Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-10-24
Marriage Statistics.

A member of the Chamber of Depu-
ties, NJ. Louis Legrand, has just pub.
lished an interesting work entitled
Marriage and Manners in France"
which overturns two widely accepted
ideas-that the French are not marry
ing people as compared with other
nations, and that the proportion of mar.
riages 10 population is diminishing.
The book shows that the relative rank
of European countries in respect to the
number of marriages per 1000 inhabi-
tants is as follows: Hungary. Russia,
Germany, Austria. France, England,
Denmark, Holland, Switzerland, Italy.
Norway, Belgium, Scotland, Sweden,
Greece, Roumania, Ireland. 1t thus
appears that France is fifth on the list.
and leads England one file. Cheapness
of food has a great deal to do with the
the number of marriages, and accounts
for the position of Hungary at the head
of the list. In that country the soil is
very fertile, and grain and root crops
are produced in great abundance. A
vicious land system, and the consequent
poverty of the peasant class, put Ireland
at the foot of the list. The low rank of
Scotland, Sweden and Greece may be
accounted for by the poverty of their
soil; but in the case of Roumania,
which lies along the rich Danube VAL
ley, another reason must be sought, and
will probably be found in degraded
social conditions. Nj. Legrand proves
that the marriage rate, instead of falling
Off in France, is steadily increasing.
During the first half of the century the
average annual rate was l to l27 in
habitants; now it is l to 1874. In Paris,
where travellers, who see only the
feverish, unwholesome life of the boule-
wards, the cafes and the hotels, generally
suppose the domestic relations to be
greatly neglected, there are more mar
riages than in the provinces, the rate
being to 1Ol inhabitants, while in the
country it is to 100. There is also an
increase III the average duration OF mar
riages, which has come up from twenty
three years and two months in 1921 to
twenty-four years and six months in
1861 and to twenty five years in 1854
result produced by the greater average
longevity of the individual, which has
been brought about by the advance of
civilization and of medical science.
There is, however, another side to the
picture. With the steady increase in
tho number of marriages correspond
ing decrease has taken place in their
fruitfulness. At the beginning of the
century the average number of children
to each union was four; now it is only
three. The !birth rate is from twenty
five to twentysix per 200, and is lower
than in any other country in Europe.
In the war year of 1871 it fell to twenty
two. The growing tendency to post.
pone marriage until the means of sup
porting family are assured is shown
by the fact that the average age at which
Frenchmen marry is thirty-two in Paris
and thirty in the country, and French
women twenty seven and twenty-six.
If statistics on this point were available
in this country it would no doubt be
found that the average age at which
marriages are contracted is mnch lower
than in France. Young people arc more
ready here than there to rush blindly =.
into wedlock, trusting to good luck fogA
the material means to carry it through \
successfully. This is only half ex-'
PLANTATION, however. Young men in the
United States do not have to wait SO
long for opportunities to get into bust.
ness, US in older countries. The chances
are that an industrious American is in
better condition at twenty-seven to
marry prudently than Frenchman at
thirty-two. Besides, there is more OF
sentiment and less of expediency in
match making here than in France, and
we hope there always will be.-N. 7.
T,.,L,no