The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1891-03-11
1HE spINsrERs. REsr.


An Abnormal Social Condition I'm the
Ducks Count. Metropolis
Bristol, the prosperous manufacture
ing center Of Bucks county, is an old
maids town. Wen informed citizens
of that enterprising borough claim that
there are more unmarried bat mar
riageable women there in proportion to
the population than can be found in
any other place between the silvery
Delaware and tile Ohio state line.
Careful estimates made by the census
enumerators place the number of eligi-
bles whose years range from 80 years
upward az 2lO. Old residenteis, who
have Kept a keen watch upon the soli-
tary maids about them, make the fig
ures much larger than those of the
enumerators
In quiet Quaker home on aristo-
cratic Radcliffe street is a brood of five
maids the oldest; is nearing three score
and ten, and the youngest is approach
ing the meridian of life Not so far
away dwells the oldest OLD maid in the
town She is q leader in the Friends
church, and three-quarters of a century
measures her years She las sister
who is already far beyond the point at
which the majority of women marry
Radcliffe street is the most fashiona-
able portion of the town a-1d stretches
along the river front. On it live no
fewer than twenty-six females who be-
long to that class commonly called
''old maids. Proud as Radcliffe
street may be of its record in clinging
to its girls, Wood and Cedar streets
surpass it. The men with marriage in
their eyes seem to have avoided these
two thorouShfares entirely.
There are nineteen lady school teach
ers in the borough. and gentleman
connected with the board said that
with but n few triiling exceptions all
had passed the border line that bounds
girlhood Among the number who are
enjoying single life is Miss Eliza Van
Horn. maiden of 60, odd years, who
looks upon marriage neither as dead
failure nor the contamination of bliss.
She remarked:
''Oh, no, I don't believe marriage is
a failure. bat do think there is a
sound, practical rcssonfor our Bristol
girls not marrying. know of Il num-
Der of cases where peculiar circum-
stances separated devoted lovers, and
the girls are old and unmarried yet.
There is pleasure in single as well as in
married life
Another maiden lady, past the hall
century mark, said: II had no use for
a husband, and SO paid no attention to
the men who came with offers of mar.
riage. man in the majority of cases
is only that much extra luggage for the
woman to carry"
James Monroe Bruden, who cast his
first presidential vote for Gen. jackson.
said. concerning the fair sex:
There is an unmarried woman of
over % years old in pretty nearly all
the houses in town. can't tell YOU
why, but they are there. Now, this
strange condition of things is not the
fault of the girls, for Bristol has as
many pretty girls rs any town in the
state. Only last week two young men
Of our town married girls from outside
the borough. Now, that wasn't right. -
The wife of u census enumerator was
questioned about old maids, and she
itudied a minute and then replied:
Yes, know few in our ward. can
name eighteen whom / know personal
y, and this is one of the smallest wards
N the town. My husband says there
are more women in the town than men,
but there arc few bachelors "-Phila,
1elphia Record