The times., 1898-08-14
MARRIAGE AND THINGS.
Effect of Trade and Prices on Mat
rimGny
From the London Mail.)


Much curious and interesting infoTma-
ton is as usual, contained in the new
annual report Of the register general Of
births, deaths and marriages in England
The marriage rate rose in quite mark
ed manner in 1896 and as compared with
that in the Immediately preceding year
was. we learn accompanied by a rise
of per cent in the value of British
exports; a rise of per cent in the value
Of imports. and a rise of IS per cent in
the average price OF wheat per quarter
of course if the latter unaccOmpanied
were any criterion, the rate ought sim
ply to bound up this year. Further,
the amount of money per head at the
Bankers Clearing House was higher
than any year of the preceding quinquen-
MUM. save 1896. which furnished slight
ly better figure.
The number of marriages registered in
the twelve months was 2i2,764- The civil
ceremony shows no signs of increased
popularity; rather the reverse.
Plunging into details. the report sets
forth that the proportions both OF wild
overs and widows who remarked in 1895
were the lowest on record, this appar-
emily indicating a slump in the usually
accepted remarriageability of the widow
There was. however. little. if any, in
creased tendency to marry young; in
deed. the proportion of marriages under
age has shown speedy decline in both
sexes for several years past The regis
| tration counties, which. in the year 1886,
showed the highest proportions of under
age marriages among men were North
! amptonshire, BedfOrdshire. Staffordshire.
/ Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Der
/ byshire-
4 All these counties except Derbyshire
had also been similarly distinguished in
| the preceding year The registration
! counties which showed the highest pro-
portions OF under-age marriages among
women during 1896 were Staffordshire.
Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, the West
and East Rulings of Yorkshire. Durham
and Monmouthshire. All these counties
had shown high proportions in the pre-
vious year, and likewise in the ten years
/ -ISS6-595.
Few would expect all remarrying wild
ows and widowers to own I'D 10 their
wears, but why should there be a greater
| tendency to reinstatement of age in mar
riages between widowers and spinsters
than between bachelors and widOws2
Both men and women are now. judinS
from the statistics marrying la;sr in life
than hitherto. The chances of the un-
married woman over twenty-five are
distinctly better.
In the more gloomy figures. relating to
the death rate. one or two facts should
not be overlooked One is that the
measles death rate in 1896 was. with
the single exception of 1887. the highest
on record, and it is very doubtful wheth-
er. Judging from published medical re-
ports. the figures of the current year
viii be much more favorable.
Enteric fever, as usual. has been spe-
cially prevalent in the group of regis
tration districts, comprising nearly the
whole of the County of Durham. togeth-
er with the adjacent parts of NOrthum-
berland and Yorkshire-it is always the
case, but no reason Is assigned for it
Finally, il is noteworthy that cancer
is rapidly increasing, particularly among
males. Last year supplied the hisbes
death rate on record.