Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1893 — THREE MILLION BACHELORS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THREE MILLION BACHELORS.

That's What the Census Shows, and It # § Time Some Repented. According to the last census reports, there are over 3,000,000 bachelors in the United States —by which is meant there are 3,000,000 men over thirty years old who have never been married, says the Poston Globe. This fact, of course, furnishes a very handy text for all sorts of comment and suggestion. Now and then the scheme is advocated of making neglect of matrimony a statutory offense, either by way of tax discrimination in favor of married parties or otherwise. In earlier times marriage was compulsory. The great world conquerors wanted material for their armies, and so heavy penalties were laid on a neglect to marry. One interesting question which the census figures do not answer is this: “How many of these 3,000,000 bachelors are single from choice rather thau necessity?” The factors affecting the ability to support a wife have been very much changed under the newer industrial and commercial condition. So great has become the competition for places among the higher pursuits, and so largely have women come to fill positions once exclusively occupied by men, that the bureaus of industrial statistics show show a larger and larger percentage of men in these pursuits whose incomes, from their point of view, will not permit them to marry. It is easy to scold the young men In this matter—quite as easy as to find fault with the young women who are looking out for husbands with plenty of ready money. But there is nothing in the published census figures regarding the average earnings of certain classes of workers which at all warrants the conclusion that the majority of these t.u00,000 unmarried men remain single through willfulness rather than what they deem necessity.

Judge B. F. Dennison was once arguing a case before Judge Boger S. Greene, and in the course of his remarks kept constantly referring to “Browne on Statute of Frauds,” always making two syllables of the word Browne, and pronouncing it as if it were Brown-ee. Judge Greene fidgeted around in his chair, stood the mispronunciation as long as he could, and then blurted out; “Judge, why do you say' ‘Brown-ee?’ You wouldn't call me ‘Green-ee,’ would you?” Judge Dennison slowly replied, in a rather dry tone of voice: “That depends on how your Honor decides this case.”—Germantown Telegraph.

Conditional.