Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-10-18
SURPLUS WOMEN.

ated In Various Parts of the Union-An
industrious Class.
Goethe says that in order to cause
thing to be believed, it is only necessary
to keep saying it over and over until
the public ear gets thoroughly used to
it, 1t is only in this way that one can
explain the curious manner in which
certain preposterous exaggerations
come to be accepted, and with constant
enlargement. The excess of women in
our older States, for instance, keeps
growing larger and larger in the news
papers. This is not SO strange, but
when we find an educated Boston physi-
clan, in what purports to be serious
work-vouched for, moreover, by a
New York physician and Boston cier-
gyman-putting the excess of women in
Massachusetts at 12O, 900, it shakes ones
confidence in the common-sense of the
community. AS a matter of fact. the
actual excess Of women in Massachu-
sets. by the census of 1880, was not
much more than half this number, be-
ing 66,2O5. The total number of the
male population of that State, as then
recorded. was S5S. 44O, and of the female
population 924,645. Compendium of
Census, p. 81
1t has been shown by the returns OF
the Massachusetts census that this eX-
cess of women does not largely consist,
as was once supposed. of the unmar-
ried, nor yet of the unmarried or the
divorced. but that it consists almost
wholly of widows. BY the State census
of 1873, when the excess of women was
:63,146, it appears that the excess OF
widows over widowers in Massachusetts
was 1908, thus accounting for nearly
the whole excess of women over men.
Compendium of Massachusetts, Cen
sus. p. 39.) This large number Of
widows isaexplained in manufacturing
towns by the fact that they seek sup
port for themselves and their children
in the mills; in seaport towns. by the
large mortality among sailors and fish
ermen. so that a single gale on the Banks
may leave fifty widows; and in the State
rs a whole by the fact that it is one OF
the older States from which MANY
young men have gone westward, and
that in the event of their death
their widows and children are very apt
to return to the old nest. To this may
be added the influence of the schools
and colleges OF Massachusetts, which
hvir To or, TO
their children. In street with which
The writer is familiar, in that State,
there are seventeen houses, Of which
eight are occupied by widows: and four
OF these ladies have come into Massa-
chusetts within few years, either for
the education of their children or to as
sist in the education of the children of
other people. If this is the case in one
short street of a suburban city, it will
not take long to make up such instances
to many thousands. Under these cir
cumstances some of the surplus women
of State must certainly be counted to
its credit; they create the presumption
that it is a community which attracts
those who have families of children to
be educated on moderate means.
In general the presence of many sur
plus women shows State to possess
manufacturing industries. OF the 9th.
er New England States, Connection.
has II. ISL surplus women, Rhode Is
land O.471, New Hampshire $3.50. All
these are manufacturing States; but in
Maine, where there are fewer manufac.
lures. the sexes are almost equally bal.
anced. there being but $50 more on the
female side of the account; while in
Vermont, which is essentially an agri
cultural State, there are LASS more
men than women. In New York State
the excess of women is greater than in
Massachusetts, and amounts to ~, 227
while in New Jersey it is 1922. and il
Pennsylvania but 1851. There is alst
an excess of female population in Mary
land. Virginia, the Carolinas. Georgia
Alabama, Tennessee, and the District O
Columbia; but not in any of the North
western or Pacific States, or in the Ter
ritories. As the local census of thes.
States have rarely been taken S,
thoroughly as in Massachusetts,, it i
difficult to tell whether the same pro
portion holds as to widows and singh
women. But probably the same fact
to employment would prevail through
the various States; and when we see
large excess of women in any commun
ity we can be pretty sure that most q
them have gravitated thither In searcl
Of employment or for the opportunit
Of education, q because Of the aseocia
taeas q thsir sariy AonA