Per contra,
Aaat cares passion for the multiplication
eble, or love for the dtferentlal calcu-
ps? A 6co for you, law Of statistics
Leaving the domain Of fancy, We find
be plain statistical facts concerning
barriage running somewhat in this
Fise:
ROMANCE vs.. STATISTICS.
"Youth has its illusions and middle
ve its hallucinations, wherefore these
eachings of statistics may 20 hang.
! hoes no, Romeo actually know that he
hooses Juliet in preference tc Rosallnd:
it at all probable that Miranda
( sould have escaped marriage With
,aliban if she had never met the ship
.recked Ferdinan !? Where and what
the trickey Puck that makes madens
|,ee as he will. and transforms Dcme-
stious aud Lysauder, subject 10 no law
I've his own? Alas. this plodding aud
fosaic statist, this wiihered and be.
ectacled mathematician will prove to
eu that Rowep is mistaken.
The average age Of women, when
ey marry. is 25:4j years, and Of 100
|hu reach this aye Il will never mairy.
th men it fares differently; for.
rauge as it may seem, more women
IAN men get married, and, Of l0J of
,e latter who reach the marriage age OF
,5:9 years. % will die bachelors Thus.
bout one ffrh of our people are doomed
8 die uuwedded, whether they prefer i;
not.
WIDOWS AND wIDowERs.
"Now, the marriages that occur in
ew York number, year by year. aDou;
-S0-l8.56O persous-and for every
be of these marriages there will at
eme time be left widow or widower;
pr it rarely happens that husband aud
life die at the sane moment. Some OF
bose widows aid widowers will rcmarry
more of the latter than the former
bd because OF this fact tie actual
umber Of women who marry will ex-
Led the actual number OF men. The
Bile seems to be that about one iu three
idowers and one in four widows re-
barry.
"Of 100 marriages, about IS of the
ben will be widowers, and only II oI
be women will be widows, the bachelor:
d umbering 81 and the spinsters 80. On
eneral principles, there may be n'
.erious objection to old Wellei's advice
EBeware OF vidders; bu; We, not basine
nr conclusion upon domestic experience
ut upon series of mathematical calcu
lious, can absolutely affirm that widow
not. by any M ans, ,uoner .ize th'
Matrimonial market, and that there /:
tore to be feared from one spinste'
Ian from a dozen widows (let bachelor.
lake note Of this,0 for the truth il
lat spiu>ters have better success:
I yainst widows in the hunt for husbands
ian the bachelors have against widow
ss in the winning of wives. Aud a:
the hunting and winning is above
be will, and superior to it, We canno
BY, beware to any but simply admonisI
to accept the condition aud to yield "a
tacefuly as possible to their predesli-
pte fate, whatever i, may be-whcthe
pgle blessedne,s or welded woe; conf u
Al felicity Or unwedded discomfort.
EARLY MARRIAGE.
"Suppose there be hundred wed
ings in New York within given time
all respects Of the average kind, ho'
Dauy Of these persons will be minors
+ rom Paracelsus aud Cagliostro down
Home and Fox. not one of all the soott
ayers and clairvoyan's can tell you tha
No palm reading Gypsy, no spirit fro'
be Vastly deep, let him be called by n
pat,er wha, boasliDg Glendower, ca
ell half so much of these occult event
this iuterrogatiug mathematician Wi
earn from his curious figures aud be
ildsriDg signs. Ask him, aud he wi
eply, without any mummery or glboe'
IL. twenty four will have been marie
I'D about nineteen will be under ag
)f this latter number all but one wi
e women-splnsters not yet out Of the
eeus. At all events, this is the resu
r bis nreseut calculations. and if tin