Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-07-25
Visible Supply Greater Than
Spinsters in Maine.
Census Office Figures Show This to
Be a Fact.
This State Has eo.s7s Bachelors and
1890 Spinsaers.

a
6, I26,il9 bachelors of 20 years or over,
and makes record of the remarkable
fact that there are at present in the
United States two and half millions
more single men than single women Of
that age and above. The exact figures
are 4.195,4i6 maidens, so that the latter
are in minority of 1881. 1888. In other
words, there are 2,53l33 unattached
males who could not possibly get wives
unless they fell back upon the widows
or upon girls under 90
This is surprising state of affairs,
IN view of the belief which has hitherto
prevailed that there was in this country
q great surplus of spinisters 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 the girls down
to II years of age are taken into count
there are not nearly enough of them TO
go around.
The girls of Maine will be surprised
to learn that there are nearly 40 per
cent. more bachelors than there are
maidens in the state. This shows that
there are almost one and one half times
more bachelors than spinsters, thus
giving the latter far better chance Of
securing husbands than has heretofore
been the impression. Maine has COSTS
bachelors against 1890 spinisters.
New England always has been sup
posed 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 spinsters. Even Massachusetts.
long declared to be the chosen home
and resort of the old maid, has slight
overplus of unmarried men, the figures
being 2S2,992 single males against 27I,-
III females similarly situated. New
Hampshire, 49, 713 bachelors and 30,554
spinsters; Vermont, 20, 1872 bachelors
and 1919 spnsters; Rhode Island, A.
CAS- bachelors and 39,405 spinsters, and
Connecticut, 94,15S bachelors against
74,731 spinsters.
It is clear from glance at the CEN
sus figures, however, that the unmar-
ried women of the East ought to mi
CRATE to the great and growing West,
where the available supply of husbands
is relatively enormous. Take Cali
fornia, for example, where there are
23a,504 bachelors and only SS,755 maid
ems of 20 and upward. Why, it must
be almost out of the question for
woman to escape matrimony out there.
But the opportunity in Idaho is much
more attractive, the single men num-
berng 23,421 and the spinsters only
1856. Montana is another state rich in
chances of marriage, it's bachelors
numbering 55,457 against 1860 spinsters.
Oregon has 60,525 bachelors and 1914
maidens. while Washington claims 90
Ola single men and 1913 single women.
But the banner state for bachelors is
Wyoming. which has 2347 spinsters
against 20,927 unmarried persons of the
sterner sex. 1t must be very difficult
for q woman to become an old maid in
Wyoming.
The excess of bachelors over spin
sters of 20 years and upward in Massa-
chusetts is nearly 2 per cent. In
Rhode Island it is per cent, in Con-
necticut % 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 90 per cent,
New Jersey 20 per cent, Pennsylvania,
3S per cent, Ohio 50 per cent, Indiana
co per cent. and Illinois So per cent.
Kansas rises to an excess in bachelors
of los per cent, while Missouri shows
surplus of ~ per cent. Michigan has
an excess of Il per cent of single men.
In explanation of the largeness of
these percentages, it should be made
clear that the mass of the population
in each state is paired off by marriage
evenly as between the sexes, leaving
over only comparatively small
fraction of single persons of mar
riageable age. 1t is only this frac-
ton 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 percentages of bacnelor
surplus quoted. In the whole country
there are 6.726179 bachelors against A.
195A46 spinsters-an excess of 60 per
cent. of bachelors over the unmarried
women.
When the entire population of the
country is considered, it is shown by
the census figures that there are now
in the United States 100000 more
males than females. The excess in 1890
was only 1.560.0i7. This is very inter-
cstinC. particularly in view of the fact
that in the Old World the condition of
affairs is quite different, the females
outnumber the males. In Europe there
are 4S5 males to I'll females in every
1000 of the population.
In this country the males outnumber
the females "a in every 1000, and thus
il is obvious that. if all of the women
10 not get husbands. it is not for lack
of available material. In Idaho there
are 22S men for every 100 women. Mon
tana has 100 men for every 100 women.
Nevada has 153 men for every 100 wo-
men. Arizona has 40 men for every
100 women. These figures, of course,
relate to the entire population, and not
to bachelors and spinsters. Statistics
show that about three-fifths of the
peopIe of the United States Gncluding
children) are single. a little more than
one-third married, and not quite one
twentieth widowed. The divorced con-
stitute but small fraction of 1 per
cent. of the whole number.
Within the last few decades the birth
rate in this country has run down
rapidly 1.-The idea of limiting fam
lilies" says Carroll d. Wright, has
,,,ora afract yInan the growth of non