The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-08-10
a MILLION WIDOWS.
A Surprising Discovery Recently Made in
England,


more women than men in England, and
that these are nearly all widows. This
is very surprising discovery. 1t may
be explained, however, in England, as
in all old settled countries, women pre-
dominate, numerically over men, partly
in consequence of the superior vitality
of girl babies over boy babies; partly
because of the large number of young
men who go abroad to seek their for
tunes, leaving their sisters behind; and
partly because of the greater mortality
among men, owing to the hazardous
nature of the employments they follow.
According to the tables more boys are
born in England than girls, the figures
being 104,S11 males to 100, 900 females:
but at 10 years of age there are 100000
girls to every $4,000 boys, and the dis
crepancy increases regularly for twenty
years afterward.
Why, however, should the excess of
females consist mainly of widowsP In
India widow may not marry. 1t was
probably to avoid the crowding of the
market that the suttee was instituted.
But in England widows may and do
marry. In fact they are addicted to
the practice. How then does it come
that the number of widows so largely
predominates over that of widowersP
The explanation is that there are more
old men who marry young women than
there are young men who marry old
women. A large class of men postpone
matrimony until late in life. They en-
Joy the desolate freedom of the bachc-
lor; they are afraid of marrying on
scanty means; they dread the loss of
their freedom; they have never met the
right girl. Thus they only resort to mat
rimony when they find they absolutely
need female ecompanionship. Such mid
dle-aged men usually marry women OF
%, or, at any rate, women under 80. 1t
is obvious that, all other things being
equal. the chances are that's IA woman of
% will outlive a man of 40. The aver
age life of men in easy circumstances
is not over 60 years. If the husband
dies at 60, the wife, If she married al
20, will be 40 at the time of his death.
and she will have fair prospect OF
twenty years more life.
In sagacious nation of antiquity ID
was held that women of 40 made the
best wives, and boys on matrimony
bent were required to choose help
meet of that age or over. A similar
rule was adopted by the Oneida Com
in New York. But the practice
is not popular, despite such shining
as George Elliot and Lord
Our modern fashion,
which induces young men to postpone
until they are in position
to give their wife a horse and a car
riage, naturally leads to an accumula-
tion of widows.
Girls complain that the men do not
marry. The complaint is threadbare;
it was the pet grievance of the mothers
and the grandmothers Of the present
generation, yet a comfortable proper
tion of the fair complainants became
mothers of families when their turn
came. There are few girls in Ameri-
can society who can not marry if they
choose. Only they must not reckon on
starting in life where their mothers
left off. If the daughter of Il rich
man proposes to enjoy as married
the comforts and luXuries she
had in her maiden home, she must
take middle-aged man for her spouse;
one who has drunk the cup of romance
TO the dregs. and for whom life has no
illusions. She will have her carriage
and her servants and her luxuries; but
Of such husband she may fairly ex-
pect some day to be the widow Ii
she wants a partner in life with heart
rs fresh as her own, and capacity for
;avoring the sweet Stiffness of young
owe, she must take youth whose but
ions she will have to sew on, whose
Inner she will have to oversee, il not
20 cook, and whose narrow income she
will have to eke out so as to make both
ends meet. In such case she may pos
,ibly never wear a widows weeds. |
which alternative offers the fairest |
prospect of happiness girls must decide
or themselves. Francisco Call.
Max and Moritz were the only male |
in the family. The first
,amed one day brought dog home, a |
iorrid. ugly creature. to the great dis
rust OF the female portion OF the house
lold. AT length the eldest of the sisters
persuaded little Max TO take the dog
,ack where he found it or give it away,
md gave him three ponce for his
rouble. Max strutted off with the cur
md returned in half an hour munching
he remains of the last of the nuts he
lad bought with his sisters money.
'Well, what have you done with that
lgly brute?" "Guv 1t to Moritz," wss
he reply. --Illustrirte Welt
Head Waiter--"Hope you are not
,oing to forget the waiter, SIR" Guest
No, sir; I'm not going to forget him
lor forgive him, either. Why don't
ou go to work, and quit beggingp
lang me, If haven't half a mind to
ave you arrested for vagrancy Head
yaiter-''But. sir, have employment,
ir; the proprietors OF this hotel. sir,
re my employers. SIR" Guest-"Then
ghy don't they pay you enough to
ieep you from beggingP Hang me, II
don't have them arrested, too. as
ccessories before the fact boston
Transcript.