Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-08-27
THE EVENING STAR.
WEDNESDAY. August -. 1879.



The Chicago Times has constructed table OF
,Inarrlage probabilities" for both sexes from
the age Of Is up TO 30, based on figures taken
cnmnty s c1e,, marriage licenses issued by the
auSuSt 2 III deduces the following facJs from
w, ,ne iable In 900 cases no one was married be-
t Una age Is not unknown, but It is rare. Men
Io EoI oegln 10 marry, as aIule, until they are
- years Old. At the age OF 49, when young
We n.eI are Just beginning to think seriously OF
tIe suo!ect, young women are at their most
favorable time, more OF them marrying at that
age than any other. The years of greatest
pTEIpao1s Win d. woman are from IS to 25
are even, being better at 10 and 22 than
at either OF the intervening years. Ar
% begins stead. decline, but not until the age
that age they do, and In the rest of her lie her
chances are but &c In 1000. At the age OF So the
vanishing point appears in sight, NO marriages
occurring al that age, and at the age OF 81 at s.
and Sc occurs one marriage each, at 81 none al
IS one, and after that woman has literally not
one chance In 1000 Of wedding. Her best years
are four in number, being from 10 to -. fnclu-
sive. With man it is different. His best years
are tel IN number, from q to 80, inclusive 1t IS
at the age OF 81 that he evidently turns his A.
tenton wifeward, and It may be that legislat )rs
were entirely right In fixing that as the yea
when he shall attain his majority. In no year
OF his life are the chances one TO ten that he
VIII marry. His very best years are at % an
%, rs girls are at - and o. From 81 there Is
petty steady increase until he is %. and then
his chances slowly decline, although they DO
hol Drop suddenly until he is 80. Ii Is worth,
OF nole That The sudden drop in the chances OF
both men and women occur the year after They
income t'cld bachelors or .'old maids Men
do lot begin TO marry till about three vears
later than women, but they keep It up more or
CHARGES do not fall below IN 100 until the are
OF AZ is reached. Then IL Is In 80, and alter
that but l In 200. Marriages occur however
every ear until SO is reached, then on alternate
years 10 62, and after that comes but one which
is at the age Of 20.
OF the l, eco women In this list, 81 were widows
and OF these 81, Il had been divorced or the
IA, remarked the man from whom she had
been divorced. How many or them are widow
erS there are no means OF telling.
or the 900 marriages, Isl were between
parties living 10 the same house. Whenever a
nan marIies under such circumstances 1t is
natural TO suppose that, when he fell 10 love
with the girl, 1t was the result OF pure accident
He was not probably looking over his list OF
lady acquaintance for wife, and his selection
was not the result OF pure choice-of the ooln-
ION that she was the best OF all the women he
knew TO make Wife. TIE two happened TO be
thrown in close contact. the fire OF youth
was ignited ana 1t Dlazed up, and they
were married. This figure cannot, however
number OF chance marriages. Perhaps nine
tenthS or all the marriages are chance But
the chances are very strong that these were all
chance, pure chance. aud nothing but cnance
TIE census OF $50 gives the total male popula-
ton or tie country at IL ,029 0Ss, and the total
female at l6,5G0,2S9. From these figures Is de-
Quoted the fact that WomanS chances OF mar
rage, were there no diStuf bing causes are .029
70 1000. Tie number OF men being greater than
the number OF women, every woman ought to
find husband; but the disturbing causes which
induce men to forego marriage, such as the
Inability, as they suppose, to support q Wife, a
preference TO remain unmarried, and so on
throw the chances, as matter OF fact, the
other way