New-York tribune., 1905-02-07
MARRIAGE OF COLLEGE WOMEN.
A Correspondent Takes Exception to DR..
Halls Statements.

To the Editor of The Tribune
sir. DR. C; Stanley Hail. in his lecture at Cooper
Union as reported in your admirable paper was
aDparentlr unaware Of the statistics which have
been gathered in regard to the marriage of women
college graduates by the Association OF Collegate
Aluunge These statistics were given by Miss M
Carey Thomas. president OF Bryh Ma"r' at the
biennial meeting of wcmen's clubs at St Louis last
summer Statistics were gathered so far as pos
sble Of women VINO graduated between 1868
and 1898 1t was found that only 90 per cent OF
these women were married
But the blanks sent out contained ouher quesllohs
besides the main one. One was What propor-
ton OF your nearest female relatives VINO nave NOT
been to college married?" This was very
ingenious question. which probably only a woman
would have thought Of AS a result. 1T was found
that only so per cent Of the non-college female
relatives married
These returns lead straight to the conclusion
that in a certain class of the American population
only half the women marry. What class is this?
The blanks sent out furnish the answer TO this
question also. One inquiry propouuded was;
What the annual income of your family
while you were in collegeF' Returns showed that
26 per cent of all graduates from families
whose annual income did not exceed 81 200 while
they in college. Another 46 per cent came
from families whose income did not exceed $500
year. Only 2S per cent came from families with
Incomes Of more than $2.50 The American col
Iege girl therefore comes from the middle class
ranging down toward the poor on one hand and
up toward the rich, on the other. but rarely COM
ing from either the poor the rich.
OF course, 1.-The poor and the rich" ara inde6-
ton, and yet think all know what they mean
The rich those who do not live by the prod
ucts of their TOLL and who have possible fear of
coming to want, Unless through some unusual
catastrophe. such business panic or persistent
extravaganza and bad management The poor
are those who live by Of their daily toll and
VINO. although they may be living in comparative
comfort have the possibility of coming to want
hlfn %fa,1
for some reason. generally intellectual endowment.
able TO command better return for their labor
than ''the poor but whose personality and mental
equipment bring them nearer to ''the rich " while
their financial circumstances are nearer those of
the poor"
Now, it is this verv class. in which prudence and
foresight mighty developed OF which 90 per cent
Of the women do not marry And if 90 per cent of
the women do not marry it likely that 30 per
cent of the men remain unmarried also, because
there are many men than women IN the
United States.
There are no general statistics on the subject of
every Individual will bear out this view Among NJ
the rich and among the poor practically all the
only a small percentage Among the rich there is
whether there is money enough or not And the
further. down one goes financially. among the
riage and the more recklessness as to the number
conditions knows this. and will affirm it unhest-
tatingly. although there are no statistics on the
dent and comparatively poor. that the large num-
bers Of unmarried exist.
This may seem TO fail In explaining why 50 per
cent of Women college graduates are found
married after twenty years and only % per OF
the men. Bat the discrepancy IS only apparent.
The daughters of the rich rarely go college.
They go to finishing schools" The
richest families found in great colleges
The daughters of our richest families almost never.
Moreover, II is from the daughters of the middle
class both college and non-college women,
that the vast ranks of the teachers have been filed
for two generations past Teaching has been the
chief for many years almost the only, profession
open TO the educated woman. OF all occupations
affords followers the feWeSt opportu-
mites for meeting men In the of their busi-
ness life Propinquity Is the great cause Of mar
rtape one must meet and know the other in
order 10 have opportunity 10 marry. In these eco
nomic and professional causes think VIII he
the class college girls come from do not marry
College life has nothing to do with II.
Manhattan n. Y. MINNIE j. REYNOLDS