The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1893-07-07
DECLINE OF MARRIAGE.
Old Bachelors and Old Maids Are
Increasing in Numbers.

are so imperfectly lept--there being
sionof collecting them regularly
we are unable to say at what rate the
celebrating of matrimony is decreas-
ing; that 1t is decreasing the scanty
figures which we have only show too
plainly. In all the European countries
the birth rate, which is simply the
marriage rate in another form, appears
to be falling off year by year. In the
last fifteen years it has declined from
25 per 1000 to 21.Sin France, in Eng
land from S4.7 to 3O.6, in Germany from
$50 to 36.6, in Belgium from 31.4 TO 500.
1t will be remembered, says the San
Francisco Call, that these fifteen years
were years of peace and general pros
perity, the supply of available candi-
dates for matrimony was not reduced
by the ravages of war, nor was the dis
position of men to assume the RESPONSE
bilityof q family chilled by poverty.
The phenomenon before us must be
due TO other causes.
That it is worth while to search for
these causes is evident from study Of
the consequences which will supervene
if the present unpopularity of marriage
continues. French and English writ
ers on the subject say that marriages
have been discouraged by the heavy
fees imposed by government on the
celebration of matrimonial unions.
Some years ago the attention of the
British government was drawn to the
low marriage rate prevalent in parts
of Wales A commission was appoint
ed to investigate. Itreported that the
peasantry were unable to pay the fees
which the clergy exacted before they
would solemnize marriages, and a
change IN the law ensued. In France
the chamber has for some years had
| similar reform under consideration,
though in this case it is the state and
not the church whose exactions make
marriage luxury. In this country the
cost of a license and fee to the mag
istrate or priest amount to so small a
sum that marriage is within the scope
of the poorest. No man need deny
himself a wife by reasonsof the ex-
pense of getting her And yet, here,
as in Europe, marriages are decreas-
ing. If anyone will count the number
of available bachelors he knows, and
compare it with the number of those
who marry in a twelve-month, he will
be surprised to find how few young
men avail themselves of their oppor-
I tunities to become fathers of families
The evolution of celibacy is less
marked on this coast than in the east,
because there is here-tal1ing the coast
altogether-a slight predominance Of
males over females. But even here
the proportion of girls who are admira-
bly, fitted to be wives and mothers is
unduly large in proportion to those
who enter the conjugal state. The
cause is probably two-fold: First, our
girls concentrate an undue share OF
their energy on the cultivation of fac
ulties which, however valuable, do not
increase their fitness to be wives and
mothers; and secondly, the march OF
modern improvement makes bachelor
life so delightful that young men are
reluctant to exchange it formatrimony
A tax on bachelorhood would probably
be unconstitutional, and it would not
, be feasible to close clubs and other re
sorts of celibates by statute.
The practical lesson which statistics
teach is that young women should moi
| look forward to matrimony as the ex
r elusive road TO happiness, but tha'
t they should boldly look the situation
; in the face, and should prepare to en-
: gage in the battle Of life on the sam,
E footing as their brothers, with the pur
r pose of remaining single unless thC
ideal of their aspirations should hap
pen TO make them an offer. Girl
should be educated toregard marriag,
as boys do--a good thing if It comes il
K the right way, with the right man bear
ing orange blossoms in his hand; bu
% not the one end and aim of existence,
IS failure to obtain which involves mis-
s cry and desiccation. With the devel
S opment of civilization the range o
II pursuits in which girls can compet'
4 with men is constantly widening !
II is probably as easy at the present tim
b in this city for girl to get remunera
6 tive employment as for boy. An
r while the scale of pay of shop girls i
W too low-which will probably continu
d to be the case SO long as they persis
lie in calling themselves 'salesladies"-
'e women in some other callings are pre'
le ty fairly paid. A trained nurse CON
t, mands ninety dollars month and he
d board, and the doctors say that ther
le are not half enough of them. If ever
e, girl could be sure Of earning even fit
fe dollars a month she could snap her fl
ig gers at the decline in the marriag
i rate.