The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-12-29
A Study Of the Sexes


a SIuuy III Tic PAOROAIAOA VI oSAS
in the United States has been pub
lished by the Bureau of the Census.
The discussion and analysis were
written by Prof. w. IF, Wilcox, of
Cornell University, the tables them
selves, derived from the main popn-
lation reports Of the Twelfth Census,
were prepared also under Professor
will cox's supervision.
Some OF the conclusions reached
are of much scientific anG practical
Importance, and may thus be sum-
married.:
The whole population of continent
al United States was first counted
with distinction of sex in 1920. DUR
ing the seventy years from 1880 to
1900 the absolute excess Of males was
greater at each census than at any
preceding census with one exception,
that of 1870, when the excess Of
males was less than in 1850 and 1860.
This reduction of the xce OF
males between 1860 and 1870 by about
100000 was doubtless due to the
deaths in the Civil War and the di-
minished immigration during the de-
cade.
The greatest relative excess OF
males was in 1890, when in each TO-
900 people there were 242 more males
than females.
BY 1900 this excess had decreased
to ZIG in 10000, less than the relative
excess in 1890 and 1860, but greater
than that at each other census.
In continental United States there
are 1885, 21 more males than females,
or about 2 in each 100 people.
Probably in the population Of the
world as a whole, and certainly in
that half of it which has been counted
with distinction of sex, there are
several millions more males than fe-
males.
In continental United States, how
ever, the relative excess Of males is
greater than the average for all coun-
tries.
Europe has an xcess Of females;
every other continent, so far as
known, has an excess of males.
The divisions Of continental United
States with the smallest proportion
of males are the District Of Columbia
(47.4 per cent?, Massachusetts CAST
per cent?, and Rhode Island (49.1 per
cent?; those with the largest are wy
oming (62.9 per cent?, and Montana
(61.6 per cent?.
AS a rule sparsely settled regions
have an excess of males and densely
settled regions an excess Of females,
Between 1890 and 1900 the diver.
gence among the several states in
this respect decreased and the pro
portion of males and Of females in
different sections became more near
ly equal.
In 1880 about one-fourth and in 1906
less than one1sixth Of the American
counties had an excess of females.
Cities Have More Females.
American cities as a rule have more
females than males. In the 1861 cit
les, each having in 1900 at least $500
inhabitants, there were POI, $50 more
females tnan males and this notwith
standing the many western cite!
which contained more males than fe
males and the enormous number o
foreign born in the country, five
ninths of them male and a large pro
portion OF them living in the cities.
This tendency of American citiei
to develop a population having a ma
jority of females had increased sine,
1890 when, in the 1,49O cities, eaci
having at least $500 inhabitants Their,
were 6,929 more males than females
While the excess of 6,929 males il
American cities in 1890 became an eS
cess of 21Q959 females in American
cities in 1900, the excess of 1878, SIS!
males in country districts in 1S9
became an excess of 1,840,280 male
in 1900.
Or, expressing the facts in ratios
Of each 1000 inhabitants of such cite,
in 1890, 500 were males and in 1900
497 were males; of each 1000 inhab
itants living outsice these cities ii
1890, 519 were males and in 1900, 52l
were males. The difference thus il
the number of males or of females be
tween an average thousand OF cit,
and of country population in 1890 wa
10 and in 1900, %.
This conclusion IS not MATERIAL,
modified when a more accurate meth
cd is employed and a comparison
made between the ngures in 1890 ant
1900 for the same list Of cities, name
ly, all which had at least $500 inhau
itants at each date.
A marked and increasing dissocia
ton of the sexes between city an,
country like that in the United State.
has been noted also In the leadin,
countries of western Europe.
On the other hand, there is a larg,
excess of males in the principal elite,
of Russia and India, and in Hongkon,
and Manila.
This excess of females in the cite,
of western Europe ana eastern Unit
ed States is probably due mainly t,