San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-09-29
THE SUPERIOR SEX.
WOMAN . EXPECTATION OF LIFE
GREATER THAN THAT OF MEN.

Authority-A Formidable Array of Fig
ures-Why Women Are Longer LIVED
Than Men-The Future.
Professor Stanford E. Chaille, NJ D., dear
of the medical faculty of Tulane university
a recognized authority in matters of sani
tary philosophy and hygiene, has recently
published an interesting report on the life
and death rates of New Orleans as compared
with those of other cities. Attention here is
directed to some deductions which the pro
fessor derives from his statistics, and if we
may trust in this case to the somewhat ques-
tionable statement that Figures never lie, y
we are brought face to face with some re-
markable and strikingly suggestive facts.
Our professors statistics, which are, of
course, perfectly square and honorable as
far as he is concerned, are derived partly
from the records of the Louisiana board of
health, which is charged with the duty of
recording all births AID deaths in this city,
| and partly from the mortuary tables of the
| tenth United States census, and they are
doubtless as reliable as such collated figures
usually are. From them it is discovered
that in most parts of the United States
women have a better expectation of life
than men; they live longer and survive
with more tenacity and success the vicissi
tudes that tend to shorten existence But
it is in New Or cans where these advantages
are enjoyed to the highest degree over any
other place.
THE SOFTER SEX SUPERIOR
Here learned psychologist presents for.
midahle array of figures to show that in the
struggle for life the softer sex starts out with
decided advantages of immunity from the
assaults of death as compared with the males;
that the women have better chances for de-
velopment in all that makes up sane, sound
and vigorous life. In a word, the men are
on the down grade of health and morals,
while the women possess all that conduce to
their physical and moral superiority. Let
us quote the words of our scientist:
"The expectation of life for females is, in
every locality, better than Of males, but the
difference III favor of females varies greatly,
and 70 an extent inexphcable by me- The
superiority Of white females over males is
greatest. and very greet, III New Orleans and
Charleston; 1t is little in Boston, Brooklyn
and New York, and it is very slight and least
IN New Jersey and Massachusetts, The four
teen localities take, in reference to this su
periority of females over males, the follow
ing order: New Orleans, Charleston, Cincin
natl, San Francisco, st. Louis, Chicago,
Philadelphia, District of Columbia, Balti
more, New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Massa
chusetts, New Jersey.
THE like superiority and difference exists
in reference to colored females and males
The localities reported only four, take the
following order: New Orleans again first,
and the difference is very great, though not
as great as between white females and males;
next Baltimore, then the District Of Column
bia, and last Charleston. And it is very sin
gular that in Charleston, where the superb
GRITTY of the white female is very great, the
superiority of the colored female over the
colored male is very little.
Another singular fact is that, while there
is slight superiority in Massachusetts of the
females over the males, yet the males have
the superiority from two to ten years of age,
and that this male superiority is found in no
other locality. A third singular fact, and
one encouraging specially to New Orleans, is
that the expectation of life of its white
females is superior to that of the white
females of Charleston, Brooklyn, New York
and Boston; but the expectation OF life of the
white males OF New Orleans is less than in
said places"
THE SEVERAL REASONS WHY.
Why is all this possloJef Our author re-
plies
Females are, IN less number, guilty of
vicious and hul'tful excuses; they are more
confined in the house aud engaged i'll less
hazardous occupations, and thereby they are
less exposed to communicable diseases, to
inclpmencleS of weather and to dangerous
acc dents But these obvious causes. while
explaining III part. tail to do 50 in whole
For ut no time is the superiority of females
as great as undsr years of age, and such
! females are no more exposed than males to
! tnp above Gauss For such reasons vital
! statis;iciaus have claimed that nature en-
| dOwed the female with stronger vitality,
with greater vital endurance, and if there
| he better explanation / 10 not know it"
We are to believe, then, that while women
! are. in obedience to subtle forces of evolu-
ton, growing physically more perfect, and
! this would seem also TO include advancement
toward moral perfection, the men are de
| clining in all vital characteristics The
women are growing constantly more beauti-
| full and more numerous, while the men are in
! a corresponding ratio to retire from the
world they have for so many ages dOmi-
mated and controlled By these mysterious
and potential agencies the men are dying,
fading out of existence, and their last de-
spairing gaze is to be fixed on n race of god
! desses, 'dlvinely tall and most divinely
! fair" Crowding upon the stage where the
! tremendous tragedy Of MAN aud Woman
has been so long. enacted, but now 70 be
iCont;nred on next psge.1