The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-04-15

the tables you will observe that Chi
cago has had fewer deaths annually
and her rate has stood practically
stationary, although the ratio in Ber-
lin has been gradually decreasing.
The death rate in Paris is consider
ably above that of Berlin and still
further above that of Chicago, not
withstanding the scientific methods of
protecting life and health that have
prevailed there for many years. The
death rate in Paris has been higher
annually for the last ten years and is
higher today than that of London,
New York, Chicago or Berlin.
New York has improved very much
in health and the death rate which
has reached and passed the twenty
per- thousand mark at least four
times during the last ten years, drop
ped to 1876 in 1903 and 16 % in
1909. This improvement is attribut-
ed to clean streets, the enforcement
of the new tenement house law and
other sanitary precautions that have
/ been taken by the municipal author
tiles for the protection of the poor.
The birth rate of the great cities
furnishes an interesting study, ana
you will notice that those of Chicago
and Berlin are almost parallel. Po-
litical economists and professors who
discuss race suicide and similar CUES
tons are accustomed to reproach the
American people for not having larg-
er families and point to the thrifty
and vigorous German race as setting
us a good example in replenishing the
earth.
NEW YORK BIRTH RATE HIGH.
Perhaps it may be due to. the large
foreign population, but the birth rate
in Chicago has been even higher than
that of Berlin, and in 1909 was only
three fractions below it.
The birth rate of London even was
better than that of Berlin, and has
been regularly two Or three points
higher almost every year for the last
ten years. And the birth rate in New
York was higher than either London,
Berlin or Chicago during 1909 and
for the two previous years. Hence
We shall not be censured so severely
for not having larger families.
Paris makes a bad showing for
babies. The birth rate there is low
er than that of any other of the great
cities of the world.
Notwithstanding the difference IN
population, 1000 more babies were
born in New York in 1909 than in Lon
don; 1900 more babies were born in
Chicago than in Berlin, and although
Paris has about 100000 more po-
pulation than Chicago, 3O7 more ba-
bies were born in the latter city than
in Paris.
The climate of Chicago has been
very much abused, but the statistics
show that it is not bad for the health,
and the same may be said of Lon
don.
COMPARISON OF MARRIAGES.
Unfortunately I have not been able
to get the marriage satisfies for Lon
don and Berlin, but comparison be-
tween those of New York, Chicago
and Paris are quite interesting.
The number of marriages in New
York has been very irregular for the
past ten years, and has been govern
ed by material interests rather than
affection or ambition. The marriage
license bureau is an accurate index
to financial conditions. You will no
tice the large number of marriages
in New York between 1908 and 1907
which We're the flush times, and that
high tide was reached in 1907, which
was the most prosperous year in the
history of America. In 1908, when the
panic came, the total fell off in a most
/ extraordinary manner, but picked up
little in 1909, and now that we have
resumed prosperity l presume that
the total for 1910 will approach those
of 1906 and 1907.
There are more marriages in Chi
cago than in New York in proportion
to the population. During the past
five years the average number of mar
ri6ges in New York has been about
$4,000 for a population of 4,422,685,
while with a population of almost
precisely half that number Chicago
has an average of $4,000 marriages
annually
Paris and New York keep about the
same in the marriage race. The ra-
ito in New York for five years has
been 70 MARRIAGES no. I mn 20 tho