The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-05-25
THE STATISTICS OF HYMEN.
FACTS IBOUT TIE NJ 4 r. RI Il g e
CHINCES OF MEN AND MAIDS.
The Average Age of Marrfage-WIdosvs
ahd--XVidowers- EARLY Marriages
Eligible Ages-hbout Old Maids.


be stated, says Appleton's Journal, that
marriages occur in accordance with large
general facts, over which individuals can ex-
ercise no authority, and. that in numbers they
are in no wise affected by the temper and
wishes OF the people. This first fact about
marriage is not only prosalc. but humiliating.
Shall not these people choose companions lor
lille, and listen to the clerical "What God hath
joined together let no man put asunder,'' at
such time as they may mutually agree upon
By no means. The law says they shall do eth
er OF these things; and the popularity OF this
law is that it cannot be violated. Further
more, all who desire it will not be permitted
to marry: What is to be said of such immih-
gable tyranny as this Not marry when we
choose, or whom We choose ! Not TO be con-
suited as to whether we shall marry or NOT !
What is life worth if these things are 10 be de-
cided without our knowledge or consent !?
Not much, perhaps; but we might just as well
learn the dlsagreeable fact at once and sub
mltLto 1.-THE plain statistical facts concern
ing marriage running somewhat in this
wise:
ROMANCE IS. STATISTICS.
The average age CT women. when they mar
ry, Is 2546 years, and OF 100 who reach thts
age q will never marry. With men 1t fares
differently; tor, strange as it may seem, more
women than men get married. and, OF 100 OF
the latter who reach the marriage age of 25 9
years, q will die bachelors Thus, about one
flth of our people are doomed TO die unwcd-
ded, whether they prefer it or not
WIDOWS AND wIDoWERs.
Now, the marriages that occur In New York
number, year by year, about 92SO-lS. $50 pei
sons-and Tor every one OF these marriages
there will at some time be left widow or
wldower; for it rarely happens that husband
and wife die at the same moment. Some oi
these widows and wldowers will remarry-
more of the latter than the former-apd be-
cause OF this fact the actual number OF women
who marry will exceed the actual number OF
zen. The rule seems 10 be that about one In
three widowers and one in four widows re-
marry.
OF 100 marriages, about l3 OF the men will
be widowers. and only II of the women will
be widows, the bachelors numbering 81 and
the spinslers 80. On general principles, there
may be no serious objection 10 old Weler's
advice beware OF vidders;' but we, not
basing our conclusion upon domestic eXperl-
epce, but upon series Of mathematical calcu-
latlons, can absolutely afirm that widows do
not, by any means, monopolize the matrlmO-
NAL market, and that there Is more 10 be fear
ed from one spinsler Than from dozen wild
ows (let bachelors make note OF this fact,)
for tue truth is that spinsters have better
success against widows In The hunt for hus-
bands than the bachelors have against widow
ers in the winning OF wives.
EARLY MARRIAGE.
Suppose there be q hundred weddings in
New York within given time, in all respects
of the average kind, how many of these per.
sons will be minors No palm-readng gpsy,
no spirit from the vasty deep let him be called
by no matter what boasling Glendower, can
tell half so much Of these Ccult events Is this
interrogating mathematician will learn from
his curious figures and bewiidering signs.
Ask him, and he will reply. without any mum:
merry or gibberish, twenty.fonr will have been
married, and about nineteen Will be under
age. OF this latter number, all but one VII!
be women-spnsters not yet out OF their
teens. At all events, this Is lhe result oil his
present calculations and Il time and Increased
numbers should alter the averages, he aSfll
learn the fact sooner than any one else. The
remainder will be bachelors aud spnisters OF
the average age OF 29.5 for the former, and
25.46 for the latter.
What the law Is that makes bachelors so
much more prudent than spinsters, we will
not undertake to say; but certain It Is that
maidens make much more haste than young
men in getting into the matrimonial net.
Still IL must be remembered that. girls,
whether prudently or not, are regarded as
marriageable at fifteen, and are certainly so
at seventeen; so that In view OF the fact that
only eighteen Id every hundred Of the delicate
creatures who marry ere under twenty years
OF age, while. forty-three OF the same hundred
are between twenty and thirty five, and twen-
ty-two more between twenty-five and thirty,
we must canddly confess that they manifest
O degree of pruS q" in the matter that would
seriously disturb =. Malthus were he only
aware Of it, We will not say that marriage
previous to The adult aye is indlscreet, but we
will defy any man TO form Just conclusion In
regard TO the age Of discretion from the study
of marriage statistics. 10 find this result, the
marriage aud m0rtuary tables must be studied
tance, but ii must be unwillngly deferred.
THE ELIGIBLE AGES.
But If women come upon the marria2eable
list earlier than men, they suffer the tncOn-
venience Of being stricken earlier from i.
After IS, women arc no longer regarded as
eligible. matrimonially, and the demand for
wives Of this age is so slight as to be hardly
worth considering, although We find an occa-
slonal widow-still more rarely q spinster-
willing to marry even after having passed the
sprighIly age Of lhreescore years and ten.
Under 25 years 81 age the number OF women
who marry Is a little more than twice as great
as The NUMBER of men; but, alter 45, the num-
Der of Benedicts is more than thrice that Of
the brides. In 1000 marriages Of the average
kind rs Lo ages, II women aud 40 men will
have passed their ninth luslrum.a Widows re-
marry at AN average age OF 30 years, while the
Average aye OF widowers whoagain take TO
themselves conjugal partners is Il or there
about.
A TABLE OF CHANCES
We will not undertake to tell each o.: our
fair readers how old she will be when led to
the altar blushng bride, il that should prove
to be her destiny; but we can tell her what the
chances are at the present state OF our know
ledge OF statistical facts II we take the we'd
dngs that actually occur, we shall find that, in
every thousand, there will be l79 wives unter
20 years, while there Will be only . husbands
of that age. But perhaps these facts will be
better stated in statistical terms, thus: In every
thousands marriages there will be
Has.
bands. Wives. Ages
9........l79. .Uraer 20 years Of age.
292. 4S4 Between 70 anl a5 years OF uge.
S4S. 226. Between 25 and so years Of age.
liz. 81 Between 50 and G5 years Of age.
s.. a.. Between IS AMI 10 years Of age.
~. 70. Between 10 and l5 years OF age.
25........ s.. Between Is ant SO years Of age.
D Ra,, III ND nr