The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-03-04
WE'D AND LIVE LONG SAYS DIR.
BERTILLON.
Shown by French Statistics That Bach.
eIOrs and Spinsters Die Young.

Paris, Jan. 22.-Punch's famous ad-
vice to those about to get married.
Don't lis vigorously opposed by DIR.
Jacques Bertillon, who il possibly the
greatest living authority on the sexes.
Marry if you want to live to a good
old age" says DR.. Bertillon, and gives
his reasons with statistics to back
them up. THE married man or Wo-
man has," he says, thrice a. much
chance Of good, long run Of life as a
bachelor or spinster."
DIR. Bertillon shows also that NOR
tally among widowers is greater than
the average among married men; SO
he recommends them to marry again,
provided they are under SO years OF
age.
The figures on which DIR. Bertillon
bases his advice are not peculiar to
France, for he explains that his father,
who also made study of the question,
got statistics from Germany, Austria,
Italy, Sweden, Holland, and Belgium,
which completely bear out his opinion
while he himself has studied the mat
ter in France. To young men DR.
bGTLIllOu mas THlS W say
Marry and you will do well even
from a selfish standpoint; but watch
carefully over your wife's health as
even from this egotistical point OF
view, her loss will be a terrible mis-
fortune; for your life depends in a
great measure on her own
To the women his advice is I:
"And to you, Mademoiselle, give
counsel to marry in your most selfish
interest as mortality among married
women IL less than among spinsters
of the same age, at least after the age
OF 20, but the difference is less for
women than for men. The mortality
among spinsters is much greater than
among married women, but it is not
twice AZ great az in the case Of men.
Next comes the widow Mortality
among widows Is distinctly much
greater than among married women OF
the same age. The sweet state OF
widowhood is, on the contrary, fatal
to young widows. Their death rate
from 20 to % years of age, is twice
that of married women at the CORES
ponding age"
Then DIR. Bertillon goes on gallantly
to say that women have less need OF
men than the latter have Of them
He says that the death rate il general
ly less among women than with men
of the same age and station. What Is
the reason ? Simply that they are
steadier. And there is no doubt, for
the same reason, that matrimony con-
duces to longevity.
Married people lead a more reg
ular life," he says. "They are more
controlled, discreet though this con-
troll they may be, and it must be dis
Greet IL it Is to be useful. Their phys
ical life, like their moral life, Is health
Ter, quieter, and more natural.
"Other explanations may be as
signed, but, in my opinion, they are
not worth this one"
Veterinarians, weakings, drunk
ards, and fast people do not marry SO
much as others; SO matrimony, it is
argued, gets the soundest recruits. But
this is not a sufficient argument, says
DR.. Bertillon. He says:
IF ii were, widowers, who are also
the elect of marriage, would retain the
very low mortality of married men.
Well, they have the same death rate
a. bachelors, and even higher, per-
haps. They succumb to the trouble
which their loss has caused them.
Don't smile-tbat can happen. I
have seen instances of this"
Thus does DR.. Bertillon point the
moral i'm French statistics For one
year which he has selected the deaths
per 1000 men, among bachelors be-
tween 50 and 40, were 10; while those
of married men were only 8; between
81 and so Of the figure was Al for the
former and % for the latter With
women at the same ages the mortal
ity was CORRESPONDENCE II and be-
tween 80 and 40, and "a and Is be-
tween 50 and co. The death rates
among widows and Divorces were,
respectively, - and 21 per 1000 wo-
men.