The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-09-24
Marriage Probabilities.

The Chicago Times has constructed q
table of Marriage Probabilities" for
both sexes, from the age Is up to 10,
based on figures taken from 5000 mar
riagc licenses issued by the county
clerk during the twelve months ending
August 2. 1t declares the following
facts from the table:
In 1000 cases no one was married be-
fore the age Of Is. The marriage of
women at that age is not unknown, but
it is rare. Men do not begin to marry,
as a rule, until they are l8 years old. At
the age of 10, when men are just begin
ming to think seriously of the subject,
young women are at their most favorable
time, more of them marrying at that age
than at any other. The years of great
est probability with woman are from
10 to 25, eliminating at %. At 20 and
81 the chances are even, being better at
10 and % than at any of the intervening
years. At % begins q steady decline,
but not until the age of 80 do the chances
fall below one in a hundred; after that
age they do, and in the rest of her life
her chances are but seventy-six in q
thousand. At the age of SO the vanish
ing point appears in sight, no marriage
occurring At that age, and at the age of4.
At SIS and 56 OCCURS one marriage each,
at 81 none, at SO one, and after that
woman has literally "not one chance in
thousand ~ of wedding. Her best years
are four in number. being from l9 to %,
inclusive. With man it is different.
His best years are ten in number, from
81 to 80, inclusive. 1t is at the age of
81 that he evidently turns his attention
wifeward, and it may be that legislators
were entirely right in fixing that as the
year when he shall attain his majority.
In no year of his life are the chances one
to ten that he will marry. His very
best years are at % and IS, as girls are
at 10 and %. From 81 there is a prett
steady increase till he is IS, and then his
chances slowly decline, although they
do not drop suddenly until he is 30. 1t
is worthy Of note that the sudden drop
in the chances of both men and women
occurs the year after they become "old
bachelors" or "old maids" Men do not
begin to marry till about three years
later than women, but they keep it up
moro or less steadily FIVE years later.
With men the chances do not fall below
in 100 until the age of 40 is reached.
Then it is in SO. and after that but in
200. Marriages occur every year
unit, Sc is reached, then on alternate
years to 50, and after that comes but one,
which is at the age of 10.
The census of 1870 gives the
total male population of the country at
1909. .Oss, and the total female at 49,
$50, ,2s8. From these figures is deducted
the fact that woman's chances Of mar
riage, were there no disturbing causes,
are !, ,O29 to 1000. The number of men
being greater than the number of women,
every woman ought to find husband;
hut the disturbing causes which induce
men to forgo marriage, such us the in
ability, rs they suppose, to support Il
wife, a preference to remain unmarried,
and so on, throw the chances, as u mat
ter OF fact, the other way.
For the twelve months ending July
last, the total number of marriages in
this city was S, l59. The favorite month
in which to marry is November; the
next is May; October and March ap-
pear to be equally desirable; December
is nearly as much so; next are February,
April and June, while, January and
September come behind these, and the
least popular of all is August.