Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-08-09
i. Fair Hair Incoming Ertlnctf

In forming opinions as to whether
fair-haired persons are less numerous
IN a particular locality now than for
merly, the element of age has to be
considered. A person who has spent
his childhood in q f~air-haired district.
and visits it again after a lapse Of
years may easily imagine that the
number of fair haired persons are few
er than formerly. merely on account
of the class of persons from whom be
draws the inference being more adult
than those of whom he has reccllec-
tions formerly.
Upon the rate at which hair darkens
from childhood to adult age we have
some valuable observations. which
show that the hair of light-complexion-
ed male children darkens from IS per
Q n during the first five years of life
TO SO per cent at As years, and dark
hair with light eyes is found to in
crease in about the same ratio. Dark
ening OF the female hair and eyes with
age takes place to q much less extent
than among males. 1t would appear.
therefore, that in estimating the in
crease or diminution of f~air-haired per-
ons in a particular district. observa-
tons on females are much more trust
worthy than on males, from the fact
that they are much less liable to va
rations; but, on the other hand. it
must be remembered that the color
Of a woman's hair is more liable TO
alter according TO the tint which is
considered the most fashionable at a
particular time.
Besides the blending of ~fair-haired
races with the dark stocks, there are
other elements which DIR. Beddoe has
shown may account for the diminution
Of fair hair in England, and these
should not be overlooked. He consid-
ers that the xanthous temperament is
less able to withstand the unsanitary
conditions existing in the crowded
populations Of our great cities than
the melanotic. and that in this way the
law Of natural selections operates
against its increase.
Again. as a large majority of women
live and die unmarried and childless,
it is probable, in his opinion, that the
physical qualities of the race may be
to a small extent moulded by the action
of conjugal as well as natural selec-
ton. In support of this he has given
statistics showing that of 737 women
only 35.5 per cent of those with fair
hair were married, against 70 per
cent with black hair, while 81 per
cent with fair hair were unmarried,
against Is per cent with black. On
classifying those with red, fair, and
brown hair as blonde and those
with dark brown and black hair as
dark" we have 1853 of the former and
SCI of the latter. OF the blondes he
found 60 per cent were married to 70.5
of the dark, and So per zen Of the
former were unmarried to 2l.5 of the
latter.
If during several generations this
preference among the male sex for
wives with dark hair should continue,
it is reasonable to suppose it would
exert an influence decidedly adverse
to the increase of fair-haired persons
being maintained. On various grounds
therefore. it would seem as if the fair
hair 10 much beloved by poets and
artists is doomed to be encroached up
on and wen replaced by that Of darker
hue. The rate at which this is taking
place is probably very slow, from the
fact that nature is most conservative
in her changes .-BritiSh Medical Jour
nal