The suburban citizen., 1902-05-17
SURPLUS OF SPINSTERS
MELANCHOLY REVELATION OF THE
LATEST LONDON CENSUS.

According TO the last London census
| there are in that huge metropolis 2j0,-
! 900 more women than men. In the
4,JOOOO0 souls that make up the popu.
latiOn of the English capital. 100000
| are spinsterS, and nearly 2.000.0O0 are
! widows. Seyenty-three Of these latter
| are under twenty-one years of age.
! AS possible mates for this 100000 UNI
| attached females. there are 1,300O00
single men. This shows surplus,
| roughly speaking, Of 100000 women.
| who are likely TO remain widows and
( maids unless they emlgrate. or Il
| plague breaks out among their more
enterpriSing and attractive sisters,
who. it is to he supposed. will end the
bacAelorhood Of the 100000 mar
riageable men.
This is IA bad outlook for the spin
sters of London. Unless miracle
| interveues, 100000 of them will 90
mwed to the grave Even worse than
that--and that is regarded as sufficient
of calamity on the other side of
! the water-a majority Of them will
probably be thrown ON their own re-
sources and have 10 earn their own
| bread. for il they had been women
of means they would not have been
left in maiden meditation. fancy free.
! Thus their position assumes tragic
| proportions. In any European country
an unmarried woman supporting her.
self has an uninylting future. Should
she be well-born and n lady, she be-
comes a pathetic object, struggling
against overwhelming odds. humbly
accepting miserable returns for her
| services. ploddng on in the same hope
| less rut because she fears to risk the
hazard of change.
In all countries the average normal
woman wants and expects to marry
| Nevertheless she is not so desperately
anxious to unite herself with any man
as men are inclined TO think. The or
| dinary man has an idea that every
woman is out on Il sill hunt for
husband and will neither sleep nor eat
til she gets one. 1t is difficult to dis
suade him from this cherished delu-
sion. and he is prone to hint at the
many times he has been stalked and
| fed from his pursuer. only saving him
| self by the speed and persistence Of
| his retreat. This harmless fantasy
only adds charm to those already
| possessed by the simple male. and no
sensible woman was ever known to
derive anything but amusement from
| it. Many find great diversion in
drawing him out on this point. and
making him relate his hair-breadth es-
capes--but that is another story.
As was saying, the average woman
wants to marry. 1t is the best profes-
sion open to her 1t is what all
women do. Should she live in 4 com
| munlty where the male population Is
! evenly balanced with the female, she
has generally several chances I'm
| less they are very rich or possessed
of unusual charm, all girls have about
| the same number. One of the most
| curious things about the sentimental
| life of women is that pretty ones and
| ugly ones, charming ones and dull
ones, quiet ones and vivacious ones
| have about the same number of offers
| OF marriage. The women one reads
about in novels who are redoubtable
| enchantresses, irresistible to the other
sex, are very rare. The pretty girl
who has all the best partners at the
balls and is perpetually invited out"
| has not any more real scalps at her
| belt than her demure and not very
good looking sister, who stays at home
and keeps the family accounts. Some
! like oysters and some like onions Is
! particularly true OF men on their sen
rimental side The heroines of some
OF the most unusual and volcanic ro-
mauces l have ever heard were
women without a suggestion OF lurld
| and unconventional charm. They ap-
pear to nine men out Of ten as devoid
OF special interest, but the tenth man
was not Of that opinion, and he was
of the type who made rOmances. as II
Is said the adventurous make adven-
lures.
Some sage has said that seven offers
of marriage are as many as any
woman can expect We can amend
that by adding, if she lives in To-
cality where the men are not greatly
in excess OF the women, and If she
is not enormously rich. Seven offers
Of marriage for girl who lived in
large city, and married, say. at TWEEN
ty-fye. would be an unusual number
Numerous young women will scoh at
this, and say they have been the re.
ciplents Of seventeen. But it is an
acknowledged and humiliatlng fact
that upon this subject the most truth
fully inclined and high-minded ladies
will preyaricate. The best way to
treat their prevarications is to give
them the benefit Of the doubt by say
ing that there are quantities Of girls
who don't know the difference between
remarks Of tenderly flirtatious char
acter and bona 1de proposal. Every
woman had had midnight condolences
| on tbp subippt Of s'fTo1i,'g tronogoI - or