The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-08-27

! group OF islands ungraced by the touch
Of femininity the abode of crustv
old bachelors, soured because they have
not mates and can not get anyq The
! questions sound foolish, it is true, but
they are seriously raised ,inferentially,
at least, by the report of President
| Mott-Smith of the Board of Health,
which seems to indicate that the male
population of Hawaii is increasing at
an alarming rate in proportion to the
female population.
| Weird stories have at times come up
from the South Seas and been given
| publicity here, concerning certain
| islands down in those waters of 70
nance which are inhabited only or al
most exclusively by women and girls,
with perhaps a few old men and young
boys. But in those cases a reason has
been given-the men have either been
killed off in interisland wars. as was
the case sometimes in the early years
of the last century, or, in later years,
have been drawn away to the great
sheep ranges of Australia and New Zea-
land.
In Hawaii, however, the situation is
the other way around; it is the women
who are falling behind in numbers. And
there appears to be no reason, or at
least there is no explanation. Perhaps
it is possible that the great question
OF sex is on the verge of solution-that
scientists have here in Hawaii the key
to the problem that has vexed the ages
since little Cain first squalled under
fig tree. For it would certainly appear
that there must be something in the
climate, the air, the water of these
islands, that favors the birth of men
children. If this is proved to be true,
perhaps Hawaii will be more than ever
the Mecca for travellers.
But there is a serious question in
volved. Already the men greatly out
number the women in this Territory,
and the preponderance of males over
females is increasing every day. What
is to happen when women become so
scarce that there are not enough to go
around? It looks as if the young man |
who wants to marry, unless he is both |
rich and handsome, will have to go to |
other countries to find wife. That, |
of course, will bring new blood into |
Hawaii, but it will be inconvenient. |
Besides, many a man would never fall |
IN love if it were not for propinquity |
1t he had to go about it deliberately, |
say to himself, "Now, I'm going out
and fall IN love with some girl and |
marry her, the flowers on the altar
OF Hymen would be liable to become |
faded and withered.
In the total population of the world |
the number of males is, on the average, |
about equal to that of the females. The |
last United States census shows that, |
although, of course, there are slight |
variations, in nearly all the States the |
percentages are very close, in every
case within a fraction of one per cent. |
But IN Hawaii the percentage of males |
is very much greater than that Of fe-
males-at least so far as the birth rate
is concerned.
The following figures are taken from
the report of President Mott-Smith of
the Board of Health to Governor Frear,
being culled from the birth statistics
for the past ten years:
During the last ten years the total |
number of births reported in Hawaii |
has been 6304. Of these, 1857 were
males and 2767 females, a prepon1ler- |
ance Of males over females of no. In
other words, the percentage of males |
has been 56.266 per year against 1874 |
per cent. of females.
A great disparity in the birth rate |
OF che sexes is shown among the Japan
ese, the males greatly outnnmbering |
the females. During the decade the |
births OF 695 boys have been recorded, |
WhlIe the number of girls is only 523 !
But the preponderance of males over |
females is even greater among the Chi |
nese. OF that nationality there have !
been recorded the births of 1l41 boys |
and only CTS girls-a total of 1919.
1t IS spossible that the disparity in |
the ease of the Oriental races might |
possibly be accounted for by the greater |
JOY that is felt in a Chinese or Japan |
SHS iibhoCAolu uNe1 tue Dlftn OF man |
child, and it is not at all improbable
that the Oriental parents sometimes
neglect to register the birth of a
daughter-who doesn t count for much, |
anyhow. But that explanation will not .
account for the fact that among the !
Americans and Europeans of Hawaii +.
many more boys than girls are born.
OF the SS4 births of white Americans
recorded, All were boys and only 413
girls. One hundred and eighty chill
dren were born of British parents. Of
these, 100 were males and but Il Ie-
males. The disparity is not quite so
great among the Germans, though still i
very noticeable. OF the 1856 births of
this nationality, y were boys and "a
girls.
Only one Korean child has been re-
corded-a girl born this year. She has
an average, therefore, of 100 per cent.
The same great difference is found
IN the record of the birth of Portuguese
children. Of the 479 born since the
year 1900, 25l' were males and 22s
females. Porto Riean births totaied but
II; Il were boys and il were girls.
Twenty-three children were born of
Spanish parents-lS were bows and II
girls Miscellaneous births. taking in
I