Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-10-16

The Prevalence Of Languages an a
the Tenure Of Human Life.

The Prevalence OF Languagc. and
the Tenure OF Human Life.
A London paper condenses the following
facts nom book OF universal statistics by
Baron G. F. kole. Among the languages or
civilized nations English IS the most widely
spread. It Is the nother-tongue OF about
Sa.ooe, eco people: German OF between 500OO,0o0
and 90 COCO French OF between % ooo, 900 and
se0eo Geo. spanish OF 40 GOO 600: Italian OF 2S o0
COO and Russian OF between 100000 and
6e,eeoeoo. The general condition or the masses
Of nation is the most valuable element In
natural progress or degeneracy; AMI Baron
kolb shows that the reproductive capital ex-
listing In the living generation far exceeds the
value OF all other capital. Every needless i'm
pediment 10 the development or this capital
and anything which tends TO deteriorate the
bodily condillon or the population is proved TO
be sQuandering OF nations wealth. Every
advance made by people In morality, In prof.
table aHd healthy employment and useful
knowledge, brings 1t nearer 10 the ideai-the
greatest natural tenure OF life Domestic virtue
also tells favorably on the health aua wealth
OF a population. Thus in Bavaria, out or 900
children born alive, there died. OF legitimate
children, gas boys and 2l2 girls; OF iilegitimate,
SCI boys and 342 girls. Out OF 100 children
cuckled by their mothers, only 1902 died during
the f1rSt year; CT those nurSed by wet-lurSeS.
1888 died: Of those artifically fed, 60 died; OF
these brought up in institutions, 50 died In the
lo0. The influence OF prosperity or poverty on
Mortality is also shown by Baron kob Taking
l.eo3 weii-to-do persons aud another 1,0o0 or
poor perSonS-alter five years there remained
| alive Of the prosperous, 943; OF the poor, only
porous. ESQ: OF the poor 2SS: at 20 years OF age
there remained $50 OF the prosperous. and or
| the pocr, 65. The average length Of lie among
the well-todo was SO years. and among the
! peer 30 yeaiS-a fact that ought 10 be noted by
Lord Csrnarvon and The advocates OF nationa
fsuiaLce The effects OF professions and
trades on mortality are gr, at, the term OF life
varying from 65 years II months for clergymen
10 10 years and 10 months for photographers and
copper engrayers. In England the duration OF
lie has been found most detective among the
pl-N
iext to these the Golfers life is least secure,
owing greatly. DO doubt 10 the occurrence OF
accidents I'm mfDeS.
One OF the most potent shorteners of life is
the anxiety of providing for bare subsistence
The lack OF sanitary conditions also ShortenS
mans years. IdleneSs, as compared TO intense
Industry, outweighs-prejudiciaily outweighs-
3ll the advantages OF ease and abundance. OF
all countries In the world England shows a
pre- eminence In apStention from suicides, while
In France they increase With advancing ~ars.
Taking 900 suicides which occurred In France
and dividing according to sex for each month
Il Is curious TO note the effect OF long and short
days. In January, Is men and 63 women killed
themselves; in February, IS men and 20 wo-
men; In March, 81 men and IS women: IN April,
81 men and 90 women; In May, 80 men and 90
women; In June, lG6 men and 10 women; in
July, 80 men and loo women; In August, 50 men
and 100 women; in September, a men and IS
women; In October,.II men and 90 women; In
November, 81 men and GS women, and In De-
cember, GO men and 62 women were suicides
As Mr.. Buckle argued, statistics show that
there is no exercise OF will, no act in the entire
compass OF mems dealings, which does not fall
within the lines of an absolute regularity. or
all human actions marriages seem to be most
arbitrary, and out OF the region OF fixed laws.
Yet the registers prove that it is especially In
marriages the greatest steadineSS ana regu-
larity obtains; taking three quinquennia1 pc
RODS, it will be found that the following pro-
portions exist
Bachelors married to widows. 351 254 3II
Wi0oweTs 10 splnsters.. $50 9S1 934
WtdowerS to widows. .......-......S20 223 $40
Marriages Of men under SO years of age to
women OF 60 and over occurred twice In the
first period and once Ia each of the others.
Statistics prove that, In countries where con-
sanguineous marriages are permitted, there are
to be found greater number OF deaf mutes
and idiots than elsewhere
In the new Issue {No. g. Of Benin and wag-
ners well-known 'iBevolkerung der Erde" there
ale several points OF fresh interest. Since the
last Issue, about two years ago, the population
would seem to have been increased by 17,0OO,-
eGo; the present population OF the earth, ac-
cording to Benin and Wagner. being 1,45s, 000,-
600, as against ,439 600 600 two years ago. This
however, cannot be set down to absolute ma
tural increase; much Of the addition being no
doubt, the result OF new and more accurate
statistics. The new issue has, for example, to
take account OF several new censuses, some OF
them In countries where the population has
| not been accurately counted for many years. If
at all. We have, for example, the census OF
Spain In 1871; Portugal, 1878; Greece 1879; BoS-
nia and Herzegovina, 1879; New Zealand, 1875;
Peru, 1S76; Denmark, 1850, besides several
smaller places. The total population Is divided
among the continents as follows: Europe, 315-
929, GOO, or at the ratio of 325 per square kilo-
metre; Asia. s34, ,OI. 900, or 49, per square ko
metre; Africa, H5. 679 900, or 6.9 per square kio-
metre; America IS 495, 500. or rs per square kilo
metre; Australia and Polynesia, 4,031, 900, or
"a per square kilometre; the pa0ainder- 6o0-
belong to the North Polar region. mostly Ice
land and Greenland. Although the census OF
tie United States has been taken some months
since, and few OF the daIa oozed out In an IT.
regular fashion, HerTen Benin and Wagner
have not made any use Of the results, wisely
preferring to await official statistics. They
calculate that the census ought to give a result
OF at least 47.ooo,ooO. The editors have also
made fresh Pharmaceutical calculation OF the
area OF Africa, yielding result Of 90 ,2S3 800
square kilometres Or this area about six and a
third millions are forest and culture land, the
same area savannahs and scattered woods,
1,50O, 600 bush. 4,200,e0o StaSpe and 10,500,000
desert. This last item seem appalling; but 1t
should be remembered that much of this
desert may be reelaimable, and that it includes
large areas Of fertile cases. A new planimetrIc
calculation of the area OF South America yields
result of 1878, 12s square Kilometres differ
ing greatly from the sum OF the official areas
given by the South American governments