St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-16
know, doctor, if you

withhold your knowledge from world
that has been aching to know all this
ever since Noah first stepped from his
ark. Tell us about it!'
But the great scientist and practi-
toner only let his head fall into the
hollow of his good right hand. and then
whistled softly to himself, an utter prey
to meditation and self-cOmmunion. IF
| were to tell you what l think it
wouldn't do any good, since, after all,
| its nothing but gueSs-wOrk."
| "But are those facts, doctor, which
you stated moment ago."
Eyes, they are facts. However, I'll
not ask you to believe me. just you go
| to the county clerks Office, where they
keep the records of all the births OH file,
and where they make them up in sta
tistics. You will see all | said verified
there"
And, sure enough, the doctor was
| right. Poring over the pOnderOuS
tones there collected, and over the fig
ures, collated from them, summary of
facts was gradually evolved which
might be stated, like condensed cate
chism, in this wise:
Chicago produces more boys than
girls.
The average annual excess of male
| births over female births is about 1000,
or, roughly, per cent more OF boys
| than girls.
+ Births are heaviest in number in the
months of August, September, October
and December, the latter month leading
| all the rest.
February shows the smallest number
of births, April, May and June being
next.
There are nine months of the year
when more male than female children
are born. There is one month-May-
when there is an equilibrium (Which is
in some years exactly maintained, like
May. 1885, when there were 722 births
each of males and females), and there
are two months which show an excess
of female over male births. Those two
months are April and December.
| Why this was and is thus the official
whose massive brow ponders day by
day over these vital statistics knew no
more than the medical authority had
known. He, too, could only give vent
| to SurmiSeS.
"As for April" he says, "the excess
| of female over male newborn might be
accounted for in various ways. April
is the first spring month. Spring is the
season of love, of poetry, of sentiment
and ideals. Hence more girls are born,
| for girls are much more given to
this sort of thing than boys. Again,
April is the most variable month in the
year. April weather has become pro-
verbal. Girls, too, are very variable.
The proverb, La donna mobile, attests
this. Therefore, the evident desire of
the female sex to be born in this month
and no other is accounted for, think,
in measure. But, should girls try so
hard to be born in Decem-
Der? That's what puzzles me.
For-take the statistics into your
band, sir-you will find that many
more girls are born Ill that cold, in
hospitable month than boys-many
more than in April, even. It's pretty
tough month, in Chicago at least. to
come into the world in. and why girls
should persist in doing so during the
rigOrS of Chicago December, while in
Florida they don't-quite the reverse
that's what beats me! The only reason
I can think of at all is that they want to
steal march on the boys and get one
more Christmas than they, or get it
much sooner than the boys, at all
events. Blamed if l can think of any
other reaSon!"