The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-28
SINGLE BLESSEDNESS
There Are More Bachelors in This
Country Than Spinsters.
6,726, ,77e AGAINST BUT 4,195, ,446
and 1924, IL Mule Majority
of 11O,3O5.
PHILADELPHIA Times,

lines.
The census Office has just completed
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 bach
elors of 20'years or over, and makes rec
ord of the remarkable fact that there are
at present in the United States $500, 900
more single men than single women of
that age and above. The exact figures
are 4,195, 446 maidens, SO that the latter
are in a minority of 1851 1888. In other
words there are 1881, 1888 unattached
males who could not possibly get wives
unless they fell back upon the widows or
upon girls under 20.
Now, this is very surprising state of
affairs. in view of the belief which has
hitherto prevailed that there was in this
country "a great surplus of spinsters who
could not possibly hope to obtain hus
bands, because of the lack of an adequate
supply. It is proved by the census office
hgures not only that this notion was In
correct, but that the surplus is actually
one of bachelors. Even when all of the
widows, and the girls down to II 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 overburdened with single women,
and yet the census reckoning shows that
there is not a state in that group which
has not more bachelors than spinsteTs.
Even Massachusetts, long declared to be
the chosen home and resort of the "old
maid,' has a slight excess of unmarried
men, the figures being 1892 single males
against 277,711 females similarly situated
Maine has 6O,S7S bachelors against 43, 100
spinsters; New Hampshire, 3S,713 bach
elors and 30,554 sDinsters; Vermont, 49,
1872 bachelors and 1919 spinsters; Rhode
Island, 41,645 bachelors and 9,405 spin
sters, and Connecticut, 94, 158 bachelors
against 74,731 spinstcrs
1t Is clear from a glance at the census
figures, however, that the unmarried
women Of the east ought to migrate to
the great and growing west, where tho
available supply of husbands is relatively
enormous. In California, for example,
there are 329,504 bachelors and only 49,
IT'S spinsters of 20 and upward It should
be almost out Of the question for WOm-
an to escape matrimony out there. But
the opportunity in Idaho is still more at
tractive, the single men numbering %, 421
and the spinsters 1856 Montana is an
other state rich in chances of marriage,
it's bachelors numbering 55,457 against
$500 spinsters. Oregon has 60,525 bachel-
ors and 16,774 naidens, while Washington
claims 90.014 single men and 16,318 single
women. But the banner state for bachel-
ors is Wyoming, which has 2,347 spinsters,
against 20,927 unmarried persons of the
sterner sex.
The excess of bachelors over spinsters
of 20 years and upward in Massachusetts,,
compared to the total number of spinsters,
is nearly per cent: In Rhode Island it
is per cent, in Connecticut 25 per cent,
in Maine 80 per cent, in New Hampshire
26 per cent, and in Vermont 45 per cent.
New York shows a surplus of % per cent,
New Jersey 20 per cent, Pennsylvania
38 per cent, Ohio 38 per cent, Indiana 60
per cent, and Illinois 68 per cent. Kan
sas rises to an excess in bachelors to
108 per cent while Missouri shows sur
plus of 72 per cent. Michigan has an
excess of II per cent of single men.
In explanation of the hugeness Of these
percentages, it should be made clear that
the mass of the population in each state
is paired off by marriage evenly as be-
tween the sexes, leaving only comp; a
lively small fraction of single persons OF
marriageable age. 1t is only this frac-
tion that Is considered in the present
statement, and in most states the male
part of the fraction is much in excess
Of the female part-hence the high per-
centage of bachelor surplus quoted. In
the whole country there are 6,726, 779
bachelors against 4,195, ,446. spinsters-an
excess of 60 per cent of bachelors over
unmarried women.
When the entire population of the coun-
try Is considered, it is shown by the CEN
sus figures that there are now in the
United States 1,S00,0O0 more males than
females. The excess in 1890 was only
1,560,O47. This is very interesting, partic-
ularly in view of the fact that in the old
world the condition of affairs is quite
different, the females outnumbering the
males. In Europe there are only 1856
males to 511 females in every 1000 of the
population.
In this country the males outnumber
the females "a in every 1000, and thus
it is obvious that, if all of the women do
not get husbands, it is not for lack Of
available material.
Within the last few decades the birth
rate in this country has run down rapid
ly. "The idea Of limiting families" says
Carroll D. Wright, "has more effect upon
the growth OF population than war, pesti-
lence, and all other causes combined -
In 1850 the average family comprised
five and half persons; now 1t is only
four and half. People in the southern
states have the most children, while in
New England families are Smallest.
Louisiana, in proportion to populat Ion,
has twice as many children as Maine un-
der years Of age. Nevertheless, a baby
Is born in this country every twelve sec
onds. Every twenty three seconds death
OCCURS, every twenty-four seconds a
marriage. and every minute in the twen-
tyfour hours five cradles are supplied
with occupants. ~''
Following are the new census figures,
showing the number of bachelors and
Snin sters Of 20 vears and ,1nwo rd IN on