Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-06-30
OUR CONJUGAL STATISTICS.


Divorces Very Small Part of the Popu-
Iati"n in spite oi social Tcssimis;s.
TIL" extra census bulletin. prepared
at the Department of the INTERIOR.
which presents statistics relating to
the single. married. widowed AMI di-
vorccd persons in the United States.
has just been printed. AMI it contains
some surprises. OF the entire pUptIH-
tion of the United States in 1S9O very
nearly thrce-tifthS. OF 59.29 per cent.
were single: Il little more than one
third. or 3.J66 per cent, We're married.
and not quite onc-twcnticth or 4.I4
per cent. We're widowed. The d.
vOrced constituted but II small frac.
ton of | per cent. of the whole mum
Der.
1t should be stated that in cStimat-
ing the population children as well
as adults are counted. and that for
this reason The larger proportion of
single To married persons is somewhat
misleading. But even as the figures
stand they are CuriouS1y contradictory
of popular impressions. especially with
regard to divorce. which. we have been
told over and over again, has incrcaS-
cd at Il most appalling rate.
1t appears that there are b OG1 $50
males in the country and 3O:,lI37O
females. This. too. is in contradiction
of Il popular belief that the women
far outnumber the men. OF the mcp
62.2O per cent. were single. 32.M per
cent. We're married. 2.4J per cent were
widowed. O.15 per cent. We're divorced.
or the women the number of mar
rird women was the same as mon. but
the proportion was BOIL per cent.
and of the divorced 0.24 per cent: and
.,,f, c,.,, 81,
divorced men have remarked to
greater extent than divorced women.
OF the males under fifteen years the
proportion of married was inapprc-
cable. while the females under that
age showed about one in every 10000.
Between the ages of fifteen and nine
teen only O.32 per cent of the males
were married and 9.49 per cent. of the
females. Among those of twenty
years and upward the proportion of
the married increased with great
rapdity with both sexes.
Between the ages of twenty and
tWrntvfGur less than onc-tifth of the
males We're married. while of the fc-
males nearly onc-half We're married.
Between the ages of tfty-fivc and
SlNtyfolr the proportion of married
'nal"S diminished to S2.34 per cent.
and that of the females to 6O.:}S per
cent. The proportion of widows was
greater than that of WidOWCrS at all
ages.
Not the least of the surprises CON
tanned in this bulletin is the table
which shows that marriage exists in
greater proportion in the manufacture
ing and industrial districts of the
country than in the agricultural and
rt1r11 1t has l1y ht,.n nI
that the concentration in urban cen
tres diminished marriage; that it did
not flourish. in fact. so largely in
cities as in the country. The Statis-
tics are directly opposed To this view.
The explanation offered by the statiS-
tician is plausible but not completes
lie assumes that the foreign prpula
ton which comes to the urban centres
We're 'thcr married or of marriage
able age at the time of their inmi-
grafton.
Geographically. Inc population is
presented in five groups, and the tab
ulation includes the NCrth Atlantic
division. the South Atlantic. the North
Central. the South Central and the
Western divisions. This exhibit in
forms us that the single persons in
the North Atlantic are l6.O1 per cent.
and in the West Gill per cent. the
divorced Oh and OBS per cent. re
SpccIivrly. and the married :iS.O2 and
34.O4 per cent. respectively.
OF the principal cities Chicago is
far ahead in the matter of divorces.
and m;:,' very justly be called the di-
vurcr centre. Its population is pur
down as 1.U99.S50; its divorced per-
sons number lob. New York. with II
population of 1.115.3O1. gives us 131
divorced persons. Whether Chicag"
develops this condition or only 'har-
hor> the divorced persons. the Sta1is-
Tics furnish no answer. But it seems
probable. from the data furnished.
that the conditions of social life in 1h"
West are such as to make the divorced
more comfortable than in the East.
and this aside from the laws that
make divorce easily obtainablc.
1t is much to be regretted that the
bulletin has not given us some figures
which would enable us to judge of tine
marriage and divorce proportions in
comparison with other years. But rs
the census has only of late taken to
she investigation of such subjects it
was. of course. impossible,
The popular belief is that divorces
are rapidly on the increase. and That
ilal1'ElStS are lalllllS OH. IL lS bDI'lIH
stated by the pamphlctccrS ana rhc
doctrinaircS that the unrest and I'M
certainty of the industrial w"''i L."
disturbance of conservative views of
the marriage obligation and the incur
sion of women into the active affairs
of politics are making marriage less
desirable and more hazardous: that
Young men do not expect now. As for
mrrly, TO secure domestic happiness
by marriage but expect only to 30
into legal partnership which faStCnS
upon them no additional responsible
ties and gives them no equivalent in
Wumanly qualities.
An Aquatic Cat.