The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-18

For the benefit of the spinsters of the
country the Census Office has just COM
pleted the above careful reckoning of the
number of men in the various States of
the Union who are available matrimonially.
1t finds that in the aggregate there are
6, 726, 779 bachelors of twenty years or over,
and makes record of the fact that there
are at present in the United States $500, 600
more single men than single women of that
age and above. The exact figures are 49,
446 maidens, so that the latter are in a mi
nority of 2531 1888 In other words, there
are 2,531, 1873 unattached males who could
not possibly get wives unless they fell
back upon the widows or upon girls under
twenty.
Now, this is a very surprising state of
affairs, in view of the belief which hitherto
prevailed that there was in this country a
great surplus of spinsters who could not
possibly hope to obtain husbands because
of the lack of an adequate supply. 1t is
proved by the Census Office figures not only
that this notion was incorrect, but that
the surplus is actually one of bachelors.
Even when all of the widows and girls
down TO seventeen years of age are taken
into the count there are not nearly enough
of them TO go around.
New England has always been supposed
TO be oyerburdened with single women, and
yet the census reckoning shows that there
is not a State in that group which has not
more bachelors than spinsters. Even Mas
sachusetts, long declared to be the chosen
home and resort of old maids has a Slight
overplus of unmarried men, the figures be
ing 2S2 9S2 single males, against 277.711 fe-
males similarly situated. Maine has 6O,S7S
bachelors, against 1880 spinsters; New
Hampshire IS. 7l3 bachelors and 90, 554 spin
s.ers; Vermont, %, 132 bachelors and 1919
spinsters; Rhode Island, Al, 645 bachelors
and 80, 405 spinsters. and Connecticut, "a, 15S
bachelors against 74.731 spinsters.
II is clear from a glance at the census
figures however, that the unmarried wom-
en- of the East ought to migrate TO the
great and growing West where the avail
able supply of husbands is relatively enOr-
NOUS Just think of California, for ex-
ample, where there are 239,54 bachelors
and only S. 755 maidens Of twenty and up
ward Why il must be almost out Of the
question for a woman 10 escape matrimony
out there. But the opportunity in Idaho is
much more attractive. the single men num-
bering % 42l and the spinsters only 1856.
Montana is another State rich in chances of
marriage, its bachelors numbering So 457,
against 1860 spinsters. Oregon has %. 525
bachelors and 1914 maidens, while Wash
ington claims 90O14 single men and 1913
single women. But the banner State for
bachelors is Wyoming, which has 2347
spinsters against 1927 unmarried persons
of the sterner sex. 1t must be very difficult
for a woman to become an old maid in
Wyoming.
The excess of bachelors over spinsters OF
twenty years and upward in Massachusetts
is nearly 2 per cent. In Rhode Island IL
is 3 per cent, in Connecticut p per cent, in
Maine 80 per cent, in New Hampshire 2f
per cent. and in Vermont IS per cent. New
York shows a surplus of % per cent New
Jersey % per cent, Pennsylvania IS per
cent, Ohio IS per cent, Indiana 90 per cent.
and Illinois s. per cent. Kansas rises to
an excess in bachelors Of los per cent,
while Missouri shows a surplus OF p per
cent Michigan has an excess of II per
cent. of single men.